For the past six years, senior Jaclyn Childress has devoted her time and effort to playing volleyball for both her club team, Skyline, and Plano Senior.
As a result of having played on a volleyball team since she was 12 years old, Childress has known that this game would be a big part of her life for several years.
“When I was in sixth grade, I wanted to play on the seventh grade team at Schimelpfenig,” Childress said. “I ended up making the top club team and ever since I started playing there, I knew that I would probably be doing this for a long time.”
Due to her talent in the sport, Childress has been approached by many different colleges throughout her high school years.
“I really started the recruiting process in my sophomore year of high school,” Childress said. “That is also the same time that I was beginning to be approached about scholarships.”
Early on in her high school career, Childress decided where she would go to college based solely on her volleyball career and has never regretted her decision.
“I committed in my sophomore year to to go to Wake Forest University in North Carolina,” Childress said. “I always knew that I wanted to play in the ACC and the minute I stepped on the campus in North Carolina I knew it was where I wanted to go.”
Alongside Childress being a skilled player all around, she prides herself in being a role model for her teammates to look up to.
“I am best known for attacking because I’m an outside hitter,” Childress said. “I also have a lot of energy that people feed off of, and I have a role as a leader on the team.”
Even though participating in the sport itself is also an unforgettable experience for her, Childress can no longer imagine herself outside of the atmosphere her team creates.
“The family that your team becomes is just inseparable,” Childress said. “You spend so much time together that you really just become a family.”
Since the beginning of her journey, Childress has had the support of both her volleyball family and her family at home, both of which stand behind her and help her with her decisions.
“My family has always been very supportive of everything I wanted to do,” Childress said. “I have also always looked up to my older brother a lot.”
While Childress chose her college based on her volleyball talent, she has already made plans for a career in sports communications once she is done.
“I will probably look into other things after my college career is over,” Childress said. “I will probably stop and go into journalism or broadcast journalism.”
Throughout her entire volleyball career, nothing has moved Childress more than the connections she made while traveling the country with her team.
“You go to so many places and play so many teams that you just make so many friends all over the country,” Childress said. “It is incredible.”