With the school year coming to an end, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School senior athletes took the time to reflect on their experience on various teams. Although many might still not be active on the team, their experiences on sports teams have given them lessons and lifelong experiences to look back on.
Maggie Simonyan was an athlete on the Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) varsity girls cross country team during the 2022 fall semester. While she always enjoyed running in her free time, it was Simonyan’s first year on a team. Although she could not remain on the team due to limited space in her course schedule, Simonyan still runs 4-5 miles every day after school to incorporate the sport into her daily life.
Derek Vasquez was an athlete on the BCCHS varsity boys baseball team during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years. Having played baseball for 14 years, Vasquez was the pitcher on the team. Being on the team has taught Vasquez “to always learn from the losses,” which helped him get bigger and faster.
Cheyanne Losino is an athlete on the BCCHS varsity girls volleyball and beach volleyball teams. Cheyanne has played on the BCCHS volleyball team for her entire high school years, having had eight years of experience playing volleyball. Aside from practices at BCCHS, Losino has also participated on club teams, which has allowed her to participate in more tournaments.
Josiah Lands played on BCCHS’s boys varsity water polo during the fall of 2021 and 2022. Lands carried an experienced past, having played water polo for six years. Lands’s favorite memory while on the team was making it to the final CIF bracket in his junior year. Due to the team becoming a bad environment, Lands stopped playing on the BCCHS team. Nevertheless, he still finds opportunities to swim through being a lifeguard. Being on a team has taught him the good and bad when it comes to teamwork.
Brisa Chajan is an athlete on the BCCHS varsity girls swim and water polo teams. She played on the swim team for three years and the water polo team for two years. As a committed and dedicated player, Chajan spent hours at practices, which led to eventually pushing her limits to the point where she injured herself. This caused her to take some time off and recover. Chajan still plans to return to her sport and pursue water polo at Los Angeles Valley College.
