Three seniors made it official in the library last Wednesday morning with the signing of their national letters of intent, all three accepting full athletic scholarships to the university of their choice.

Monisha Neal – basketball, Grambling State University

Q: What has been the most memorable experience of your high school career?

A: “Being with the different teams that I’ve been with, and my friends here.”

Q: Were there other college options for you?

A: “Texas Southern.”

Q: What do you plan on doing after college?

A: “Being an accountant.”

Q: What do you expect to be different about playing your sport at a college level compared to a high school level?

A: “It’s going to be more aggressive.”

Q: What goals do you  have for your college basketball career?

A: “To get a good start, play smart, and to just be on top of everything.”

Kristyn Nicholson – volleyball, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Q: What has been the most memorable experience of your high school career?

A: “The last game we played this season, when we played Marcus, because it represented a chance to go to playoffs. It was such a big game, and so important to this program.”

Q: Were there other college options for you?

A: “There were a couple others, when I was a freshman and sophomore, but it was between Northwestern State University and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.”

Q: What inspired you to choose Texas A&M-Corpus Christi?

A: “I loved the girls and I loved the atmosphere there, especially because it is right on the beach.”

Q: What do you plan on doing after college?

A: “Well my dream is to go play professional volleyball in Italy, and if that doesn’t happen I don’t know.”

Q: What do you expect to be different about playing your sport at a college level compared to a high school level?

A: “All those girls want to play volleyball. They’re completely dedicated to the program, and they’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

Portia Okafor – volleyball, Rice University

Q: What was the most memorable experience of you high school career?

A: “Beating Marcus for the first time ever, because we rubbed it in their face. The Rowdy Crowd was tremendous, and all the energy from our fans the players and parents. It was just a great feeling.”

Q: Were there other college options for you?

A: “I was looking at UCLA, North Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio State and Baylor, but I decided I wanted to stay in Texas. I wanted a solid education, and I knew Rice was the best option for me.”

Q: What inspired you to choose Rice?

A: “One, I loved the coaching staff. They’re really sweet and willing to work with each of their players. I also liked the city of Houston a lot. It’s like my second home, it’s a nice campus, and I think it will be a positive environment for me.”

Q: Can you explain the recruiting process?

A: “Basically, starting off your career as a volleyball player, you have to advertise yourself. Colleges have to be interested in you, so you have to get your footage out there, continue to contact them, email them and call them constantly, because once you slack off, they lose interest in you, which is a bad thing. You want to start as early as possible. I started the end of my freshman year, and started my footage sophomore year. Finally  junior year I could start calling them. So I emailed and started calling them junior year and then, at the end of my junior year, I finalized my decision.”

Q: What do you expect to be different about playing your sport at a college level compared to a high school level?

A: My college team is going to be more strict and mature, because we’re all still growing up in high school and all of us are young, but in college we’re all adults. We all have other things that we deal with, and as a team we need to know how to communicate and play with each other well.”

Q: What are you goals for you college athletic career

A: “I hope to become a well-rounded player, someone that can become an All-American.”