By: Belle Gendron
There is a senior that walks the halls of the redwood campus who is member of the varsity basketball team, advanced orchestra, and participates in track and field. Her name is Janessa Haro. She is a hard-working student-athlete that focuses and devotes time to both studies and athletics.
Haro is a captain on Redwood High School’s varsity women’s basketball team. She has been growing her basketball skills for years. She began her basketball journey, “I think I was in fourth grade, third or fourth grade”. Given this, most of her life she has been a lover of the sport and puts a lot of time and effort into making herself a better stronger player.
All athletes need motivation. When it comes to Haro she draws her inspiration and drives from someone very important in her life. From an early age, Haro’s mother has instilled passion into her daughter. Haro has been around basketball for a lot of her life.
Her mom, “used to be a big basketball fanatic when she was in high school and she always talks about it.” Haro learned the love of the sport with help from her mom who will play with her, giving her “that want to get better, to be able to say I was better than you.”
Having motivation is the first step to becoming a hardworking athlete, and having a goal is the second step. Since she has been playing for so long, Haro focuses on the things that “I could do … to potentially make myself better”, and for her, that means improving her shot.
Haro stays consistent with practice, knowing that she will improve with hard work. She likes the idea of getting better, it keeps her at practice giving it her all.
After Redwood, Janessa Haro plans of becoming a Golden Eagle and attending West Hill Lemoore. At West Hills, she is going to play basketball, getting two years free to earn her associates. She is excited to go live in the team house.
The women on the West Hills Lemoore basketball team are already acquainted with Haro, having played travel ball with them. It should provide for a smooth transition into college and a higher level of basketball.
Janessa Haro is a hard-working student-athlete and looks forward to a bright future playing basketball and furthering her education.