By: Reagan Miller
Maria Antonella Cardenas ’24 is a sophomore student at Redwood High School who’s a part of the girls varsity tennis team who recently transferred from Arizona. Before living in Arizona, Cardenas originally lived in Venezuela and then moved to Arizona.
Cardenas says that “Like my first move from Venezuela to Arizona this one has not been all nice and rainbows.” Cardenas explains how she felt really excited and also nervous for the move, “ I was excited I was going to this new place, and a new school, but that also terrified me, I was excited and a little nervous at the same time .”
On top of moving to a new school she would also be playing for a new tennis team. After feeling super nervous to play for a new team, Cardenas says “The first day of training with the team I was super nervous because I didn’t know anyone and it was a new school, and a new team, but they made me feel like I had already been there since day one, they are awesome as person’s and players out in the court, they have all made me feel so welcome and they have definitely made this move better. The whole team.“
Cardenas says “Some of the ups and downs of the move are: the ups are that I get to meet a new place, experience new things, and I get to explore more, but some of the downs are missing my friends and family back in Arizona.“
Cardenas’ family moved to Visalia after her father received a new job as a veterinarian. So far Cardenas says that she likes California weather better than Arizona but that “they are both beautiful states, and they both are a very calm but fun place to live in.
Cardenas loves tennis and says that “it’s a sport I love and it’s given things, experiences and lessons I will never forget.“
After moving to Visalia and starting at Redwood, Cardenas says “After the move now my thoughts are different, I see that I didn’t have to be scared or nervous, that everything was going to be fine, and that this new experience is for me to enjoy it and learn new things everyday.“
Cardenas goes on to say “There are some things that are different, for example the school schedule, it was different in Arizona but I like it better here, and all their activities, it is a school where the spirit of hard work is always there, and I see that they do a lot more fun and exciting activities like the icebreaker.“
Some things that Cardenas is looking forward to is “spending this school year and season giving my best, working hard, and having fun!“
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