Senior Kaylyn Siobal attended the Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance (PIAA) signing event at the Elks Club for athletes who committed to play collegiate sports for a specific university.

Siobal said, “The National Letter of Intent is a contract that commits you to play your sport for one academic year to your college. These letters, such as mine, usually come with some sort of financial aid.”

Siobal signed to play soccer at Corban University in Salem, Oregon.

Collegiate soccer is a huge transition from high school sports.

Siobal said, “I am looking forward to the different pace of the game, as collegiate soccer is known to be much faster. I am also looking forward to playing with new people, especially since I will be the only one coming from Hawaii. I am excited to see the style of play and the way of life of the people who come from the mainland. I am mainly looking forward to meeting and growing close to my new team.”

It wasn’t easy to get to this point. Siobal tore her ACL her junior year, which took a big toll in her career as a student athlete and her recruitment for college soccer. She had to go through a tough seven months of physical therapy before she could step on the soccer field again.

Siobal said, “It took a lot of work to get back from my injury but I willed myself to push as hard as I could. Once I could play again I did a lot of recruiting. I went to many tournaments, emailed coaches my player profile, made a recruiting video and kept in touch with coaches. My senior year I visited my top colleges to see the soccer programs, view the campus and the community around them.”

Being a successful student athlete is not just about the sport but also the grades. Students must keep up their grades because in college if athletes cannot do the work, they cannot play.

Siobal said, “My advice for athletes is to work hard and strive to always do your best. With that mind set you can achieve your goals, just like me.”