Faith Nguyen’s athletic and academic excellence has taken her to great heights during her high school career, though the senior has taken unique routes to the top of both. 

Her athletic career was altered when, in sixth grade, Nguyen’s soccer team was disbanded and her dad offered up a new sport, volleyball. 

“My dad had loved playing intramural volleyball in college, so he suggested I try it out and I immediately fell in love with the sport, ” Nguyen said.

For Nguyen, volleyball was more than just a game, it was an opportunity to connect with peers. 

“All of my best friends are volleyball players, so playing means I get to hang out  with them all the time,” Nguyen said. “I love seeing my and my teams progress throughout the seasons.” 

Nguyen’s prowess for the game became ever apparent as she progressed through her high school volleyball career, culminating in a historic senior year where Nguyen guided Loudoun Valley to a win over the always daunting foe, Loudoun County. 

“It kinda felt like a culmination of all the hard work the seniors and I have put into the program for the past four years. A valley team hasn’t beaten the county in a decade or so, so it felt really good to have an accolade like that to our names, ” Nguyen said.  

Nguyen and Valley would continue their season’s success with a deep playoff run. They navigated through Dulles District semi-finals, qualifying for the VHSL Regional semi-finals, but then lost a heartbreaking, five-set thriller in the Region 4A finals, to Loudoun County. Though Valley’s season ended, it was the first time they had advanced this far in the playoffs in recent history. 

“For my past two years on varsity, we have always placed third in districts, disqualifying us from moving on to regions. Loudoun county is one of the most competitive counties in VA for volleyball, so even third place is great, but I knew that this team this season could make it much farther,” Nguyen said.  “I think the whole season we had that sting of only getting third place last year in the back of our minds, which really pushed us to work hard and play every play off game like it could be our last.” 

While volleyball is important to Nguyen, she understands that education is equally, if not more important, and treats it as such. 

“I’ve always pushed myself to take and do well in harder classes to get into a good college, ” Nguyen said.  

The inspiration to keep pushing herself within the academic realm derives from her family’s story to get to this point. 

“My grandparents sacrificed a lot to leave their home in Vietnam to come to America so that I could have better opportunities,” Nguyen said. “Their story and their struggles so that I could succeed are my greatest motivators.”  

Nguyen has found success in school due to her mindset of not procrastinating. 

“I guess I am the kind of person who gets stressed if I put off work,” Nguyen said.  “I always like to get my work and studying done as soon as I can so I can focus on other things later.”

This mindset not only helps her have a more positive outlook on high school.It also goes hand-in-hand with Nguyen’s approach to tests and quizzes. 

“I try to take detailed hand-written notes in class so I can remember the class material better and won’t have to study as much later, ” Nguyen said. 

Balancing her busy academic schedule gets even harder during Nguyen’s volleyball season, but she has a plan for that too. 

“My planner is my best friend, and keeping everything organized and written down is super helpful to me,” Nguyen said. 

As Nguyen reflects on her high school years and looks towards the future, she takes note of what brought her success. 

“I would describe my career as successful as a result of hard work.”