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Donated by: Danelli Mejia

Playing a sport is not just about being in the game, it’s also about the mindset and learning new ways to perceive the sport: whether it’s through the player or the coaches’ eyes.

Graduating from PPCHS in 2023, Danelli had committed to Florida Tech to continue her love for her sport, volleyball, while pursuing a degree in engineering. Yet with all of this, “balancing playing, working, and school is a really big thing,” described Mejia, especially with her education being crucial for her.

She had to see volleyball in a new perspective, which has brought her to even larger achievements. This has changed her path to now committing to FAU while deciding to coach and become a referee for the sport.

Danelli had entered into the transfer portal to seek new opportunities, and after talking with a few schools, she had ultimately decided “to come to FAU since they have a strong program for [engineering].” She will be playing for their club level team, while also participating in coaching at the YMCA and officiating volleyball matches.

Even with her new jobs taking up her time, it hasn’t stopped her love for playing, but instead, has allowed her to enhance her skills and see the game itself from a unique perspective.  

“Coaching and [officiating] has allowed me to view the game itself from a different viewpoint,” Mejia said, which has also allowed her to consider other tactics to use when she plays to further revamp her gameplay.

With coaching, Danelli wants to be able to teach her players to play to the best of their ability. She continues to practice offering her girls the best advice by improving her own skills in the process.

Through this new path in her life, having this job brings new chances as she gets to assist girls who were once in her position with a positive attitude. 

By being a coach, Danelli has a main accomplishment in mind, which is to “make sure all the girls [she coaches] reach their full potential and to give them a great experience with the sport.” She aids in the mental and physical aspect so her players can produce their best work on the court, allowing her players to leave the court satisfied with their recent match. 

Experiencing having a non-motivational coach herself, Mejia avoids it by keeping a positive relationship with her teammates on and off the court: “having a bad coach can truly ruin the sport.”

Playing for Florida Tech has its own complications, one being a coach who didn’t create a similar support system as PPCHS did. When she was a student-athlete in high school, she had such a large support system from “Andres and Mary, they really helped me develop my confidence as an athlete.”

Along with the cheering erupting from the crowds and the teachers themselves at PPCHS, they aided Danelli in her academics by offering her the support she needed when balancing volleyball and her studies. 

Being able to call herself a jaguar athlete brings Mejia the most joy, as they supported her through all her activities and gave her spectacular guidance. “It really is one big community… and being away at Florida Tech definitely helped me realize that a community is super important because I couldn’t have done it alone,” Mejia said. 

Danelli’s path has transferred her to a new school, where her future awaits for her next greatest accomplishment. Watching as the new athletes make their way onto the court that she onced played on, Danelli wishes them all the best for their volleyball dreams.

With such a large and new group stepping onto the court, Danelli advises them to make these moments last. These friendships made in sports can last a lifetime, and “high school volleyball is super fun, so play your hardest and cherish it.” Making her last remarks as an alumna for PPCHS, she steps onto the next court to showcase her incredible talent.