Mariah Gaede loves the game of volleyball and works hard to compete at a high level. And while she has done a lot of work personally to do that, she says that she has been influenced by some special people in her life. 

“The biggest influences in my life are my parents,” she said. “They never doubt me and always instill confidence in me when I am feeling insecure. One of my teachers that has had the biggest impact on me is Mr. Song. He is my trigonometry teacher and my school volleyball coach. He supports everyone inside the classroom and also on the volleyball court.” 

A junior at MacArthur High School, Gaede is a setter on the volleyball court. She works hard to be successful, which means persevering through all things. 

“Being successful means something different to everyone,” she said. “For me, it means keeping my love for volleyball throughout difficult times. It’s taken a lot of self-reflecting and team communication to keep a positive mindset for volleyball. I stay motivated because I’m very competitive and my supportive teammates make everything better.” 

Throughout her career, Mariah has made a lot of great memories on and off the volleyball court with her teammates. 

“The highlight moment of my volleyball career was when we made it past quarter-finals this year at state,” she recalled. “Nothing felt better than that winning feeling with your teammates. Our biggest opponents are the private schools, so whenever we beat them it is always a great thing and a confidence booster.” 

Any time that Mariah steps out on the court with the MacArthur jersey on, she knows she is doing for than just playing for herself and her team. 

“It means the world to me to be able to represent my school and community because it pushes me to reach my full potential.” 

Though volleyball and school take up a lot of her time, Gaede has something else that she enjoys and strives to get into. 

“The people I like to follow on social media are all photographers. I love to see photography because it inspires me to create art. I am saving up for a camera so one day I could start my own photography account.”