Maria Socop is a student and cross-country captain who has learned the importance of hard work, perseverance, and growth. Through difficult moments in cross-country and challenges with presenting, she has kept pushing herself and reaching her goals. With the support of her family, especially her mom, she stays motivated to work hard, make her parents proud, and continue growing as a person

Alayna Lacy: What keeps you motivated in life? 

Maria Socop: What inspires me is my family because we weren’t as rich, so I want to give my parents a good life in the future and show them that I can make them proud.

AL: Who is one person that motivates you?

MS: My mom, because she always supports me by going to all my games, through my hard times, and for all my accomplishments, and I know I can always depend on her to be there for me and to help me through everything. 

AL: What is one lesson you learned this year?

MS: One lesson I learned is to be open to learning from your mistakes and to not stay in one place, instead of stopping your growth.

AL: Why is Esperanza Rising your favorite book?

MS: It stood out to me since it was the first book I read in 4th grade, and I was able to imagine the story even though it’s in words. It created an image, and that’s what made me get into reading. The story itself is very inspiring because it’s about immigration, and immigration is a big deal to me, and it’s very inspiring how she was able to push through with her mom.

AL: How is your presenting now? 

MS: I’ve gotten better at it. In eighth grade, I had to present, and I kind of cried afterward because I was super nervous and couldn’t get through it, but now, since then, I can somewhat present with confidence.

AL: What was a time when you almost quit? What made you keep going?

MS: My freshman year was good, but sophomore year I wasn’t performing well and was close to telling Mom that I was done. But I kept pushing through. I did because I had 5 minutes in the mile, and it was close to my goal, so I was determined to accomplish my goal.

AL: When you found out you were captain of the cross country team, how did that make you feel?

MS: I felt accomplished. I felt like I had a title. Being captain is a strong title, as you’re the one inspiring your teammates and helping boost everyone else. I showed how hard-working I am