On the court, the classroom, or just around campus, junior Shai Daniels is a name that is hard not to hear on campus. Indoor and beach volleyball star and student personality alike, Daniels has made a name for herself by not only being a star athlete, but by also being a friendly face in the hallways.
Daniels has played Volleyball for seven years and has played for Buena for three. Her freshman year was the first year of complete online school, and she was able to play for only a small part of the year and felt like it was more “just fun to be able to play”.
Daniel’s sophomore year was her favorite because they had a better record, a fact she contributed to not being in a league with Santa Barabra teams like we were this year. However, a lot of her greatest memories come from playing Buena’s cross-town rivals at Ventura.
“I know rivalry games can get crazy sometimes, but I have a lot of friends that play for Ventura, so it is fun getting to play against them and there is no bad blood,” Daniels said.
While the Buena community knows Daniels mostly for her time on the school volleyball team, she has dedicated years outside of school to her club teams. Her hard work and dedication on her club teams strongly contributed to her success on campus.
“In the Volleyball aspect, I admire her for her hard work and determination. She is probably one of the most dedicated people I know,” Daniel’s close friend junior Delaney Timmons said. “She lives, eats, breathes, and dies volleyball.”
She lives, eats, breathes, and dies volleyball
— Delaney Timmons
Most recently, Daniels and her partner senior Gracie Piro competed as partners during their beach volleyball season. Although they ended 3-6 as a Varsity squad, Daniels was appreciative of her partner and that she got to play with someone who “wanted to win as much as I did.”
“We never looked at the other person to get the ball. We always knew we were going to do the job that we had to,” Daniels said on having Piro as a partner.
Daniels attends every practice possible and it is evident by teammates and coaches. According to Timmons, also her former teammate, Daniel’s gives “nothing but %110” every game and practice.
“When I first started, practices would be literally two hours and I would be like “That’s it?” Daniels said.
Beyond the court, Daniels has made a name as a kind face in the halls and in the classrooms. Some of her favorite teachers include English teacher Antionette Perez, Environmental Science teacher Michael Yorke, and Spanish teacher Crystal Cahuantzi. Cahuantzi assigned the nickname for Daniels, Timmons, and Fitzgerald as the “Tres Amigas”.
“She is, I think, the nicest person to other people,” Fitzgerald said. “She says “Hi” to everybody in the hallway, even the teachers. I’ve never met a Shai hater.”
Daniels encourages people to reach out to her, or just say “Hi” when passing her in the hallways. The black belt and star volleyball player wants to leave a lasting impression on those she does not know.
“If anyone needs to come talk to me, come find me by the library, I sit there everyday,” Daniels said.
