Ashby senior Taleeyah Johnson, a member of the volleyball and softball teams for the Arrows, is planning on going to Mankato State University for Psychology. After her four years there she plans on going to medical school at the U of M or Boston College. While in high school her favorite subjects have been Science and English.
“In the midst of hard plays she is always willing to sacrifice and push herself just a bit more,” commented Head Volleyball Coach Hayley Stevens.
“Being in sports has taught me that if you want something you have to work hard in order to achieve it, you have to push yourself to be the best version of yourself,” said Johnson. “There will always be bumps in the road, but you have to use that to motivate yourself to be better than you were.”
“This spring has been tough,” acknowledged Johnson. “I couldn’t get to play my last softball season with some of my favorite people. But it showed me that you have to appreciate things more because you never know when things will be taken from you.”
One of her top sports memories came in a softball game against Wheaton. As Johnson tells it, “It was a close game and we only needed one more out to win and I was playing left field. A girl hit a ball out to me and I barely caught it, I snow-coned it! That was the last play of the game and we won! I remember it being one of the best feelings ever and it was an exciting end to a long game.”
Softball Coach Autumn Flickinger had this to say about Taleeyah,
"Taleeyah's and my relationship have come so far since I first began coaching her 3 years ago. Her passion for softball has grown and I can see how much she strives to perform her best every game. Taleeyah is aggressive on the bases and is willing to take chances, even if it means her attempt was not successful, all for the better of the team. I cannot wait to see where Taleeyah's journey takes her after high school, she will do amazing things if she puts her mind to it! She will surely be missed."
Taleeyah’s favorite quote came from former University of Minnesota football coach Lou Holtz who said, “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
