Mt SAC Early College Academy (MECA) has students with a wide range of hobbies. From sports to music, our students possess many different skills. Volleyball is one of the bigger sports at the school, and many kids enjoy playing it. Jayden Jaramillo, a freshman at MECA, often shares his fondness for volleyball with other students.

Ever since he was young, Jaramillo knew he loved volleyball and wanted to pursue the sport as much as he could. “I got into volleyball because of my cousins,” said Jaramillo. “I was 12 when it happened, and I played with them before really getting into it. I started taking it seriously when I was 14, and I joined a club that allowed me to show my skills and bond with my team.”

Joining a club was not the only thing he did to showcase his skills. When he entered middle school, he convinced his school to start a volleyball team and created more events to help with school spirit. Jaramillo states, “In middle school, I grew up in a private school where we were able to participate in school activities, and it was very fun being able to connect with the whole school through those activities. Later, I convinced my coach to form a boys’ volleyball team, and I was made captain. In my 8th-grade year, we made it all the way to the playoffs.”

With so much experience with the game of volleyball, Jaramillo doesn’t just aim for the basics, but for the highest level he can play in the future. Pushing for not only a degree in criminal psychology but also a spot in the Olympics, Jaramillo works hard to achieve his dreams.

Jaramillo tells us, “I want to play D1 Men’s Volleyball at Cal State University of Long Beach, UCLA, or Cal State University of Northridge. I plan on having a career in criminal psychology, but I also hope to play volleyball as a libero in VNL or the Olympics one day.”

With dreams and ambition, Jaramillo continues to strive forward toward his goals with every game of volleyball he plays.