A GREAT athlete is never simply defined by their work on the playing field; instead, great athletes are defined by their character, leadership, and determination. Irany Pena (12)  has all of these characteristics that she is not afraid to use to bring the best out of those around her.

“She is always trying to bring the best out of her friends and teammates. She always tells us to go to class and try our hardest to get good grades. She has the best grades of any of us, but that’s just how she is and it helps us all,” Jesus Valadez (12) said. Valadez is one of Pena’s closest friends

Pena has been a popular figure around Granger for some time. Recently, Pena was nominated and won the vote to be this year’s homecoming queen. All of this comes as no surprise to anyone who is close to Pena.

“She is really outgoing and social. I met her in seventh grade and we just hit it off and became friends really quickly because she was just fun to be around. She is a go-getter and a hard worker and so she is someone I look up to and can see as role model in my life,” Maria Castanon (12), Pena’s best friend, said.

Pena is widely known around Granger for being on the soccer team since she was a freshman. Not only is she a player, she is one of the captains of the team. This is mostly due to her leadership and hard work on and off the field.

Mr. Okeson, the girls soccer team coach, had plenty of praise for Pena. “I was going to let Irany go when she tried out her freshman year, but my JV coach, Eden, said she had potential and it has been a benefit ever since. She stands out because she works very hard and is willing to learn new things. Irany outside of soccer is the same person as she is in soccer, and that is what makes her a great leader and player.”

Pena is not only recognized for her accomplishments in soccer. She is also recognized for her other passions. “After soccer I want to go into the dental field, and I think I am going to spend most of my time doing that. If I didn’t like it I wouldn’t be doing it,” Pena said.

There are many people who would like to see everyone at their best or be the one who brings the best out of everyone around them, but there are very few who accomplish this. Pena is one of them, and is always pushing her friends to become the people they want to be in the future.

“I have the power to improve upon my life and to inspire and better the people around me. I used to be like my friends you know? Maybe I didn’t know what I needed, but I saw I could make a change in my life.Then I wanted my friends and the people around me to have hope in their lives, and I knew I could give them that hope that would help them find who they wanna be,” Pena said.

It seems as if there is no limit for Irany in achieving what she wants, and there are no better people to be by her side than her best friends turned family.