Havelock North High School student and promising athlete Sofia Lumbreras has been offered an NZ$500,000 scholarship to attend High Point University in North Carolina and will most likely turn it down. She said the offer from the US came “quite early” and is waiting on others before she makes her final decision.

The $500,000 scholarship would cover all her costs, including her studies, athletic career, tuition fees, health costs, housing, and living costs.

“I’m holding off waiting for all the offers to come to me before I make my decision just because if I run faster in races in the next couple of weeks it could open more doors to bigger schools and better opportunities,” Lumbreras said.

The offer came from one of her top three picks of universities in the US, which included Kennesaw University in Georgia and Providence College in Rhode Island, and she hopes to hear from the others in the coming months. The head girl of Havelock North High School excels in both her academic and athletic abilities as well as being an all-rounder which is something US institutions consider when reviewing applications.

Lumbreras can currently complete 800 metres in 2.10 but hopes to get this down to 2.06, which would open up opportunities for better scholarships with other American universities. She has made three New Zealand secondary school teams for track and cross country and represented NZSS at the Australian cross country championships in 2022, and 2023, where she placed sixth in the U20s and 2nd New Zealander.

“If you had asked me three years ago if this was possible when I wasn’t running as fast, I wouldn’t have thought it was ever possible,” she said.

She teamed up with ASM, a sports scholarship agency that helps student-athletes connect with American university coaches. Lumbreras said she plans to study exercise science to become a physiotherapist or sports nutritionist.

“I really love sports, and I always have, but sciences are my strong subjects at school. I love chemistry and physics so I want to combine those two.”

Lumbreras began working toward her goal a few years ago and said she didn’t have a backup option. She had “one track” and that was to study in America.

“I’m a very goal-orientated person, I like setting goals and sticking to them, I’ve always been that way,” she said.

She has a big support team behind her and she said that her parents, coaches, and teachers have been massive motivators in her journey. For now, though she remains humble and plans to complete her final year of high school and work as a waitress until the academic year starts in August next year.

By:  Michaela Gower, Hawke's Bay Today

Photo: Paul Taylor

Photograph copyright Hawke's Bay Today

Article added: Wednesday 08 November 2023