Gilbert Classical Academy senior protects paint both home and abroad

Sophia Warren is not your typical high school senior student-athlete.

On the court, Warren has been a four-year starter for the Gilbert Classical Academy girls’ varsity basketball team, winning one MVP and earning All-Region honors twice.

She also plays softball and is a three-time Spartan Award winner, an award that her coaches describe as exemplifying the most leadership, spirit, commitment and determination.

“I know things like MVP are really coveted things, but I really appreciate the Spartan Award because I value being able to uplift and encourage my team,” Warren said.

“I don’t really care necessarily about being the best person on the team. We’ve definitely had girls out there that are better than me, especially some of the younger new ones which is really exciting. It’s just important to me to be that encouragement. It brings me so much joy to be able to motivate other players.”

Warren currently has a 4.7 GPA and wants to be her school’s valedictorian.

This year, she is taking four AP level classes in addition to being National Honor Society president and in her fourth year on student council.

“It’s definitely taught me to prioritize what I’m doing and make sure that I really love what I’m doing because you only have so much time in picking what you’re involved in,” Warren said.

“So making sure that I really care about what I’m doing has definitely been motivating because I’m really dedicated to what I’m involved in. Make sure you’re passionate about it but understand at the same time that I can’t do it all.”

Warren isn’t 100% certain as to what she will study in college.

She said most likely history or behavioral science-related because she’s considering going into the law as a prosecutor.

The high school senior is certain, though, as to where she would like to conduct those studies.

She has already been accepted into Arizona State, Northern Arizona and Arizona, and has applied to the University of Chicago and Vanderbilt, but her dream school is Yale.

Warren spent her preschool days in the south of France due to her parents being missionaries.

Before high school, Warren went on mission trip to Tokyo, Japan for two weeks and spent some time with a Japanese family.

Despite the language barrier, Warren was able to communicate and play with kids in various activities such as paint deck, day in the park, balloon animals and face painting.

“It gave me a deeper appreciation for people that don’t speak [the same language],” Warren said.

“Even stuff just like smiling at someone or offering them a drink, just making them feel like they’re there because there were definitely times where I felt kind of lonely because I didn’t know how to talk to them. But it was still really cool because they took me to do a lot of different things and just sharing meals with them. I really appreciated that cultural experience.

“The variety of community service, so many different things have given me different appreciations. Each service project just kind of gives you a different perspective and a deeper appreciation for different things that you wouldn’t normally be a part of.”

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