Izzy Johnson First Female Athlete to Commit to NCAA Sports Team -唯寻国际教育

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From left to right: Tiffany, Sophie, Isabelle (Izzy), and Barry Johnson.

Isabelle Johnson (SCIS Pudong Class of 2020) has made SCIS history by being the third consecutive SCIS student-athlete, and first female athlete, to be signed on to a sports team by an NCAA ranked college. She follows in the footsteps of fellow SCIS graduates Simon Wu (SCIS Pudong Class of 2018) and Victor Veloso (SCIS Pudong Class of 2019) and will be joining Concordia College Moorhead– Minnesota Women’s volleyball program.

Firstly, congratulations! How do you feel right now finally having signed the paper?

Izzy: Incredibly excited because we've known since December, but now it's finally official!

What was your initial reaction upon being offered a spot on the Concordia College team?

Izzy: Shock. I was offered a spot when I went to their camp during the summer of 2019. I wasn't expecting anything other than just showing up and seeing how they work. But then the head coach was talking to my dad and Sophie while I was playing in a tournament, and afterward, she came up to me and offered me a spot on the team. I couldn’t believe it!

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When did you first start thinking that you wanted to play NCAA volleyball?

Izzy: I remember the exact moment it happened. It was when the Sacramento State Hornets Women’s volleyball came to SCIS to practice in our gym. Watching them practice was the spark that started it all.

Achieving this goal must have been a long journey and a dedicated one what was the hardest part of all of it?

Izzy: The waiting game and making a final decision. I picked the college based on the financial offers available and then what I like about the school and the programs they offered.

What's one thing people should know about the recruiting process?

Izzy: Depending on when you start it's going to take a lot of time. I started in 11th grade at the beginning of the year, but luckily, I had started making videos after 10th grade to watch my game and see where I could improve. The process will take time and so patience is a good thing to have.

What was the recruiting process like? Can you share some of the major tasks involved?

Izzy: In total, I reached out to roughly 50 schools. Going into it I knew I wanted to look at D3 and D2 schools within the state (of Minnesota) or the states next door. I then narrowed down the search by looking at schools that I liked and that were priced reasonably. That’s when I started sending emails. Emails were definitely a major task involved in the process as they are a timely process. Let’s just say I can write emails very well now! Lastly what was really helpful was the fact that I could go and visit some of the campuses. It's important that people should know that visiting the campus makes a big difference in the process.

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What is it about volleyball that you like the most?

Izzy: The team aspect because you have to work together and it's really important that you're all there for each other, both on and off the court. Like a family. Serving also comes to mind. It’s the one aspect that you can entirely control on your own.

How has your time at SCIS helped you prepare for the next step?

Izzy: What prepared me most was sports and academics. Since our school is so small you get to know everyone quite quickly. You interact very well with the team and it is something that I take pride in, being able to meld with the team. Academically, if the workload in college is anything like the workload now then I will be fine. If it's more I'll get a little scared, but it shouldn't be too alarming. If it's less I'm going to celebrate!

Outside of sports have you decided on a major that you'd like to pursue?

Izzy: Yes, I want to pursue Physical Education with a minor in Coaching which is something they actually recommended. I'm probably going to go down that path just because later I want to continue coaching. I do have coaching experience, working with middle school volleyball and soccer. I like being able to share my knowledge and pass it on to players who might go on to play in varsity later.

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Who would you like to thank?

Izzy: A big shout out to my parents as they were there for me the entire time. They were the first people I talked to about me wanting to make this a reality and they’ve supported me every step of the way. I couldn’t have done this entirely on my own. I also want to thank my coaches and my team. Being able to play with almost the exact same team for four straight years played a big part in making me who I am today.

Any words of advice that you'd like to share with the future SCIS student-athletes and or SCIS graduates?

Izzy: It's not impossible. As much as I thought it was impossible, it's not. Start as early as you can by simply recording your games and putting together footage. It will not only help you work on yourself as an athlete but if you do decide to play in college it will be so much easier.

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Parents, can you share with us the parental side perspective of the recruiting process?

Barry: Early on as she decided to pursue volleyball in college, we came across the challenge of us living in Shanghai and not being present in the US. We invested in a site called NCSA which put her in a database so coaches could actually see her profile. It was one of the biggest decisions we had as a family but knowing how much she wanted this, we knew it was for the best. The first step was getting her the exposure she needed, so videos played a big part in the process, then came the phone calls and e-mails.

How do you think SCIS contributed to her growth, not just a student-athlete but as a person and as a student?

Tiffany: We are so thankful for SCIS. Thankful that it is a small and tight-knit community of people that all know and look out for each other. She’s had so many more experiences here in a small school than she would have had at a larger school, and we are so thankful for that. She’s also had the same coach for her whole volleyball experience, knowing when to push and when to encourage, and what to work on next, skill-wise. Sports has made her who she is, and we are very grateful she went down this route.

Barry: The opportunities for her to try out these activities, from music, to fine arts, and to sports, I can’t imagine anywhere else where she would get the same chance. We were very fortunate to be a part of SCIS which gives all students the opportunity to try out different things. And lastly, the coaches, both Vic and RiaAnn Caban, have been really great throughout the process. Having them as coaches, guidance counselors, and mentors has been fantastic, and we really appreciate that.

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Sophie, is there anything you want to say?

Sophie: With Izzy being obsessed with sports, she also pushed that upon me when I was younger. When I was going into high school, I originally didn’t want to join the volleyball team out of fear that I wasn’t good enough. So, every summer, Izzy and I would pepper in our backyard, she would always push me harder and bring me to school to practice with her. She’s helped me improved in all aspects of my game and I’m going to miss having her there to encourage me. And, I’m going to miss my warm-up partner before games.

Any parting words?

Izzy: Once a Dragon, Always a Dragon!

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