Wanessa Siqueura, graduate student at Park University said she couldn’t be happier than she is right now. While achieving her dream by working towards completing a degree in management and finance, she has also concluded a triumphant volleyball year.
A captain for Park’s women’s volleyball team this past season, Siqueura assisted in 40 wins for the season as well as bringing home the NAIA national championship to Parkville.
Her success has primarily been fueled by a healthy dose of family who has stood by her in life and in volleyball.
“My mother and grandmother were there during the championship,” said Siqueura. “Every point that was made I would look to them. [Towards the end] I thought my grandmother was going to have a heart attack, her hands were clasped and her eyes were closed. I thought to myself ‘Grandma you are missing the game.’ But it was very nice and a big support to have them there because it made me want it more.”
Siqueura’s journey to this point has been full of twist and turns.
Recruited from Brazilian club volleyball, Siqueura received invitations from many American schools, visiting universities across the nation.
Afraid of big schools with class sizes upwards of 250 students, she declined scholarships from Hofstra University and found a place at Hannibal LaGrange University. For her first season, she earned the American Midwest Conference freshman of the year.
Although she found success at Hannibal LaGrange, Siqueura yearned for a Christian school eventually transferring to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. Feeling at home there, Siqueura said she thought this would be her last stop.
But, during a visit to see Park Alumnus Matheus Roham, Siqueura said she enjoyed the atmosphere of Park. Meeting various people who spoke Portuguese and English, she fell in love with the Park community.
“[My faith] has helped me a lot because I do believe I am following [God’s] path,” said Siqueura, “He is never going to put anything in my path I can’t take. Even though I went to a Christian college I wanted, I had 100-percent scholarship and I was doing well, my team had no chemistry. So when I transferred, I knew I didn’t have to go to a Christian school to keep my faith.”
Now at Park, Siqueura is finished with her degree. She will now move on from her achievements, which include a 2013 year where she rewrote Park University’s offensive record book and a 2014 year where she earned Capital One’s First Team All-American honors.
The icing on the cake for Siqueura’s 2014 year was on Dec. 25, when Roham proposed to Siqueura in front her family during a secret Santa exchange.
“His gift was the Fiancé manual and I thought he was trying to embarrass me because he hadn’t proposed yet,” said Siqueura, “I was going to hit him but when I turned around he was on his knees and I began to cry.”
Engaged and beginning her graduate studies for a master’s in business administration this semester, Siqueura looks towards the future but leaves a nugget of advice for incoming Park Pirates.
“Always be patient and be willing to learn different cultures and remember to actually apply what you learned,” she said.