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Sydney Pelaez said if there is one thing you should know about her, it’s that she likes to set goals for herself, both realistic and lofty, and then knock them out of the park.

Exhibit A of this trait was her decision to leave the familiarity of Tampa, Florida, where she grew up, and move 500 miles north to Gwinnett County, Georgia, as soon as she graduated from high school.

She came to play for Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) women’s softball team, mainly, but there was more to it than that.

“This was a school that I thought would push me to succeed and set me up for my future after college,” said Pelaez. “With small class sizes, I knew I would be forced to participate but also know my professors and not just be a number.”

Packing up and moving to a wholly unfamiliar place so soon after high school was daunting, but Pelaez was determined to challenge herself right off the bat. She said she had “done ok” in school to that point, academically, but she knew she could do better if she put herself in the right place.

“I always have goals that are lofty and seem like they will be difficult to achieve,” said Pelaez. “When I came to GGC, I was not confident in myself academically. Coming from high school, I didn’t feel as smart as others. I didn’t make bad grades, but I often found myself hiding in the back of the room because I didn’t think I was as smart as my peers.”

She made it a goal to be better than that at GGC and fully immersed herself in the student-athlete experience in her first year.

“I lived in student housing and was surrounded by people from all of the world with all different backgrounds,” she recalled. “I was able to make many new friends and participate in many on-campus events that GGC offered, and I gained confidence in the classroom.”

On the softball side, she made new friends and traveled to California for the first time. She became a starter and contributed consistently to the team, another goal she’d set for herself. To end a successful first year, the team won the conference tournament’s opening round, and finished fourth at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Softball World Series, which was the furthest in team history.

She built on her momentum during the beginning of her sophomore year, growing as a leader by pushing herself out of her comfort zones. She became director of athletics for the Student Government Association and got involved with the Council for Student Athletes, advocating for student athletes and organizing community service activities.

She was rolling through college, knocking out goals and building a solid network of friends, but then COVID-19 put the brakes on everything, and she had to move back home to Tampa.

It was hard to keep her momentum going, but she did her best to power through and maintain a positive attitude during the pandemic. She returned to GGC for her junior year, knowing that change is the only constant in life. She used that insight to make the most of her experience.

“Because of COVID, I learned how much the professors at GGC care and how big an asset they can be to achieving your goals,” said Pelaez. She said that Dr. Laura Young, associate professor of political science and chair of the Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice and International Studies, was instrumental in getting her through.

At the end of her senior year, she decided to stay another year because she had unfinished business on the softball field. An extra year would also allow her to add to her studies and set herself up for another new goal: graduate school.

Pelaez graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, a double concentration in both international relations and public administration, and a minor in criminal justice/criminology. Next, she has accepted an offer to go to George Mason University to pursue a Master of Arts in political science, specializing in international security.

“Goals are important in life,” she reiterated. “For me, it’s how I keep myself striving for excellence and continuing to grow. If you set difficult goals and work to achieve them, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.”