From the Tennis Court to the Courtroom Sonia Marquez Miranda's ‘26 Summer in Argentina

This summer, Sonia traded the home courts for Argentina, spending two weeks abroad as an Ambassador with Ace Your Dreams, a foundation dedicated to making tennis more accessible across Latin America through free clinics for children who might not otherwise get to swing a racquet.

She arrived well-prepared. On the court, Sonia developed her game under Coach Pete Kirkwood, helping lead her team to the CIF SS Division 8 championship this past fall — a run capped by a heroic tiebreaker win with doubles partner Victoria Heredia '27, 7-3, tying the match at 9-9 in sets and clinching a 78-71 team victory. Sonia was also named Second Team Doubles. Off the court, her comfort with teaching and public speaking grew out of Mock Trial, where she competed as a pre-trial attorney in the Santa Barbara County competition — leading her team to a 3rd place finish, the school's first appearance in the event in 20 years.

Both skill sets came together in Argentina. Sonia didn't just teach forehands and footwork; she helped the youth start thinking bigger about their own futures, on and off the court. "I had the opportunity to connect with communities from a different culture and recognize how tennis can create opportunities and bring people together," Sonia shared. "Students had to learn to problem solve and read the situations on the court with their opponents and partner, having to think fast under pressure a skill I developed in Mock Trial."

The experience deepened Sonia's passion for cross-cultural connection and using hard-earned skills to give back, a passion she will continue to explore this fall at Marist University, where she will major in History and minor in Global Studies.