Student-Athlete of the Week – Daniela Pineda

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Daniela Pineda, a senior forward and midfield for the Coachella Valley girl's soccer team is this weeks student-athlete of the week.

“She's made us a lot better of a as a team with her energy, her effort and everything that she does, the way she performs on and off the field," Francisco Morales, the Arabs head coach, said.

Pineda has been on the varsity girls soccer team since her freshman year, and Morales said she has continued to lead the team with her athleticism and love for the sport.

“She can light up a room with just her and her sense of humor, her jokes, her energy, everything that she brings to a group,” Morales said.

Pineda is a three time Desert Empire League first team athlete and has helped the Arabs reach CIF playoff semi-finals two years in a row. It's a dedication and heart for soccer that she says came from her family.

“Soccer actually means a lot to me. Well, it was for my dad, and although he didn't play, he was a very good coach to me," Pineda said. "And thanks to him, I'm where I'm at right now."

"I’ve always loved it because of my older brother," she said. "He plays soccer and the way he played in everything... How my dad supported him so much I wanted to be like him."

While Pineda said she always knew she wanted to play soccer, there's one other sport she has wanted to try, and this year she got the chance to do so.

I've always wanted to wrestling. I grew up with older brothers, so like, we always had that wrestling thing," Pineda said. "I won my first two matches and my senior night. It was amazing. It was fun. Thanks to coach G.M. and Morales for letting me finally do it my senior year.” 

While balancing two sports this year, Pineda has also maintained a 4.0 GPA. She even reached a 4.5 last semester. She has a high work ethic that she wants to carry into the future as she hopes to be a "bio forensic pathologist."

“School is more important than soccer, so I rather keep that up and do everything to keep that up," Pineda said. "I want to major in biology, so hopefully I end up going to San Diego and continue my four years of college.”

“When she's in the classroom, she's always working hard and doing everything to make her parents and her community proud," Morales said. "She'll find great careers, and she has a great future that we're all looking forward to hearing from [her].”

The student-athlete of the week segment airs every Tuesday on KESQ News Channel 3.

If you know a senior who is a strong student, standout athlete and an exceptional person, submit a nomination to share@kesq.com.