The young twenty three year old CHS freshmen volleyball coach, Isabella Correra (who likes to be known as Bella) plays with the water bottle paper she has in her hands as she covers her nerves with a laugh to state, “I hate being the center of attention.”

“I have one older brother, one little-big sister,” she laughingly states, “and a younger half brother; who we don’t see, so I guess you could say i’m stuck in the middle.” Like most families, who come to Colton, her family decided to stay in Colton to raise their children; who will soon be the future.

Coach Correra will do whatever she can do to put a hand in to help others; if someone needs a ride, if a student needs help on homework, or even if a person needs her to lend an ear and shoulder. “Shake it off girls you got it, just remember rotation,” she encourages the team as she is in middle of explaining,“Because my family, I guess has always taught me to help others in need.”

Even to people she has known for years, she could still be shy and quiet however, Correra is nice to everybody and is just fun to be around. “I always like to give everybody the benefit of the doubt,” she announced with a smile, while readjusting the volleyball clothing she has on to her liking. “Definitely my mom,” her face brighten with thankfulness as her head is leading on her hand to think, “she’s always put us before anything in life, she always pushes us to be our best in everything we do, she never said no to our dreams; no matter how crazy they are.”

Patiently waiting Bella states, “I’m such a scaredy-cat that I try not to have scary moments.” Her face soon changes into embarrassment and fear as she looked down to relive the moment, “Rockclimbing… that’s my scariest moment, because when I reached the top; I touched the button then they wanted me to just let go and fall back down but, I couldn’t just fall back so I stayed there for, it seemed like over, 10 minutes terrified.”

But, that look suddenly changed into a weird look of happiness when she pointed out that preteen Isabella exchanged the soccer field and dance floor for this wooden surface, called the volleyball court. Her cousin, Vicky was the person who introduced her to volleyball. Correra was the first of her immediate family to play the sport that she noticed she’ll soon love when it came to her attention in the 6th grade. “But, when I went to college i chose to focus on class instead; I didn’t know how much I needed volleyball in my life until, I didn’t have it. So coaching was my way to get volleyball back into my life.”

Becoming freshmen volleyball coach was offered by a dear friend, varsity coach, Sarah Vasquez. If Isabella were to have a higher level of coaching offered to her, she would’ve gladly taken it stating, “But, not to be the head coach just to be an assistant coach because, I feel like since I didn’t play in college I won’t be able to coach them correctly; i’d love to coach a club team though.”

Sarah Vasquez, Correra’s best friend in high school, was on the volleyball and softball team. “She challenged me in every sport I did to be a better athlete and a better person overall; I looked up to her,” she glances down at the varsity court with a smile and says, “In fact I still do.” (Life changes and time separates.) Elena Rabago is Bella’s best friend today; they met in high school but, became close in college, “I can’t go a day without talking to her, she keeps me sane, she’s the type of person to say nothing’s wrong with you, that you’re perfect the way you are. And i just love her.” (Family doesn’t always mean blood.)