Maritza Ochoa, a senior water polo player at Azusa Pacific, believes that individuals from all backgrounds deserve an opportunity to experience all that being an NCAA student-athlete has to offer.
"I think everyone deserves the same opportunities," said Ochoa, who is of Mexican heritage and grew up in a low-income neighborhood of Los Angeles. "I would like for everyone like me to have the opportunity that I have to be playing at an NCAA institution. I think it's very cool, and I love being a student-athlete."
The odds were stacked against Ochoa, who grew to love a sport that was unpopular in her community. Playing water polo required access to aquatic clubs that were often inaccessible in low-income areas such as the one she grew up in. Taking a leap of faith and enrolling in a high school outside her community, Ochoa made connections that allowed her to pursue a collegiate athletics career.
As the NCAA and its members celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Ochoa spoke with us about how she celebrates individually and with her campus community. She also spoke about ways she would like to see opportunities expand for aspiring student-athletes from low-income communities.
Note: Answers have been condensed.
What do your heritage and your culture mean to you?
My heritage and my culture mean so much to me. Being a minority here in this country has taught me so much about myself and others. It has taught me how to work with people, how to fight harder than others and how to not take things for granted.
How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
Hispanic Heritage Month happens to land in the same month as Mexican Independence Day. Since I am Mexican, I usually go to Mexico and celebrate with my friends and family. Here at school, there are groups and clubs that usually bring in live music or foods from different Hispanic communities.
I am in charge of social media for my water polo team, so I help bring awareness by posting about fellow Hispanic and Latino teammates. I make sure people know we're here and ask them to help celebrate us.
Can you share about your background and journey to becoming a student-athlete at Azusa Pacific?
I started out by learning how to swim and play water polo through a free program for kids in my low-income community. We didn't really have clubs nearby, and if we did, they were very expensive, so it gave us the opportunity to learn how to do something that we didn't really have resources to do before. For high school, I had to leave my community and travel kind of far to go to a school that had a water polo team. I wasn't really recruited from a club or anything like that. Through knowing people, I was able to get here, but not everyone is in my situation.
How can the athletics community continue to highlight, uplift and support Hispanic student-athletes? (Note: According to 2021-22 NCAA demographics data, there were more than 34,000 Hispanic student-athletes, representing 6.5% of the student-athlete population.)
In general, college athletes are predominantly white, and there's not many of us (Hispanic student-athletes). I come from a low-income community where water polo really isn't popular. I think college coaches or recruiters can do a better job of reaching out in those areas and to those who have less resources instead of just going to clubs that we don't really have access to.
How would you describe your experience at a Hispanic-serving institution? How do you feel your experience has contributed to your growth and development?
Being here at APU, it's a Hispanic-serving community and institution. I think it has helped me go outside of my comfort zone and get to know other people. It has really helped me be more comfortable with myself and with being a minority in the sport. The community uplifting me has helped me succeed and keep going. I think it's important that people recognize individuals who don't feel like everybody else, and here at APU, they have definitely done that.
What are some of the challenges that you have faced as a Hispanic student-athlete?
It was hard to learn to adapt to the people around me. But at the end of the day, your teammates kind of are your family … they become your family. That's what helps you just enjoy what you love, even though your (immediate) family is not around to help you as well.
If you could give advice to younger student-athletes who come from lower-income communities and want to pursue collegiate athletics, what would you say to them?
I would say start reaching out or looking up resources and things that can help you at an early age. I think that's very important because I kind of started late. Just go for it and don't be shy. Don't be scared to go out of your comfort zone and try new things, be with new people and not just with your family. I know that us Latinos and Hispanics are very family oriented. But sometimes you just have to take risks in order to succeed in what you love, change your pathway and do better for yourself and your family.
