Grinnell Athletics is proud to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month and the diversity of those in the Hispanic community at Grinnell College. Each Wednesday throughout the celebratory month, the Grinnell Athletics website will feature a Q&A with a Hispanic student-athlete. The national celebration spans September 15 – October 15 annually.
This week’s feature is on Cynthia Dominguez '12, a soccer player with a psychology/Spanish major:
Q: What first got you interested in your sport(s)?
A: My parents put me in a soccer league when I was 5. Maybe it was the fact that I liked to kick my sisters when we fought, but for some reason or another I loved kicking a soccer ball from the very first practice and have never looked back!
Q: As a current student-athlete at Grinnell, what advice would you give to prospective students who are interested in participating in varsity athletics at the collegiate level?
A: Being an athlete at a school like Grinnell requires tremendous organization. Be ready to do homework on the bus or in a hotel room at away games, or even to get your homework done a few days ahead of time!
Q: Talk about your typical day while you’re in season – what does your schedule look like?
A: Class or work until 4, practice 4:30-6:30 which includes lifting every other day, dinner with the team, homework all night!
Q: How do you get focused and/or hyped before a game?
A: I love listening to music while visualizing all the plays I want to make during the game, but our team always has various pre-game activities. These range from impromptu dance parties to reading inspirational quotes.
Q: What is your favorite part about being a Pioneer athlete?
A: We are known not only for our athletics but also our academics; our facilities are unrivaled by any other school in our conference and also a lot of D3 in general; the athletic community is very supportive of one another.
Q: If you were to put your iPod on shuffle right now, what three songs would come up?
A: Give Me Everything Tonight (Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo), Titanium (David Guetta feat. Sia) Mimizan (Beirut)
Q: If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be and why?
A: BRAD PITT! So I could marry him…
Q: What are your favorite food and your favorite D-Hall entrée?
A: I love any and all desserts, but nothing beats the classic Funfetti cake. As far as the Dhall: BAKED ZITI!!! Or the Nutella cheesecake.
Q: Hispanic/Latino/a culture comprises more than 20 countries/nationalities and numerous ethnicities, how would you describe your Hispanic/Latino/a identity?
A: I identify myself as Mexican-American.
Q: What does your Hispanic/Latino/a heritage mean to you?
A: Being Mexican allows me to boast about having the best cuisine in the world!!!! My heritage allowed me to have a multifaceted upbringing which I believe has contributed to my open-mindedness and sensitivity towards new cultures. It constitutes a large part of my identity.
