As the school year comes to an end, student athletes from Dougherty Valley High School have decided where they will commit to pursuing both academics and athletics for the next four years. Although most seniors commit in May, senior athletes began months beforehand through sport-specific recruitment processes. These seniors have marketed themselves to college coaches in order to acquire multiple offers throughout their high school journeys. On May 14, 2026, senior athletes decided they will continue their athletic endeavors and signed with their chosen college.
ALORA CHEN
Senior Alora Chen has been doing stunt since freshman year. After previously quitting gymnastics, Chen decided she still wanted to participate in a sport that would utilize the skills she had equipped. Her favorite part about stunt is the competitiveness, and she loves the intensity of going head to head with other schools nearby. While she is going to miss the stunt family she has built at DVHS, she is very excited to continue to hone her skills at the collegiate level. This year, she chose to commit to the University of Kentucky to continue her journey.
“I decided UOK was right for me because I had a lot of friends that I knew who went to that school, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about it, and they are the number two stunt school in the country,” Chen commented. “I knew I wanted to go out of state and try something new at a school that’s not in California. A lot of my friends influenced me so I visited campus and it felt very fitting and was a very pretty campus.”
ABIR BHATIA
When Bhatia was six years old, he was watching the Olympics with his family and watched Michael Phelps swim. Inspired, he decided to pursue the sport and quickly fell in love with it. What really made him enjoy swimming was the idea that every aspect was always changing, such as who he raced and where he raced. This year, he committed to Brown University to go Division 1 as a long distance swimmer. When making his choice, Bhatia focused on the diverse yet cohesive atmosphere of the team.
“When I was deciding between schools, it really came down to liking the team that I was going to be with for the next four years,” he acknowledged. “The kids on Brown stuck out because it seemed like they were all a really great cohesive team that had their own unique identities. They all had lives outside of swimming and that’s something I wanted to be able to achieve once I got there.”
DREW TINIO
Senior Drew Tinio has been playing soccer since he was two years old, encouraged by both of his parents who played recreationally. His favorite part about playing soccer is the fact that it provides a distraction from everything else going on in his life, it’s a way for him to decompress for the day. Although he didn’t play for the DVHS soccer team, he spent most of his time playing with the Major League Soccer team Ballistic United. His teammates were like his second family as most of them were his friends since middle school. This year, Tinio committed to San Jose State University for soccer, hoping to graduate with a degree and continue soccer for as long as possible.
“I liked the whole environment there. Meeting the staff and the team, I think it just fit,” he said. “It’s just a new step, but I’m ready for the challenge.”
RAELYN JIANG
Senior Raelyn Jiang has been doing track since eighth grade. Running helped her with her footwork in tennis, which was her main sport at the time, but she eventually stopped enjoying tennis as much as she used to, causing her to become interested in track. She loved the team environment in track, and acknowledged that even though it’s an individual sport, the team and coaches are very supportive, helping everybody push each other to be better. This year, Jiang committed to Occidental College for her sport. When choosing this college, she considered many factors.
“I knew I really wanted to be in LA, and I did visit other schools in LA, like Claremont and Chapman, but when I visited Occidental I knew something about this place was different,” Jiang said. “I really like the location, and the school size is really small, so it’s really tailored to you, and you get to really know the professors. And the track team, again, is just really super nice.”
AMBER KAPLENKO
Senior Amber Kaplenko has been doing cheerleading ever since she tried out for the DVHS cheerleading team when she was in eighth grade. She is going to miss game days with her team at DVHS, including wearing cheer uniforms to school, gifts for littles, giving each other tattoos, and the games themselves. However, she is also excited about having a bigger audience at the college level since she believes she does well under pressure. In the future, although she knows she will be busy in her nursing career, she does see herself coming back to DVHS or another high school to coach cheer or stunt. This fall, she will be attending Xavier University, and she considered both cheer and academics.
“I toured the campus, and I wanted to be able to do my sport at the next level but also be focusing on the right school for my academics. I wanted a school where I could succeed in both, where cheer wasn’t very cutthroat or at competition with each other,” she said.
LUCAS LEE
Senior Lucas Lee has been playing soccer ever since he was five years old, after trying out an abundance of sports, like swimming and baseball. His interest in these sports sparked from an intrigue in more fast paced playing, so swim, baseball and soccer were a perfect match. However, as Lee grew up, he decided to stick with soccer, and ended up playing varsity as a sophomore for his first and last year with Dougherty Valley soccer. Alongside this, he played with the Indonesia national futbol team from 2024. This year, he ended up committing to University of Rochester to go D1 as a center defensive midfielder. When choosing this college, Lee looked at multiple aspects to decide what was right for him.
“I was looking for a balance between athletics and academics. I got offered the spot at Rochester as well as a Masters program right after it,” he said. “So the degree I’m getting from the school is a Bachelors and a Masters, and that was pretty enticing.”
