By Becca Romo

Sports Editor

Rafaella Bonifacio, senior outside hitter, started her love for volleyball twelve years ago when she began playing club at ten years old in São Paulo, Brazil.

She was recruited to Miami Dade College for her first two years of college to play volleyball, then she came to CSU Bakersfield to finish her junior and senior year.

Bonifacio said she saw a big difference in the way volleyball is played in the United States versus Brazil.

Bonifacio said she had never experienced playing beach volleyball before, but “that was my first-year last year and I loved it.”

She feels like volleyball is her passion and she envisions herself playing for the rest of her life. She hopes to play professionally in Brazil after graduating at CSUB.

Even though she studies business administration, volleyball comes first to Bonifacio and she said her plan B is to manage her family business back in Brazil.

Bonifacio is so grateful for the opportunities that volleyball has given her over the years.