Yasmeen Siddiqi

Senior Yasmeen Siddiqi has been seeking out cheer scholarships. However, due to the coronavirus, the recruiting process looks different this year.

“Given the circumstances with COVID, everything got canceled in the spring and over the summer, so I’ve just been working on recording videos and contacting the coaches via email,” Siddiqi said.

Because colleges closed their doors in the spring, Siddiqi was only able to tour a limited number of campuses in person. She said that because of that, she reduced the amount of schools she has applied to.

Siddiqi says she finds it important to experience a school for herself. For her, virtual tours do not offer the same experience.

“Going to college, being on the campus and seeing the culture is really important to me, and I want to feel like I’m at home,” Siddiqi said. “So doing that virtually was definitely a struggle just because I don’t know what the campus would feel like if I were on it personally.”

Since cheer recruitments went virtual, Siddiqi made an effort to form bonds with potential coaches and teammates.

“It’s been hard just because I want to build a personal connection with the coaches and the girls on the team now,” Siddiqi said. “But I’m also thankful for social media, because I’ve been able to connect with the girls on the team. And I’m thankful that I can email the coaches and keep in touch through that.”

Siddiqi tries to maintain a positive attitude.

“It’s just been a passion ever since I first began getting to cheer in front of crowds and it’s made me who I am as a person and just such a leader,” Siddiqi said. “So even despite all the circumstances, I just have this dream of cheering in college so I don’t let anything stop me from that.”