For sophomore Diana Romero-Barba (Tepatitlan de Morelos, Jalisco, Mexico), ETSU is more than a school. It’s a family.
“Whenever I was trying to come to the United States, I was looking for a family instead of just a school. I wanted to be in a place that was not too big and not too small, so I could be with my friends but make them my family. When the coach talked to me, I felt it was the right place, I don’t know why; I just felt it,” said Romero-Barba.
She recounts officially starting track and field when she was in eighth grade, but she remembers running 100 meters for fun before that.
“I was faster than the boys in my grade. That’s when I realized that I wanted to try track,” said Romero-Barba. “When they recruited me, they asked if I wanted to do pole vault, and I said ‘why not!’”
Occasionally Romero-Barba runs in the 100m and 60m races, but tends to stick to pole vaulting.
Track and field has an indoor and an outdoor season, and she likes the outdoor season the most.
“I like to be outside with the sun and I like to have the wind, even if it is something that can make it harder for me to jump. I like the challenge that it gives you and sometimes it helps you; everything helps whether it’s cold or warm. It’s not nice to be in the cold but it helps you mentally if you’re strong enough,” said Romero-Barba.
During her freshman year, she got her personal best on pole vault, with a mark of 3.80m during the outdoor season at the Tennessee Relays.
“I was doing really good, and then I injured myself during the indoor season. When I came into the outdoor season, I did great. I feel really good about that because the situation doesn’t have to be perfect in order to make it good. It made me stronger,” said Romero-Barba.
Looking at the future of her collegiate years, Romero-Barba wants to break the school record and maintain a GPA above 3.90.
“Within the track team, I feel everyone is close together. We have a fun time in practice, and I feel that if something happened to me, I could call anybody and they would come and help me. Outside of track, I’ve met a lot of people who are really nice. I think those are the kind of friendships that you can maintain after graduating; it doesn’t matter where you are at,” said Romero-Barba.
