Alayna Isby Laranjo
Class of 2001
Softball
 
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts – Oneonta
Emergency Medical Technician – Hudson Valley
Certified Emergency Medical Technician – Region Emergency Medical Services
Certification for Clinical Hemodialysis Technicians - Fresenius Medical Care
Currently working on Associates Degree in Nursing at Maria College
 
Athletic Bio
Three-Time All-SUNYAC Selection
Two-Time NFCA All-Region Selection
Two SUNYAC Championship and Two NCAA Tournament Teams, 1999 & 2001
NCAA Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team, 2001
Career Runs Batted In Leader at Time of Induction
 
Professional Bio
Empire Ambulance Advanced EMT (1998-2006)
Rensselaer County 911 Dispatcher (2006-2011)
Fresenius Medical Center (2011-Present)
 
Personal Reflection
The dream of many children growing up is to go to college and gain an education to move forward to get the best possible job doing exactly what they want to do and be able to provide for their future family.  Many children play recreational sports and dream of playing a sport that they love while in college also.  That was me, I played recreational softball from the time that I was seven years old.  I played for travel teams in hopes that someday some college coach were see me and want me for their team.
 
That day came, and I found myself signing my paperwork to play for Oneonta State, and to get a degree in something,  that at that time I had no idea what I wanted to do.  I was an Emergency Medical Technician so I was thinking pre-med, but was still unsure. My advisor had given me many options for a schedule and one of them was for public speaking, which drove me to receive my degree in Communication Arts.
 
Move in day arrived and everyone was moving into their rooms and meeting their roommates.  It was a nerve-wracking experience, you are away from home and living with people that you know nothing about.  On top of this you are an athlete, you are now away from the friends that you made growing up and playing side by side with for the past twelve years.  That adds to the extra stress of going to college.
 
The first day of practice we made our way to Neahwa Park in downtown Oneonta, as we did not have a field on campus.  My team was a very young team, most of us freshmen and a few sophomores, so we all had getting to know each other to do.  I had to be a very lucky girl, my teammates were great, I got to open up about my experiences and be myself.  Growing up I was more a reserved person, I had a few close friends and many acquaintances, here at Oneonta I was able to open up and find out who I really was.  The upper classmen that were on the team really helped us along the way.  They understood that we were all away from our parents for the first time, and it was a whole new experience.
 
Being a student athlete was one of the best experiences of my life up to that time. It molded me into the person that I am today.  Learning how to succeed and fail, both on and off the field.  The camaraderie that our team had and the successful seasons that we had as well, made for a wonderful college experience.   I am very honored to be receiving this recognition, if it were not for my coaches and my teammates I would not be the person that I am today.
 
I pray that the things that I do today and as I move forward receiving my second degree to be an RN, my children will look up to me and realize that if you want to do something they have to work their hardest to get there, and even though there will be some setbacks, move forward, the people that you meet every day will put a mark on your heart for the rest of your life.  I am great full that I can still keep in contact with my teammates from O-State they have all made a mark in me, and I will never forget the years spent here as a student and an athlete.
 
Isby-Laranjo, along with five former student athletes will be part of the 17^th SUNY Oneonta Athletics Hall of Fame class to be inducted on Saturday, Sep. 12.  This year's class will bring the number of inductees to 129 individuals including nine honorary inductees.  The induction will take place in the Dewar Arena of the Alumni Field House and will begin at noon.  The induction is free and open to the public.