BRADENTON, Fla. — Danyella Cabrera doesn’t back down from a challenge. 

"What I’ve learned the most is that tennis is about coming back, you can be down 1-4 and then it’ll be 4-4,” Cabrera said. "It’s just incredible if you keep your mind focused, you can actually accomplish a lot.” 

The Manatee High Senior started playing tennis in high school as a beginner, but she quickly became a leader. Serving as captain this year. 

Manatee High’s tennis coach Clayton Taylor says her dedication is unmatched. 

"Danyella was a leader from the first day, as a freshman, she came in and I could tell that she was disciplined. She showed up almost every day. Pretty much every day for four years,” Taylor said. 

Danyella became a major contributor to the Hurricanes, but her presence can’t solely be measured by wins and losses. 

"I can say that she was there motivating the kids, leading the cheers, warming them up before practices, so that’s exactly what you’d expect of a captain.” 

Her leadership extends from the court to the classroom. She boasts an impressive 4.5 weighted GPA while balancing several extracurricular activities, including band. 

"There’s a lot of long nights staying up late, finishing projects, it’s a lot of work, but you know, I always keep those goals in mind and it helps to just push through and be motivated,” Cabrerea said. 

Her dedication is paying off. Danyella was recently recognized as Spectrum’s Manatee County Scholar athlete. Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown helped present the award. 

“To study hard and then also dedicate to being a top athlete is a very tough thing to do as well as managing through high school. Especially with what we’ve been through the last year,” Brown said. “This is very much of an honor. I’m very glad she’s a citizen in the city of Bradenton.” 

She is continuing her education at the University of Florida where she intends to play club tennis. 

"Now I’m so proud of everything that I’ve done to get here.” 

As Danyella prepares for a new chapter, she’ll continue to lead by example. 

"She’s just a leader,” Taylor said. "Whether it’s in the academic classroom or whether it’s on the tennis court. She’s destined for great things in the future.”