Cypress Christian School November 2023

\\ By Matthew Ogle STEPHENS FINDS HER HOME AT CYPRESS CHRISTIAN P L AN GOD ’ S

Given her track record with injuries, namely surgeries involving the removal of her patella bone and recovering from a torn meniscus, it’s easy to see why she would want to enter that line of work. “I would love to do sports medicine and physical therapy,” said Stephens. “I would love to spend time with athletes, and being a part of their future by building them up physically and mentally. I feel like that’s my calling for the future.” The future is certainly bright for Riley Stephens as she writes her final chapter at Cypress Christian.

ways as she looks back at an adverse situation. “I know I would not be the same person if I was still in Dallas,” she said. “Cypress Christian has provided me with great friends and a good community. It’s kind of like being in a little bubble. I know I’m going to have to break out of that when I go to college, but everyone here is so genuine. I know that these are the types of people I want to find when I move on.” Speaking of college, Stephens has her sights set on attending Baylor, where she hopes to study kinesiology.

was very difficult. I had just started volleyball there, so it was kind of sad to know that I wouldn’t be returning back to the same team.” However, it didn’t take long for her to acclimate to the environment at Cypress Christian. “It was hard moving into a completely new city with new people,” said Stephens. “But, as soon as the summer started, I got plugged into school and volleyball and made friends almost right away. The volleyball team really helped me to start off my time here with more confidence.” God works in mysterious

CYPRESS CHRISTIAN VOLLEYBALL STAR RILEY STEPHENS KNOWS HOW TO GO WITH THE FLOW. Stephens had attended Prestonwood Christian her entire life before her father, Jarrett Stephens, was offered the position of Senior Pastor at Champion Forest Baptist Church. This resulted in the Stephens’ family moving from Dallas to Houston just before Riley began her sophomore year. She found a soft landing spot at Cypress Christian. “Prestonwood and Dallas were basically everything I had ever known,” she said. “Being torn away from that

CypressChristian.org // NOV 2023 // CYPRESS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL // 21