She grew up watching her older sister, Renee Flores, play. Nikki would be on the sidelines when Renee played, cheering her on. Just by watching, Nikki knew she wanted to be just like her.
Nicole Flores, Nikki, dedicates her basketball career to her older sister, Renee, and credits Renee as her motivation to continue extracurricular activities despite the stress it brings.
“I grew up watching her in general. I look up to her successful career, and I want to prove others wrong when they told me I couldn’t be better than her,” Flores said.
There are many roles Flores takes on as she participates in extracurricular activities, such as Being the Palmview Lobos Varsity Starter, Lobo’s Football Student Trainer, and participating in Dual Enrollment Classes at JCECHS and South Texas College.
Her involvement in all of these activities comes at a cost. Flores says she has encountered struggles and successes.
“It gets stressful for sure, but when I start to feel myself stressing out, I disconnect and take time to focus on myself…just my music and me.”
Flores hates looking at the time. The constant checking of time adds to the apprehension. She stated that she’d often stress out more just thinking about how she would manage her time rather than how much homework she had.
“I love it. I have so many friends that make the stress worth it, but I forget to have a good time.”
The stress often becomes overwhelming for Flores, but she always jumps ahead and confronts the stress before it overtakes her.
“I plan out my day before it starts. I have a planner that I use to track deadlines, games, practices, church, and all sorts of events related to school.”
If Nicole Flores has learned one thing about managing a heavy workload, she learned how to handle all her activities and tackle her stress head-on.