Lakeland High School senior Enecia Hopes on Friday signed her National Letter of Intent to run track for Virginia Union University.

The senior said she knew she wanted to attend VUU as soon as she stepped on the campus.

“It felt like I was supposed to be there. It already felt like home,” she said of her visit. “What sealed the deal for me was the family atmosphere on campus.”

Hopes also mentioned that the small student-to-professor ratio was much like the one at Lakeland. She had interest from other schools but felt like VUU was the superior school for her.

Her family played a huge role in her recruiting process. In general, they wanted the senior to feel comfortable wherever she decided to attend. At VUU, she plans to do a variety of events, but she will focus mainly on the 400- and 100-meter hurdles as well as the triple jump.

So far, she has felt that her senior year has been a success. A goal of hers was to establish her name on the track. Also, Hopes wanted to come in and made sure she led by example. She knows that if she succeeds, the younger runners will too.

“I wanted to be the person that all of my competitors knew,” she said. “I also wanted to try a new event this year, and I was successful at it.”

Hopes is looking forward to starting her life on her own and maturing in her first year. She is looking forward to the higher level of competition she will be facing, and what VUU track and field has to offer her.

She has plans to major in pre-med biology.