Leaf may not know what twists or turns await on her journey, but there’s no doubt there’s already plenty been plenty for her to celebrate, including finding a calling that’s allowed her to thrive creatively, all while utilizing a good number of skills she acquired as an athlete.
The filmmaker, who was born in London but grew up in northern California where she discovered a knack for playing both basketball and volleyball, has long worked to balance her love of sports with her creative side.
Leaf’s mother, Alison – an animator at Pixar Animation Studios – made it a point to nurture her daughter’s creativity, introducing her to different kinds of music, taking her to museums throughout California and making sure Leaf always had a paintbrush in her hands.
As Leaf grew older, though, finding a balance between her creative passions and her athletic endeavors became increasingly difficult.
When she enrolled at San Jose State as a freshman in 2011, she quickly realized her newfound responsibilities as a college volleyball player made it nearly impossible for her to pursue a degree in the school’s film department.
After a year at San Jose State, Leaf made the decision to transfer to Miami.
Before coming to Coral Gables, though, she was offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to suit up for Great Britain’s national women’s volleyball team and compete in the 2012 London Olympics.
It was an opportunity that still means the world to her.
“That was a huge dream of mine, and it became a reality when I was 18 years old,” Leaf said. “Representing my home country, there’s nothing like it. In a way, I had kind of succeeded in that thing I wanted most from sports early on and it taught me a lot about your pursuit of your dreams, how to work in really tough environments, how to be challenged and speak up in really difficult situations and the pressure … I learned how to cope with pressure.”
Great Britain didn’t medal in those Games, but Leaf brought that experience from London with her to Miami and quickly established herself as one of the top players in the ACC.
As a sophomore, the outside hitter recorded double-digit kills in 10 matches and finished the season second on the team with 22 service aces. A year later, she started all 31 matches and totaled 442 kills, a number good enough to rank seventh-most in program history in a single season. She earned a spot on both the 2013 All-ACC First Team and the 2013 All-ACC Academic…
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