No matter what stage she is playing on, forward Nairimar Vargas-Reyes is living her dream. The six-foot graduate student is now in her fifth and final year of college basketball and is poised to play a much bigger role for the 2022 Stony Brook women’s basketball team.

The loss of contact with her struggling family made it hard for Perez to focus on basketball and her studies at first. Even so, she powered through, pouring herself into her game as a tribute to her loved ones.