Charles Nailen/The Hoya

Name: Allison Roberts

Sport: Club volleyball

Position: Setter

Hometown: Rockville, Md.

High School: Walter Johnson High School

School/Year: NHS ’04

Major: Nursing

High School Highlights: Played on varsity high school team all four years . Named MVP of high school team as a sophomore, junior and senior . Named All-County senior year . Played on a club volleyball team that won the Regional Championship in junior and senior years . Member of National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.

Favorite thing about volleyball: I would say the strategy that goes along with the game. I think a lot of people associate volleyball with gym class in grade school, but it’s a lot more complicated than that. Our offense is pretty complicated, and especially with my position, there’s a lot that goes into it.

What does the setter do? The setter is kind of like a quarterback – I tell all the hitters what to run and basically just call the plays. It’s not a glory role – we’re not the ones making the big kills. It’s more an assist role.

Biggest misconception that other people have of you: Some people have told me that when they first met me they thought I was mean or snobby, but it’s not because I’m really like that – I’m just quiet when I first meet people. People take it as though I’m not friendly or that I think I’m better than them, and a lot of times they’ll say, “Wow, you’re a lot friendlier than I thought.” I don’t mean to come off like that. I’m just shy!

Biggest adjustment you had to make coming to Georgetown: Changing my misconception about people who go to private schools. In high school it was always public schools versus private schools. We played against other schools like Georgetown Prep and Visitation, and you kind of get trained to not like them. But then when I came here, I met a lot of people who went to private schools who are really cool.

If you could play on any other sports team here at Georgetown, which one would it be and why? I would play on the soccer team because I played really competitive soccer and really competitive volleyball in high school. It got to the point where I was going from one practice to the other, so I had to choose, and I picked volleyball. But I would love to see what it would be like playing soccer now. I decided to play volleyball because there were more opportunities to play in college, and I had some offers, but by senior year in high school I was so burnt out that I turned them down and came to Georgetown instead.

One thing that not a lot of people know about you: I guess that I have a tattoo of Australia on my back. I got it when I went abroad to Australia last year, and I loved it so much I decided to get something. It was the best time of my life, so I wanted to remember it. And I had wanted a tattoo for a long time, but didn’t want to get just any random design.

Favorite thing about Australia: Just how friendly people were. I was nervous at first, especially being American, but everyone just welcomed us with open arms and took us to the most amazing places I’ve ever been. And the accents – I loved the accents.

Favorite childhood Halloween costume: I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but it’s probably the funniest . I don’t know if my mom just didn’t bother to get me a costume, but there’s this picture of me with my best friend when I was four. My mom dressed me up as a hobo clown. She put me in my regular pjs with the feet, and just stuck leaves on me and put black paint on my face. I don’t know what she was thinking – I looked ridiculous.

Three things you always keep in your fridge: Cheese, mangos and soup.

One bad habit you have: I’m really bad about biting the skin around my nails and picking scabs, which is really bad since I’m in the nursing school and should know better. Or just biting my nails in general.

One person in whose footsteps you would like to follow: I would say my mom. My parents got divorced when I was young, and my mom went to graduate school and worked and raised me. She worked really hard to get where she is, and she’s really respected by the people she works with.

If you could have any one superpower, what would it be and why? Probably teleportation, especially [since] my family lived like 20 minutes away and now they live across the country in Colorado. It would be nice to be able to go back and see them.

What do you do to prepare for a game? I usually like to not talk to anybody. We have time to hit the ball and the other team has time to hit the ball before a game, so I just like to watch the other team and clear my head. I bring my CD player with me and listen to pump up and angry music.

CD in your stereo now: I have A Tribe Called Quest’s Anthology and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ By the Way.

What drives you? The feeling of being on top of things. I can’t stand the feeling of things slipping or of being overwhelmed. I like to keep things under control. And it’s not just making time for work, but for working out and spending time with friends and just keeping a balance.

Three books on your ideal bookshelf: Memoirs of a Geisha – I’ve read it about three times, a Harry Potter book – I tore through all of them – and probably a cookbook. I love cooking.

Best thing you know how to cook yourself: Chocolate chip cheesecake. My mom has an awesome recipe that’s really easy. And guacamole.

Thing you will miss the most about Georgetown: I think just seeing my friends every day and living so close to everyone. I think we take it for granted that we’re all just here. And being a student in general – there’s really no responsibility besides doing well in school.

Favorite TV show: “Sex and the City” and “Will and Grace.”

Favorite sport to watch on TV: Besides volleyball, it would be soccer. My family is really into soccer. Last year during the World Cup, we would get up at five in the morning to watch the games or we’d tape them. It’s just funny when your 8-year-old sister will get up at 4 a.m. to watch a game, when she won’t even get up for school, and just be ready to go.

One piece of advice you would give to an incoming freshman: Pick the organizations that are important to you and stick with them. There are so many opportunities for club sports and service activities that it’s easy to spread yourself thin. But I think it’s more fulfilling to devote yourself to a couple of things and stick with it. And go abroad. Anywhere, but especially Australia.

Last thing you do before you go to bed: I check my alarm over and over, especially on days when I have a clinical. I’m always afraid that I’ve set it wrong. I’ll check it, and then lie in bed for five minutes and have to check it again. It’s the worst feeling to wake up late for clinicals.

Favorite place in D.C.: The Mall. I don’t get down there a lot, but when people visit I get to play tour guide and see all of the museums and monuments. Especially on a nice day, it’s just a really awesome area.

Most embarrassing moment: My most embarrassing moment ever was when I was in middle school. I used to have issues with low blood sugar, and I would get weak if I didn’t eat regularly. One day in eighth grade in the middle of sex ed, I felt weak and asked the teacher if I could go to the bathroom. When he turned around to hand me the pass, I passed out. When I woke up everyone was standing around me, and at first people had thought that I had just fallen out of my chair. And it was a satellite classroom, so they called the nurse and she had to wheel me across the parking lot to the office. Later people said that I had seen a picture of a penis and passed out. I think it was the combination of passing out and being in sex ed that was really embarrassing. It’s really mortifying for a 13-year-old, and it took a while to live that one down.

Most interesting person you have ever met: When I was in fifth grade, I got to interview John Thompson for a project in school. My friend’s dad was a big sports agent and got us this interview, and I was totally in awe and thought he was so scary. But he was so funny and so nice to us – it was great. It was really back in the day, when Iverson played. And now that I’m at Georgetown, I realize how cool that was, although I’m sure we asked really dumb questions.

One favorite family tradition: Every summer my stepdad takes a day off from work and we go to a different amusement park. We just go all day and we usually go during the week so we can go on the rides over and over again. We always take a picture on the roller coaster, too – we pose so it’s really good.

Favorite amusement park ride: It’s a tie between the Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens and The Grizzly at King’s Dominion. The Grizzly is a great old roller coaster that shakes because it’s so old, and the one at Busch Gardens is a new one that goes under the tracks. But definitely roller coasters.

Plans for after graduation: I’m planning on going to work right away and work in a hospital around the area, hopefully in a neonatal intensive care unit. I’m dying to go abroad again, too – I’d like to do some nursing in other countries and do more public health. Eventually, I’d like to go to graduate school and be a clinical instructor and teach new nurses.

Worst fear: Making a mistake as a nurse. I’ve been thinking about it more recently because in one of my classes – Issues of Practice – we’ve been talking about medical mistakes. It makes you think. And especially now that we’ve been doing clinicals, you see how easy it would be to make a mistake. You’re expected to be perfect as a nurse, and you’re not allowed a lot of mistakes.

One random goal you hope to accomplish before graduation: Well, back when the cafeteria was in New South, we always wanted to get into the kitchen late at night. We’d always talk about how we’d break in.

One thing you hope to be remembered for: I guess for volleyball. I hope to be remembered as a leader and as someone who encouraged people to perform their best.

What is under your bed right now? Everything I own. The room I share with my roommate is so small, we had to bunk our beds and my roommate had to buy a lofted bed. She and her mom built it.