2025 Students of Distinction

Mira Sonnen: A fierce competitor with heart and resilience

Gig Harbor Now is posting profiles featuring the Students of Distinction being honored by the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation. Peers, teachers or parents nominate students, who must be a graduating senior at a Peninsula School District school. A panel of community leaders selects students to be honored in one of seven categories: academics; athletics; career and technical excellence; community service; music, arts and drama; overcoming adversity; and science and technology.

These students will be celebrated during a banquet from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at Ocean5, 5268 Point Fosdick Dr.

School: Peninsula High School

Category: Athletics

For Mira Sonnen, sports have always meant more than trophies or titles – they’ve been a lifeline. After losing her father to brain cancer nearly five years ago, athletics became a space of healing and purpose. “Sports were an outlet from my real life,” Mira shares. “I was able to focus on a tangible personal goal and better myself for my team.” That mindset transformed her into not just one of Peninsula High School’s most decorated athletes, but a source of inspiration for her teammates and coaches alike.

In wrestling, Mira has made history. She is a two-time 3A/4A state champion, a USA Wrestling Greco and Freestyle State Champion, and a nationally ranked Top 30 wrestler in the 145-pound division. She’s earned district and regional championships, was named Most Inspirational and Most Improved by her team and even qualified for the elite Fargo National Tournament. Her grit, determination, and relentless work ethic are evident not just in her victories, but in the way she’s carried herself through adversity.

Mira Sonnen

Mira’s competitive spirit doesn’t stop on the mat. As a four-year varsity softball player, she helped lead her team to a state championship in 2023 and earned multiple All-District honors. Her academic accomplishments mirror her athletic success: she has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA every semester, received the South Sound Conference Academic Excellence Award multiple times, and was named to the WSWCA Academic All-State First Team.

Beyond her own goals, Mira gives back – volunteering with the SAVE Thrift Store, Winterfest, and youth wrestling camps, all while maintaining work experience and balancing an intense athletic and academic schedule. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed; she’s been named Athlete of the Year by the Tacoma Athletic Commission and has earned the Peninsula Hawks Promise Scholarship.

But for Mira, the heart of her journey lies in the people. She credits Bailey Parker, her longtime wrestling partner, as a guiding light – someone who believed in her before she believed in herself. “She wasn’t just someone I trained with,” Mira says. “She was a mentor, a friend, and my biggest supporter.”

As Mira prepares to study neuroscience, biomedical science, or biochemistry and continue wrestling at the collegiate level, her story is one of tenacity, resilience, and deep personal growth. Through loss, triumph, and everything in between, she has proven what it truly means to rise.