When I asked UC Berkeley sophomore and national boxing champion Meryland Gonzalez what goes through her head during a match, she paused, fiddled with her pastel pink acrylic nails and offered a wide smile.

“I want to, like, destroy you and your dreams. I want to show their coaches that they suck, and they didn’t train their fighter enough, right? It’s really cocky,” Gonzalez said. “But it’s funny because sitting here and talking about that, I’m like, damn. That is way too crazy. But that’s the only thing I think about.”

If you saw her walking through Sproul Plaza, you wouldn’t know Gonzalez is a nine-time national champion or that she won her first Junior Olympic gold medal at 13. Even more shocking is the fact that these aren’t the most interesting things about her.

In fact, Gonzalez finds the discourse around her participation in the 2028 Olympic Games — a sight she’s had her eyes fixed on for years — a little overrated. So I figured I would get it out of the way right out of the gate.

“Everyone talks about (the Olympics) so much. To be fully transparent, I think sometimes it gets really boring,” Gonzalez said. “It was so golden to me, and it just became very common. But when I train, it shines. Obviously you have to train to get where you want to go.”

Gonzalez grew up in the housing projects of Watts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, with two parents working tirelessly to support their family. Her first coach was her dad, who learned how to throw a one-two punch alongside her from boxing videos on YouTube.

The moment she fell in love with the sport? Her first boxing-induced bloody nose.

“I had never gotten a nosebleed in my life, and I was more excited than actually hurt or crying,” Gonzalez said. “So my coach was like, ‘Are you okay?’ I was smiling. And my dad was like, ‘You like punches?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah. I like it.’”

It sounds like an unconventional childhood, to say the least, and even more so for being captured in part by the critically acclaimed short documentary, “Team Meryland,” which followed Gonzalez’s early teen years.

To bring new fans up to speed: Meryland was hospitalized with a mysterious environmental virus at 6 years old. She had lapses in memory; she had to relearn how to walk — and box. And she did. Her doctors warned her that symptoms could come back. “But I choose not to live in fear,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez is quick to credit her parents with her success in and out of the ring. Her gratitude for their sacrifices is palpable — her goals outside of boxing include buying her parents a house and her dad a monster truck.

“I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it weren’t for my parents, whether it’s in sports or education,” Gonzalez said. “But aside from my parents, there were also people who were giving me the opportunity to rise up, like the LA Rams, the Adidas sponsorship (and) my scholarships. I’m forever grateful for all those moments.”

Gonzalez started a boxing club, “Team Meryland,” in her hometown. A few years later, she and her family started the nonprofit organization 5LA New Beginnings to provide enrichment activities and resources in their communities.

Current 5LA New Beginnings programming includes boxing and fitness classes, ASL classes for people of all ages, literacy & speaking workshops and more. It serves more than 300 families near her hometown, according to Gonzalez. She hopes her intended business degree will give her the tools she needs to expand this work.

University was not a choice Gonzalez and her family took lightly. College seemed financially and educationally hard to attain.

“Education was bad where I lived; that just wasn’t a thing for no one,” Gonzalez said.

UC Berkeley was not Gonzalez’s first choice. She wasn’t sure she wanted to leave Southern California again after attending high school away from home, but her mom and her sister were firm: she should go to Cal.

It’s safe to say she’s found her place. She’s up at 5:30 a.m. to run, gets to the Cal Football training facility by 7 a.m. for her shift as an equipment manager to help out with drills, laundry or whatever the team needs. She stays at work until 5:30 p.m., after which it’s gym, homework and socializing. She works Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with back-to-back classes Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Sometimes I’m in the gym way too long … I need to just walk around Berkeley to reconnect with nature,” Gonzalez said with a laugh.

Like any love, Gonzalez has had her outs with boxing. She’s taken time off and come back with a renewed and sustainable devotion. She’s currently in the process of finding a new coach in Northern California.

Gonzalez has the Team USA trials on the horizon, followed by two international fights. After that, the Olympics are “right around the corner.”

“I have to, obviously, keep winning and going to national tournaments and showcasing my skills,” she said. “But it’s quite a journey.”

Gonzalez will be an Olympian, and she said so with complete humility — but that’s not the only thing she is going to be. Still, I can’t wait to see her on the podium.