A year ago I was beginning my last semester of high school, after a 9-1 historic record with my football team. I thought this would help my recruitment at Division 1 schools but unfortunately, that was not the case. The decision to play Division 2 football or attempt to run track at a Division 1 school after running one season in high school was difficult, as I loved playing football but I was also determined to fulfill my dream of being a D1 athlete. My indoor track season started slowly as I was not taking the season seriously and was not physically fit to compete at a high level. I had to remember my dream to become a D1 athlete and commit to showing up at practice and fully participating. Toward the end of the season, I made progress and broke the Region and school record for the 300M dash and the school record for the 55M and 4X200 relay. Next up was the outdoor season where I continued to excel, which helped my recruitment pick up. After visiting a few schools that offered me a walk-on spot on their track teams, I narrowed down my choices and selected Virginia Tech days before my graduation. My season ended with four school records, a first-place finish in the 200M, and second-place finishes in the 100M and 400M at the State track meet. Over the summer I was able to finally participate in the Track and Field Junior Olympics after several failed attempts in my earlier years of running. I placed third in the 400M and helped my team place first in the 4X100M relay. It was exciting to accomplish this goal and experience the excitement of running in front of a crowd of about 20,000 before I went off to college. Over the past year, these experiences have helped me learn to trust the process, even when things seem like they're not going to work out. I planned to play football at the next level but now I am adjusting to the new plan of running track at a great school where I can pursue my education in Sports Media. I also have built great relationships with my teammates and new friends. Being away from home for an extended period has helped me become more independent which has helped build consistency with my study habits to ensure I maintain an acceptable GPA to remain on the track team and make myself proud. I remain optimistic about my future even when things do not go as planned or when I face a setback. This positive attitude has helped me along my journey as I grow and adjust to life in college as a student-athlete.

From an early age, I loved participating in sports activities and knew one day I would be an athlete. Participating in sports has helped me build character and leadership skills that I can use every day. During my last football season, my teammates and I received taunting messages from players on other teams we were competing against each week. As a team, we decided not to respond to the messages. There were times when a few of my teammates wanted to reply. As a team captain, I advised them to focus on practice and prepare for each game instead of responding to our opponents. I am competitive and I wanted to win every game but also knew it was best for our team to exhibit respect even though we did not always receive the same respect. Leading by example, I did not reply to messages and let my game speak for itself on the field. Whether we won or lost, I always demonstrated sportsmanship by shaking hands with our opponents and telling them it was a good game. I played football for eleven years and ran track for four years but did not start thinking about off-the-field career options until high school. Throughout high school, I completed Sports Medicine, Human Anatomy, and Sports Management classes. The science-related courses were tough. However, I enjoyed the Sports Management classes and the career options in the field were of interest to me, especially sports media and marketing. This helped me research majors and narrow down a few options so that I could ensure schools had majors that closely matched my interest. I am looking forward to furthering my sports analytics knowledge in a degree program at Virginia Tech. There are various job options I will be able to select from once I graduate and I intend on exploring roles through internships as well as on-campus jobs to determine my exact path after graduation. I love being around the action and excitement of sports as well as those who have the same passion for sports. The education and experiences I obtain will help me excel in my career, working for a University or professional team as a videographer, stats analyst, or another related role. My preference is to work with either football or track and field teams since those are sports I have participated in and enjoy watching. Ultimately, I want to have fun, love the work I do, and produce outcomes that help others.

From an early age I loved participating in a variety of sports activities and knew I wanted a sports related career that would allow me to participate in the action or be near the action. My freshman year of high school I enrolled in a Sports Medicine class, at that time I was unsure of my college major or career interest. As the first semester progressed and I learned more about the treatment and prevention of sports injuries, my interest in the field was strengthened. Since my sport medicine teacher was also my P.E. teacher, I was able to see a few of my career options first-hand. In addition, my teacher answered my questions about the field and possible career paths, which helped narrow down my intended major. During the same school year, my English teacher asked the class to research and write about college majors we were interested in studying. The majors that initially crossed my mind were Kinesiology and Athletic Training, since they were similar to Sport Medicine. Once I began my research and discovered athletic training, it further solidified my decision to seek a degree in Kinesiology, as I felt this major would set me up for success after graduating college. Over the past three and half years my interest in Kinesiology has not wavered and I am looking forward to further exploring health and wellness in a degree program. As a student athlete, my goal is to continue to play football at the next level while completing my Bachelor's degree, then enroll in a Master's program to receive my degree in Athletic Training and sit for the Board of Certification exam to become a certified Athletic Trainer. The education and experiences I obtain will help me excel in my career, managing the well-being of athletes for a University or NFL team. My decision to pursue this path was easily made, due to my love of sports and helping people, along with my experiences in my Sports Medicine class during my freshman year.