From the time I could talk until the third grade, I was one of the shyest kids you could meet. I would hide behind my parents when we walked into a new room and nod nervously when asked a question. The winter of my third grade year, my sister convinced me to audition for the youth musical at my community theater. During that show I discovered my love of performing, which brought alive my personality. On stage, instead of the shy kid I once was, I became a fairy tale creature in another world who didn’t hide from an audience. I felt alive. Performing was one of the first things I committed to doing that was outside my comfort zone and it quickly became my comfort zone. I have performed in eighteen musicals (with two more on my schedule before graduation). When I was the youngest performer, I had such admiration for the older high school kids, especially the ones who were constantly interacting with and encouraging the little ones. I felt great responsibility to return that experience as I soon became a high school student; with a new age of youth performers looking up to me. My freshman year I auditioned for our competition show choir - the Jetsetters. Something about my dance audition caught the director's eye and I was selected, among a few other upperclassmen, to be a part of a feature tap dance in our show. Even though I was the only one chosen who had never tap danced before, I quickly caught on to the basic steps and my love for tap dance and show choir only grew from there. That love has been rewarded multiple times with outstanding performer awards at our competitions. I earned multiple shout-outs for my ability to re-teach choreography as a section leader in Jetsetters and that opened a door for me to teach my own choreography as student choreographer for a newly formed all-girls show choir. I have narrowed down my college choices to those that offer a dance minor so I can continue to explore this passion to help other young women find their voice on stage through dance. I was so proud watching the girls perform my choreography at competitions this past competition season; reflecting on my journey from the shy girl just learning her first choreography number in a community theater production so many years ago.

My sophomore year, I joined our brand new girls’ wrestling team because I was attracted to the tough practice environment. My comfort zone has always been the various athletic fields on which I competed, and wrestling pushed me like no other sport, requiring a new level of mental and physical toughness. I owned every middle school cross-country and distance record, and I was in the middle of a soccer career that would end as a two-time All-Ohioan and school record holder in career wins, career goals and assists. But none of those sports challenged me like wrestling did, and I thrived on the newfound competition…until a doctor told me it might be best if I retired from the sport. My first season of wrestling, I used my quickness and fitness from my other sports to outlast my opponents and earn a lot of third period decisions. My early success on the mat was cut short when I suffered an injury in December and learned that my left shoulder labrum was torn and would eventually require surgery. The doctor assured me that I could continue to wrestle in the meantime, so I wrestled my way to the OHSAA state tournament with a torn shoulder. I had been wrestling for less than four months, but I got a chance to wrestle at the state tournament on those yellow Rudis mats and even bring home one win in the consolation side of the bracket. As a Junior, my competition had worked all year on the mat to improve their skills while I was rehabbing my shoulder. I spent a lot of time with the athletic trainers, who allowed me to help run female-only strength and conditioning sessions in the weight room. Because I had demonstrated a high-level work ethic, my teammates were willing to listen to my voice even when I could not perform the exercises next to them. I realized that athletic training could be a potential academic major and career and possibly my only chance to stay connected to the sport of wrestling. Then two weeks before the season began, I was cleared by my surgeon to wrestle. I hit the weights and hit the mats and continued to work with my dedicated athletic trainers who helped me prepare my body for the season. Because my shoulder rehab stole my chance to train in the off-season, I still only had about five months of experience. Every match, I was the underdog in terms of wrestling knowledge, but none of my opponents knew what it was like to hear someone say you might need to retire. I approached every practice and every match like it could be my last one. I ended up qualifying back to state upsetting multiple girls to earn 6th place on the podium. The sport of wrestling has taught me not to put limits on myself. It also gave me a voice encouraging other young female athletes. My experience on the mat and in the training room placed me in a position to help other female athletes who may be recovering from injury and doubting if they can ever compete at the same level again. My underdog story ended with my name up on the wrestling room wall as a state placer.

Exercise and sports can benefit both physical and mental health. I have always found success in physical activities and enjoyed the rewards for my hard work: setting multiple school records in track, cross-country, and soccer, being named captain on all my teams, earning all-Ohio honors in soccer and wrestling. I am happiest when pushing my physical limits on a field, track, dance stage, or in the weight room. But in these same settings, I noticed mental barriers faced by the female athletes around me. Female athletes face unique mental health challenges as they balance chasing after toned muscles, a “fit but not too fit” shape, against the fear of looking too muscular and intimidating. Social media trends with women posing in the gym can do more harm than good by pressuring young women to mold their bodies into unrealistic images. These online posts can also cause anxiety in females as they often highlight the negative experience of males gawking at women in the weight room. Early in my sophomore season of wrestling, I suffered a shoulder injury and learned it would require surgery. The doctor assured me that I could continue to wrestle in the meantime, so I wrestled my way to the state tournament with a torn shoulder. After surgery, I spent a lot of time with excellent athletic trainers and began to see myself in their shoes, having a job where I could impact other people in the same way they impacted me. They allowed me to help run female-only strength and conditioning sessions in the weight room. Because I had demonstrated a high-level work ethic, my teammates were willing to listen to my voice even when I could not perform the exercises next to them. At that moment - all these young women surrounding me as I explained the proper technique for a deadlift - I found a new voice encouraging young female athletes in much the same way my athletic trainers encouraged me through my recovery process. My confidence was no longer solely in what I could do physically, but what I could envision doing for others. I saw young women, terrified to step into the weight room, gain confidence and begin to teach each other under my guidance. I now see my career path in exercise science leading to a legacy of confident young women continuing their lifelong fitness journey long after their athletic careers have ended.

Team USA sprinter Gabby Thomas inspires me because she has proven to be the best in the world in multiple track and field events, but she also has an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a Master’s degree in public health that she puts to use volunteering in her local community. My comfort zone has always been the various athletic fields on which I competed. I was talented in the classroom, many times scoring perfect on state standardized tests, but it came easy and did not bring me joy. I thrived on the hard work of a field, a court, or dance stage. This is why I am drawn to the story of Gabby Thomas and inspired by her academic accomplishments as well as the records she has set running for Team USA. In middle school, I claimed every single cross-country record as well as the outdoor track distance records. As just a freshman, my soccer coaches chose me as captain to set a new standard for a program that had only five winning seasons in history. I led my team to a district championship, scoring two goals for a 2-0 victory in the final. Our team accomplished double-digit wins in each of my four seasons, becoming the winningest class in school history. In my first year of wrestling, I suffered an injury early in the season and learned that my left shoulder labrum was torn, which would eventually require surgery. The doctor assured me that I could continue to wrestle in the meantime, so I wrestled my way to the OHSAA state tournament with a torn shoulder. After surgery I had to show a different type of leadership, working through my recovery process while my teammates trained for track and soccer without me. I saw Gabby Thomas experience the same challenge when her hamstring injury caused her to miss the World Championships in 2022. She talked to Women’s Health magazine about the importance of maintaining a positive mindset while working your way back through injury saying, “Dealing with setbacks is something that everyone has to do—that everyone goes through, no matter if it’s sport or any other avenue of life.” During my recovery, I spent a lot of time with very special athletic trainers and began to see myself in their shoes, having a job where I could impact other people in the same way they impacted me. They allowed me to help run female-only strength and conditioning sessions in the weight room. Because I had demonstrated a high-level work ethic, my teammates were willing to listen even when I could not perform the exercises next to them. At that moment - all these young women nervously surrounding me as I explained the proper technique for a deadlift - I found my potential career path in exercise science and athletic training. Gabby Thomas is still training every day to be a world-class runner for Team USA. However, she also spends time volunteering at a health clinic for people without insurance, using her degree to help make people’s lives better. When I step on campus in the Fall of 2025, I will be competing at the Div. III level, not for Team USA. My scholarships will have to come from academics, not athletics. As I train for my collegiate sports, I will come in contact with female athletes dealing with injury, possibly non-athletes intimidated to step into the weight room. Perhaps I can share Gabby’s Thomas’ positive mindset and leave my own legacy of confident young women continuing their lifelong fitness journey long after their athletic careers have ended.

From the time I could talk, I was one of the shyest kids you could meet. I would hide behind my parents when we entered a new room and nod nervously when asked a question. My confidence came through in physical activities: from backyard trampoline tricks to youth athletics and middle school track records, and eventually state tournament wrestling meets…this is where I gained my voice. However, as the accomplishments stacked up, so did the injuries. During the rehab of my most significant wrestling injury, I discovered inside myself a new form of leadership and decided my academic and career path. My comfort zone was the various athletic fields on which I competed. I was talented in the classroom, but it came easy and did not bring me joy. I thrived on the hard work of a sports field, track, or dance stage. My teammates were drawn to my work ethic and coaches praised my natural leadership qualities. In middle school, I claimed every cross-country and outdoor-track distance record. As just a freshman, my soccer coaches chose me as captain to set a new standard for a program that had only five winning seasons in history. My sophomore year, I joined our brand new girls’ wrestling team because I was attracted to the tough practice environment. Wrestling pushed me in a way that no other sport has requiring a new level of mental and physical toughness. My early success on the mat was cut short when I suffered an injury in December and learned that my left shoulder labrum was torn and would eventually require surgery. The doctor assured me that I could continue to wrestle in the meantime, so I wrestled my way to the OHSAA state tournament with a torn shoulder. After surgery I had to show a different type of leadership, working through my recovery process while my teammates trained without me. I spent a lot of time with very special athletic trainers and began to see myself in their shoes, having a job where I could impact other people in the same way they impacted me. They allowed me to help run female-only strength and conditioning sessions in the weight room. Because I had demonstrated a high-level work ethic, my teammates were willing to listen to my voice even when I could not perform the exercises next to them. At that moment - all these young women surrounding me as I explained the proper technique for a deadlift - I realized that exercise science and athletic training could be a potential academic major and career. My Junior year I was a labeled as "returning state qualifier," but my competition had worked all year on the mat to improve their skills while I was rehabbing my shoulder. Two weeks before the season began I was cleared by my surgeon to wrestle. I hit the weights and hit the mats and I ended up qualifying back to state upsetting multiple girls to earn 6th place on the podium. In the wrestling room, I found reward for my hard work and also a new voice encouraging young female athletes much the same way my athletic trainers encouraged me through my recovery process. My confidence was no longer solely what I could do physically, but what I could envision doing for others. I saw young women terrified to step into the weight room gain confidence and begin to teach each other under my guidance. I believe wrestling will help me leave behind a legacy of confident young women continuing their lifelong fitness journey long after their athletic careers have ended.