Over the past year, I have grown in my ability to adapt when things do not go as planned. Prior to about six months ago I thought that I had my whole life planned out. I've played competitive softball for the last eight years of my life and the most valuable lesson that it has taught me is that those who make the quickest adjustments typically win. We cannot control what happens to us, only how we react. For example, I spent most of my high school experience navigating through the college recruiting process, I've been to nearly thirty prospect camps and my parents have made huge sacrifices flying me around the country to help me chase my dream. Similar to the effect it has had on many things, COVID negatively changed how the college softball recruiting process operates. Most collegiate softball players in 2020 were given an extra year of eligibility, this decision impacted current high school players by reducing the number of available college team roster spots. This has had a terrible effect on my recruiting class specifically because we are the last group to be involved with the collateral damage of a decision that was made three years ago. Compounding this disadvantage, there are currently over a thousand players in the transfer portal, and coaches always look there to recruit first because they want athletes that already have had experience with college-level play. When I first realized that my chances of playing collegiate softball at my dream schools were dwindling, I felt sorry for myself. I asked myself after all these years of sacrificing my whole life for softball, why was I not being repaid for my efforts? I knew I had two choices, either ignore the problem and just hope a miracle would happen, or course correct and start choosing my own destiny. When these obstacles first presented themselves, I refocused to help make my community a better place, I committed to helping out by coaching a younger softball team. I am able to relate to the younger girls because I have experienced the exact same things that they are going through. Specifically, the amount of pressure that they feel being elite athletes and having to balance that with being teenage girls. Even though I am a small part of their journey it is empowering to know that I can be a positive influence on them. It is humbling to coach these girls, I respect that they are young, and their love for the game is still pure and untainted. They have the desire to compete for the sake of applying their skills, adapting, and overcoming the obstacles that present themselves in each game. All competitive sports are infected with people that are willing to do anything to win even at the risk of their own athletes' well-being. Winning is not exclusive to being overly aggressive, the most successful coaches and teachers I have been exposed to are also the ones that inspire their students and athletes to overcome. I am so grateful for my young athletes because they remind me of why I fell in love with softball in the first place and inspire me to find a way to overcome every obstacle.

Feminism is the union of kindness and strength. Feminism represents the idea that women are the backbone of the world, and that we are capable to thrive in all things in this life. These ideals are important because they are what makes women powerful, they give us the ability to band together. Without feminism, women would have no sense of identity. We would have seen no improvement in the oppressive lifestyle that women of the past were forced to fulfill, and that women under oppressive rulers are still forced to live today. In my life, I have been fortunate enough to have a Mother that is the human embodiment of feminism. When I was younger, I was awestruck by my Mom because she has an unwavering belief in herself. She doesn’t take any disrespect from anyone, and as a little girl, this was baffling to me. I was very shy and soft-spoken, and when people would say hurtful things to me I wouldn’t know how to stand up for myself. So I would live letting these hurtful words harm my self-confidence. I would long for the day when people would leave me alone. Though through my own life experience, and under my mom’s guidance, I learned that demanding respect for myself isn’t “mean”, it’s a necessity. I learned that in life that avoiding confrontation doesn’t solve any problems, and the only way to be respected in life is to advocate for yourself. As strong of a person as my Mom is, she is just as caring. She approaches every interaction she has with anyone she ever meets with kindness. She cares about others' well-being more than anyone I have ever met. My Mom taught me that strength and kindness go hand in hand, and these two attributes make the strongest people. She has a heart of gold, and in my eyes, she is one of the most special people on the planet. When I interact with other women in my community and school I aim to be a source of support. In our society, it is very common for women to be pitted against one another. It is so important that we uplift and support other women because it makes us stronger as a collective. This attitude strives for a better environment for all women to live in, even if changes are only happening in small ways. So, whenever I admire something about another woman I make sure to compliment her. I know this makes a difference because of a girl I know named Naomi. Naomi and I are not even the closest of friends, yet every time she sees me she compliments me and acts so excited to see me. Her aura radiates love and kindness everywhere she goes, and I know that because she makes my day better, she makes others feel just as loved and appreciated as well. So, I try to emulate her in this way because I know that if there were more people like Naomi in this world then the world would be a more beautiful place. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing women because they inspire me to be better as well. A world without feminism is a world that I would not want to be a part of. For the rest of my life, I am going to live elevating the women around me, so we can all grow into the best versions of ourselves.

In life, we don’t always get what we want, but we always get what we need. These lyrics are portrayed by the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones. These lyrics relate to the most difficult lesson that I have had to learn in the past year. This time last year I thought I could force my hand in everything that happened in my life, I had my life planned out to every minute detail. Though, I learned that in life we don’t always get to do this because there are things that are out of our control. The faster we try to chase after things that aren't meant for us, the faster they will run away. Though in the moment I saw these disappointments as horrible misfortunes, I realize now that those things didn’t work out because they weren’t the best thing for me. I have changed my perspective from thinking that when things don’t work out it's a failure because, in reality, it could be a redirection to something better than I could ever have imagined.