I have always been gifted in athleticism. My initial love for sports began as a small child in Cameroon, West Africa where I witnessed my older brother thriving in soccer. My brother saw that I had a gift and despite societal stigmas about women playing sports, he made it his mission to teach me how to play, and soon enough, I was able to keep up with his age mates who were 5 years my senior. At the age of 7, my father had saved up enough money to bring my mother, siblings, and me to America. It was in this country that I discovered that women could not only compete in sports but could make a career in sports. While my grades were amongst the top of the class in primary and secondary education, the stress of the move and the constant bullying I faced growing up as an immigrant caused my eating to spiral. My parents had always supported my athletic aptitude so they revamped our diet and pushed my siblings and me to enroll in sports to help with our mental and physical health. I chose soccer and track & field which I would later receive several athletic awards and all-stars. Unfortunately, I could not continue my passion for Field sports and soccer during my higher education because my bachelor's degree was too demanding. Once again, I found my weight and mental health spiraling, which led to me developing a severe eating disorder. For nearly 4 years I battled with bulimia nervosa until my final year of college when I decided I could no longer allow this self-destructive behavior to consume my life. By the time I was graduating in 2021, my weight had ballooned an additional 30 lbs but despite this, I kept my head up because for once, I was comfortable enough in my own body even if it wasn't the physique I had dreamt of. Soon after, I was finally in a good enough head space to try and lose all the weight I had gained during my recovery process. My younger brother, a gifted D1 sprinter, witnessed my efforts and advised me to look into weightlifting since I was one of the best varsity throwers during my high school career. Despite my reluctance, I took his advice and began training in weightlifting. He pushed me to the gym every day for nearly a year; Slowly, the weight started coming off; Within a year I was able to replace 30lbs of fat with muscle. June 2021 marks two years since I kickstarted my weightlifting journey. The progress I have made in this short time has inspired me to compete in an IWF competition next year (2025) and hopefully qualify for the 2028 Olympics in women's weightlifting. The challenges I have faced are personal, however, I regularly share them with young and older women who want to fix their health and body image issues but feel hopeless. I have had the honor of seeing many of these women change their lifestyles and have received a lot of gratitude because of my vulnerability. Theirs and my success affirm that mistakes may shape you, but they don't have to break you. While I would never wish what I endured on anyone, I am happy to have overcome that affliction because of all the lives I have positively impacted by sharing my knowledge and insights.