Growing up, I've always felt like I needed to prove myself not only in the classroom, but on the court, to others, and most of all, to myself. My mental health journey has been shaped by a constant need for academic validation and the pressure I put on myself to succeed in everything I do. While It's been tough, it's also taught and shaped me into the type of person I am today and what I want for my future. I'm currently a high school Junior, working toward getting my Associates Degree in Political Science along with my diploma. It's a really big goal of mine, and so far, I'm proud of how far I've gotten. But behind the achievements, there's been a lot of internal struggle. I've tried my self-worth to my grades and accomplishments for as long as I can remember. When I fall short, even if it's only by a bit, it feels like I'm failing as a person. This mindset has taken a lot from my mental health, especially during times when my academic performance is very important. Sports have always been a distraction from my grades but they also come with their own emotional challenges as well. I play 3 sports, which is the maximum someone can do at my school. This includes volleyball, basketball, and tennis. My mental health gets hit the hardest during my basketball and tennis seasons. Basketball is where I usually get hit with a wave of depression because of the constant cycle of it being in the winter, where it's cold outside and the season just feels very long and repeatable. I'm not sure why, but I get hit hard every year during this time period. I feel more withdrawn from myself, friends, and family, less motivated, and emotionally drained. While a part of me does love basketball, that other part of me despises it as well. Towards the end of basketball season I'm usually already thinking about the start of tennis, which does lighten my mood a little. However, as much as I love tennis, it has the biggest affect on mental health out of my other two sports. Tennis is the toughest mentality because it's just me out on the court in singles, and when things go wrong, I start to spiral. I overthink every little mistake and start to get down on myself more and more. Unlike basketball and volleyball where you're more of a team sport, tennis can be more on your own even though your score still adds up to the overall team. This is why I get in my head and let my mental health get so bad during tennis because I know that I'm the one that gets mainly affected. These ups and downs have forced me to take a deeper look into my mental health. I've started to understand my triggers and develop ways to cope. I've learned that it's okay to ask for help, to take breaks, and to not be perfect all of the time. I've started writing down my thoughts, practicing mindfulness, and leaning on people that I know I can trust when things get overwhelming. I'm working on separating my identity from my performance, and focusing more on effort and growth than perfection. I haven't personally struggled with substance abuse, I've seen how it affects people close to me. Watching them fight through addiction has made me more empathetic and more committed to supporting mental health awareness, and my career goals as well. I want to become a lawyer, either in family or medical law because I want to help people navigate and overcome difficult situations with compassion and clarity. My education is a huge part of that plan. Once I finish high school with my Associates Degree, I plan to pursue my Bachelor's Degree in Political Science as well and go to Law school. I want to use my experiences, both the hard and hopeful ones, to advocate for others. Whether it's helping families through legal challenges or supporting patients in medical cases, I want to be a voice for people who feel unheard. My plan includes positive self-talk, consistent self-care, and a strong support system. I'm learning to set boundaries, get good sleep, and be easier on myself when things do go as planned. While I still love sports, I'm approaching them with a healthier mindset of teamwork and joy, rather than perfection, which also follows along with my academics. This journey hasn't been easy but it's helped me grow in ways I never expected. Strength isn't about never struggling, it's about showing up when things are hard. I'm proud of who I'm becoming, and excited to see what the future holds for me where I can make a difference when I never thought I would.

If it weren't for tennis, I probably wouldn't be the person I am today. I started playing tennis when I was just a toddler. While I wasn't to serious about it then, I definately liked the sport. It wasn't until I got into middleschool, where I started to take the sport more seriously. I was able to go to districts as a 6th grader which isn't normall done in our districts and play line 2 mixed doubles with a boy who was a year older than me. While we didn't end up placing that year, it still taught me that winning isn't everything and that having fun is what matters. The next year I ended up playing line 1 girls singles. While I did have a pretty good season, I wasn't ranked the highest for seeding in districts and didn't have to much hope. However, I actually had a really good run at districts and ended up playing in the championship round. Now the girl that I had to play in the championship had lost and beat me during the season so it wasn't clear on what the outcome was going to be. I'm not gonna lie the first set was really rought, I lost 0-6. Going into the second set I wasn't very confident. I ended up pushing through and beating her in the second set 7-5. We still had to play our 3rd set to determine the outcome and it was already 8. We had been at districts for over 13 hours at this time and were both exhausted. I was able to pull out the win and ended up being 1st out of 27 other girls. That season taught me that tennis is a sport where you have to be mentally tough or you can't really expect to win. Fasting forward to my freshman year of highschool I ended up making varsity as a freshman. That year I tried something new and ended up plaing lines 2 girls doubles with a senior. We placed 5th at districts and ended up making it to State. This was where my mental toughness was pushed to the limit. The first day of State ended up being really windy so we had to play in conditions that we wern't really used to. Me and my partner were up 5-0 agains the team that would end up winning. However, we did end up losing and got eliminated twice that day, kicking us out of the tournament. Freshman State made me realize that it's difficult to win in tennis when you and your partner are both in your heads. I think we lost 5-0 because we lost our momentum and kept getting in our heads more and more. Moving on to my latest season which was my sophmore year, the same mental toughtness came in play again. I started the season out in line 1 mixed doubles for about half the season. Me and my partner were pretty good but we weren't the best in the district. I ended up switching to singles because me and my dad wanted to see how I would do. I ended up getting 5th at districts and not making it to State because they took away our 5th spot this year. This last season I was really in my head. Singles was a whole new aspect of tennis that I had forgotten about for 2 years. Your mental state has to be 10 times stronger in singles compared to doubles. While I was sad about this last season, it prepared me for what is to come next.