From a young age, I was in the gym. My mother was a volleyball coach, my father was a basketball coach, and I was their manager, spending countless hours filling water bottles and shagging balls, patiently waiting for my turn to take the court in high school. When that time finally came, I was broken by the news that I couldn’t play due to three different foot injuries, which sidelined me from both volleyball and basketball freshman year. Being an athlete had always been part of my identity and without it I was completely lost and left wondering, why me? This was the first experience I ever had with mental health. Without sports, I had no motivation to do anything, even get out of my bed, and I was constantly feeling empty and tired. Prior to my injury, I had never heard about athletes suffering from depression, anxiety, or eating disorders because athletes are praised for being some of the toughest people in the world, and weakness is commonly associated with mental illness. I felt like I was the only person going through this type of pain. A year after my injury, I still didn’t understand how it was part of my purpose. That is until my best friend Avery tore her ACL. By describing how she felt about her situation, she put into words the pain that I had hid, and she made me realize that we cannot be the only two athletes in the world that have felt this type of pain, but were silenced by the negative stigma that is placed around mental illness and mental health. At that moment I realized that I wanted to help people like Avery and myself, but, like I mentioned before, sports is part of my identity and is something I’ll always want to be around. I never thought that a sport administration degree could go with a psychology degree. I actually thought psychology and sports were at different ends of the spectrum. That is until I realized how common mental illness is in athletes. Simone Biles in the 2021 Olympics had a huge influence on me and helped me recognize that mental health is a problem athletes at all ages and levels face. I believe that Simone took a huge step in breaking the negative stigma surrounding the issue, and her choice to put her and her own health first has pushed many NFL, MLB, and collegiate teams to start hiring a “team psychologist” to help the athletes with their mindset, mental toughness, and constant pressure to perform well. Being an athlete--especially one who has experienced what it feels to be sidelined--I am very familiar with all of these struggles, and I believe that studying psychology along with sport administration will better help me understand how the mind of an athlete works and how the sport-industry environment affects them, in hopes that one day I can help be a resource to athletes that have gone through similar things as me.

Communication is not a skill that comes very easy to people, in fact it was not something that came easy to me. However, through high school, athletics, and relationships with family and friends, it is something that I have learned is necessary and important to continue building upon for future endeavors. Communication in the halls of my high school, is not always verbal. Sometimes your body language speaks far more words than what your mouth can. A simple smile and a poised posture can go a long way in the halls. It may not seem like a lot, but that smile can incite positivity and comfortability in others as well as yourself. On the court, communication is key in the sense that it prevents my teammates and I from colliding when we go for the ball, and it might help my teammate see a tip coming if I communicate so. Communication goes much further than the words spoken-- it is perceived by tone. When we get down a few points in a game, the mental state of my team may depend on whether they find my tone to be uplifting and hopeful, or negative and hurtful. Lastly, communication is extremely important in any relationship and is usually the determinate of whether it succeeds or fails. Being honest, open, and most critically, listening, are key components to being a good communicator. Listening does not mean just hearing what another person has to say only for you to respond, it means hearing them and comprehending what they are saying and why. Communicating is a very important part of life, and I have learned a lot about it from my experiences, but there is still a lot I don't know and am seeking to learn and grow from. I strongly feel that I have a strong base in this area of my life and I feel that it can benefit me in many ways throughout my future. Communicating plays a very large role in networking and making a name for yourself, as well as being approachable and punctual. Even though I value my ability to be able to communicate, I still feel very passionate about learning to communicate and lead even more effectively. With this skill set that I have accumulated over time and will continue to accumulate, I hope to one day share my knowledge with others to help them grow.

"The chapter has ended. You cannot keep rereading it hoping for a different ending. It is time to start the next." Unfortunate things happen to everyone at some point in their life. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, a break-up, or an injury that keeps them from doing what they love, it is devastating. It is devastating and it is extremely hard not to sit there and keep rereading "their chapter," and wishing things did not end they way they did. But, you cannot go back in time, just like you cannot erase the words from a page. It is done and it is over, and there are still many more chapters that are patiently waiting to be read. I am very emphatic with this saying because it is something I struggled with for the longest time. Wallowing in a bad situation is so easy, yet so unrewarding and harmful. Turning the page to reach that next chapter might be the hardest thing you ever do, but I mean it with my whole heart when I say it will be the best decision you ever make.

Communication is not a skill that comes very easy to people, in fact it was not something that came easy to me. However, through high school, athletics, and relationships with family and friends, it is something that I have learned is necessary and important to continue building upon for future endeavors. Communication in the halls of my high school, is not always verbal. Sometimes your body language speaks far more words than what your mouth can. A simple smile and a poised posture can go a long way in the halls. It may not seem like a lot, but that smile can incite positivity and comfortability in others as well as yourself. On the court, communication is key in the sense that it prevents my teammates and I from colliding when we go for the ball, and it might help my teammate see a tip coming if I communicate so. Communication goes much further than the words spoken-- it is perceived by tone. When we get down a few points in a game, the mental state of my team may depend on whether they find my tone to be uplifting and hopeful, or negative and hurtful. Lastly, communication is extremely important in any relationship and is usually the determinate of whether it succeeds or fails. Being honest, open, and most critically, listening, are key components to being a good communicator. Listening does not mean just hearing what another person has to say only for you to respond, it means hearing them and comprehending what they are saying and why. Communicating is a very important part of life, and I have learned a lot about it from my experiences, but there is still a lot I don't know and am seeking to learn and grow from.

My school is extremely small. With nearly four hundred kids in kindergarten through high school, everybody knows everybody, and everyday I pass kids in the hallway with ages ranging from six to eighteen, which is not something many high schoolers can say they do. That being said, I have grown very close to many of the younger girls that look up to me as a student, an athlete, and as a person. Jayden and Kaylee are the names of two of the girls who never pass up the chance to say hi to me in the halls, or wish me good luck in my upcoming games. Just by watching them get all giddy when I pass by, I know that I am someone that they look up to. Because of this they have pushed me to demonstrate kindness even more in the hallways. I never want them to walk passed me and see me upset, or not smiling. That is not something that I want them to view as "normal behavior," so every time I walk down the halls I put on a smile and make sure I say hi to everyone, all at the chance that I may pass Jayden or Kaylee. Though these two girls are so small and play a very minor role in my day to day life, they have made me realize that my leadership and mentorship can make an impact. Even if it is just a small gesture, my actions can mean the world to girls such as these two. I know that if my kindness can affect Jayden and Kaylee, then I can lead and enforce kindness out of other people too.

My school is extremely tiny and only has around one hundred kids in the high school. This low statistic makes for a very small basketball team, and an even smaller student section. However, these numbers do not deter us, in fact, they encourage us. Knowing we have less people on our side pushes us to cheer louder and harder each game.

From a young age, I was in the gym. My mother was a volleyball coach, my father was a basketball coach, and I was their manager, spending countless hours filling water bottles and shagging balls, patiently waiting for my turn to take the court in high school. When that time finally came, I was broken by the news that I couldn’t play due to three different foot injuries, which sidelined me from both volleyball and basketball freshman year. Being an athlete had always been part of my identity and without it I was completely lost and left wondering, why me? This was the first experience I ever had with mental health. Without sports, I had no motivation to do anything, even get out of my bed, and I was constantly feeling empty and tired. Prior to my injury, I had never heard about athletes suffering from depression, anxiety, or eating disorders because athletes are praised for being some of the toughest people in the world, and weakness is commonly associated with mental illness. I felt like I was the only person going through this type of pain. A year after my injury, I still didn’t understand how it was part of my purpose. That is until my best friend Avery tore her ACL. By describing how she felt about her situation, she put into words the pain that I had hid, and she made me realize that we cannot be the only two athletes in the world that have felt this type of pain, but were silenced by the negative stigma that is placed around mental illness and mental health. At that moment I realised that I wanted to help people like Avery and myself, but, like I mentioned before, sports is part of my identity and is something I’ll always want to be around. I never thought that a sport administration degree could go with a psychology degree. I actually thought psychology and sports were at different ends of the spectrum. That is until I realized how common mental illness is in athletes. Simone Biles in the 2021 Olympics had a huge influence on me and helped me recognize that mental health is a problem athletes at all ages and levels face. I believe that Simone took a huge step in breaking the negative stigma surrounding the issue, and her choice to put her and her own health first has pushed many NFL, MLB, and collegiate teams to start hiring a “team psychologist” to help the athletes with their mindset, mental toughness, and constant pressure to perform well. Being an athlete--especially one who has experienced what it feels to be sidelined--I am very familiar with all of these struggles, and I believe that studying psychology along with sport administration will better help me understand how the mind of an athlete works and how the sport-industry environment affects them, in hopes that one day I can help be a resource to athletes that have gone through similar things as me.

From a young age, I was in the gym. My mother was a volleyball coach, my father was a basketball coach, and I was their manager, spending countless hours filling water bottles and shagging balls, patiently waiting for my turn to take the court in high school. When that time finally came, I was broken by the news that I couldn’t play due to three different foot injuries, which sidelined me from both volleyball and basketball freshman year. Being an athlete had always been part of my identity and without it I was completely lost and left wondering, why me? This was the first experience I ever had with mental health. Without sports, I had no motivation to do anything, even get out of my bed, and I was constantly feeling empty and tired. Prior to my injury, I had never heard about athletes suffering from depression, anxiety, or eating disorders because athletes are praised for being some of the toughest people in the world, and weakness is commonly associated with mental illness. I felt like I was the only person going through this type of pain. A year after my injury, I still didn’t understand how it was part of my purpose. That is until my best friend Avery tore her ACL. By describing how she felt about her situation, she put into words the pain that I had hid, and she made me realize that we cannot be the only two athletes in the world that have felt this type of pain, but were silenced by the negative stigma that is placed around mental illness and mental health. At that moment I realized that I wanted to help people like Avery and myself, but, like I mentioned before, sports is part of my identity and is something I’ll always want to be around. I never thought that a sport administration degree could go with a psychology degree. I actually thought psychology and sports were at different ends of the spectrum. That is until I realized how common mental illness is in athletes. Simone Biles in the 2021 Olympics had a huge influence on me and helped me recognize that mental health is a problem athletes at all ages and levels face. I believe that Simone took a huge step in breaking the negative stigma surrounding the issue, and her choice to put her and her own health first has pushed many NFL, MLB, and collegiate teams to start hiring a “team psychologist” to help the athletes with their mindset, mental toughness, and constant pressure to perform well. Being an athlete--especially one who has experienced what it feels to be sidelined--I am very familiar with all of these struggles, and I believe that studying psychology along with sport administration will better help me understand how the mind of an athlete works and how the sport-industry environment affects them, in hopes that one day I can help be a resource to athletes that have gone through similar things as me. My struggles have not only helped shape me into the caring and thoughtful person I am today, but they have also paved a path for my future, which will hopefully consist of working to improve the mental health of others, especially athletes.

From a young age, I was in the gym. My mother was a volleyball coach, my father was a basketball coach, and I was their manager, spending countless hours filling water bottles and shagging balls, patiently waiting for my turn to take the court in high school. When that time finally came, I was broken by the news that I couldn’t play due to three different foot injuries, which sidelined me from both volleyball and basketball freshman year. Being an athlete had always been part of my identity and without it I was completely lost and left wondering, why me? This was the first experience I ever had with mental health. Without sports, I had no motivation to do anything, even get out of my bed, and I was constantly feeling empty and tired. Prior to my injury, I had never heard about athletes suffering from depression, anxiety, or eating disorders because athletes are praised for being some of the toughest people in the world, and weakness is commonly associated with mental illness. I felt like I was the only person going through this type of pain. A year after my injury, I still didn’t understand how it was part of my purpose. That is until my best friend Avery tore her ACL. By describing how she felt about her situation, she put into words the pain that I had hid, and she made me realize that we cannot be the only two athletes in the world that have felt this type of pain, but were silenced by the negative stigma that is placed around mental illness and mental health. At that moment I realised that I wanted to help people like Avery and myself, but, like I mentioned before, sports is part of my identity and is something I’ll always want to be around. I never thought that a sport administration degree could go with a psychology degree. I actually thought psychology and sports were at different ends of the spectrum. That is until I realized how common mental illness is in athletes. Simone Biles in the 2021 Olympics had a huge influence on me and helped me recognize that mental health is a problem athletes at all ages and levels face. I believe that Simone took a huge step in breaking the negative stigma surrounding the issue, and her choice to put her and her own health first has pushed many NFL, MLB, and collegiate teams to start hiring a “team psychologist” to help the athletes with their mindset, mental toughness, and constant pressure to perform well. Being an athlete--especially one who has experienced what it feels to be sidelined--I am very familiar with all of these struggles, and I believe that studying psychology along with sport administration will better help me understand how the mind of an athlete works and how the sport-industry environment affects them, in hopes that one day I can help be a resource to athletes that have gone through similar things as me.

From a young age, I was in the gym. My mother was a volleyball coach, my father was a basketball coach, and I was their manager, spending countless hours filling water bottles and shagging balls, patiently waiting for my turn to take the court in high school. When that time finally came, I was broken by the news that I couldn’t play due to three different foot injuries, which sidelined me from both volleyball and basketball freshman year. Being an athlete had always been part of my identity and without it I was completely lost and left wondering, why me? This was the first experience I ever had with mental health. Without sports, I had no motivation to do anything, even get out of my bed, and I was constantly feeling empty and tired. Prior to my injury, I had never heard about athletes suffering from depression, anxiety, or eating disorders because athletes are praised for being some of the toughest people in the world, and weakness is commonly associated with mental illness. I felt like I was the only person going through this type of pain. Being an athlete--especially one who has experienced what it feels to be sidelined--I am very familiar with all of these struggles, and I believe that studying psychology along with sport administration will better help me understand how the mind of an athlete works and how the sport-industry environment affects them, in hopes that one day I can help be a resource to athletes that have gone through similar things as me. My struggles have not only helped shape me into what I am today, but they have also paved a path for what I want my future to look like.

From a young age, I was in the gym. My mother was a volleyball coach, my father was a basketball coach, and I was their manager, spending countless hours filling water bottles and shagging balls, patiently waiting for my turn to take the court in high school. When that time finally came, I was broken by the news that I couldn’t play due to three different foot injuries, which sidelined me from both volleyball and basketball freshman year. Without sports, I had no motivation to do anything, even get out of my bed, and I was constantly feeling empty and tired. felt like I was the only person going through this type of pain. That is until I realized how common mental illness is in athletes. Simone Biles in the 2021 Olympics had a huge influence on me and helped me recognize that mental health is a problem athletes at all ages and levels face. I believe that Simone took a huge step in breaking the negative stigma surrounding the issue, and her choice to put her and her own health first has pushed many NFL, MLB, and collegiate teams to start hiring a “team psychologist” to help the athletes with their mindset, mental toughness, and constant pressure to perform well. Being an athlete--especially one who has experienced what it feels to be sidelined--I am very familiar with all of these struggles, and I believe that studying psychology along with sport administration will better help me understand how the mind of an athlete works and how the sport-industry environment affects them I dream that one day I can help be a resource to athletes that have gone through similar things as me.