I began playing volleyball in 7th grade. My middle school did not offer a gymnastics team, which is the sport I participated in while growing up . I figured I would give volleyball a shot, and never turned back. I fell in love with the team dynamic. I fell in love with the ability to hustle, be explosive, and outsmart the opponent. I also live approximately 10 minutes away from the beach (Long Beach Island, NJ). This gave me the opportunity to take my talents to the sand. I spent my summers playing with friends and participating in local tournaments with my best friend (who was also my highschool setter). Financials held me back from being able to compete for outdoor club, so I pursued a path to play collegiate indoor volleyball while playing beach locally over the summers. My Junior and senior year of high school I went on to earn back-to-back conference player of the year as well and back-to-back first team all state. These honors were nice, but the icing on top of the cake was winning the state championship my senior year and finishing as the #1 team in the state of New Jersey. I then went on to pursue an indoor division 1 volleyball career at LeMoyne college as a 5’6 6 rotation outside hitter. I earned rookie of the week honors, prime performer honors, and was voted team MVP and team captain by my teammates. Everything I am able to do is because of them and their hard work. When my sophomore season came to an end, I sat down to do a lot of reflecting. I didn’t feel as if I still had the same spark I once had. This influenced me to ponder the reasons why I love volleyball. I loved being a part of a team. I loved to hustle. I loved to play smart. I loved to win and feel connected to my teammates. All of these answers tied me to one solution to potentially help relight my spark. This solution was beach volleyball! As of December 7th I entered the transfer portal in hopes to pursue a collegiate beach volleyball career. After a lot of dedication and a lot of hard conversations and decisions, I committed to play division 1 beach volleyball at Tennessee Tech. I myself and others around me have seen and felt that spark begin to grow again. I am so excited for new beginnings and I couldn’t be more thankful for this sport and the opportunities my coach at tech has given me. For my academic path I currently major in sociology with a concentration in criminal justice. I have obtained a 3.8 gpa throughout my first 3 semesters in college. I earned 4.0 ⅔ semesters so far. I set very high standards for my academics for I know it lays the foundation for my future career, it is also a reflection of my team's efforts which is very important to me. As of right now I would love to be a criminal justice social worker. This is a profession where I have recognized the assistance needed within, and it gives me the opportunity to give back to the community. Giving back and making a difference is something that brings me a lot of joy and I look forward to hopefully pursuing this career.