It may sound cliche and corny, it may be something you've heard a million times, But something that I love about myself is how I never give up. physically, I've always been put in hard positions and to this day still do. I have won games and matches that other people and myself didn't even think were possible. I have made it through seasons of sports even after crying to my dad that I couldn't do it anymore. I can tell stories on top of stories where I've been hurt in games and got right back up so I could help my team or when I was losing a match and stuck it out to the very end. I love that I never give up because In moments like those, I learned to just push myself. I am now more capable of pushing myself and going past my limits to a point where it became successful and I've even had some of my greatest moments already. Another thing is that I never give up on other people. whether it's a teammate, my family, a friend, or a loved one. I am seen as someone who gives multiple chances and doesn't give up on people mentally, but I am also seen as someone who will do anything for others regardless of what it puts me through. People themselves will even mention how determined I am with everything I do. I love that I never give up because it has led me to great success and is only going to lead me to more, It teaches me more about myself, and it helps make my relationships with people stronger and more meaningful.

I've been wrestling since I was in 6th grade and In one week I am about to start my senior season. My favorite memory within those 5 years has to be my junior year where I watched girls wrestling grow and develop, especially while I was in Colorado's first-ever girls wrestling state tournament. When I started wrestling I was the only girl on the team and wrestled mainly boys. Going into my freshman year I was again, the only girl on the team and even became the boy's varsity 106 pounder. I didn't wrestle many girls that season, but later on that year they held the first-ever annual girl's regional tournament and first-ever girl's state tournament. There was only a handful of wrestlers in the room. Girls wrestling wasn't sanctioned yet, nor was it held my CHSAA. People including some coaches even said that going to state didn't count. At the time I didn't get any recognition and neither did the sport itself because of that. It was the same thing that upcoming year but this time, there were a little more girls mixed in. Junior year came, and I got the news that girls wrestling will finally be its own sport. It was a whole new season for me. I was on a girl's team for a school in my district and other schools finally had girl teams of their own as well. I was with a team where we learned moves that were beneficial to us and we were able to have our own style of wrestling now. We had girl tournaments every weekend, where there were enough girls in all weight classes so everyone got the chance to wrestle. I even started to notice other things that year such as the rules working around us. We didn't have to wear hair nets anymore, they made it optional to wear compression gear instead of singlets and I even got to see singlets that were made strictly for girls. That whole season I experienced wrestling in a new, comfortable, and more fun way. Then state came up. The wins and standing on the podium were nice but what really made it memorable was that I got to be a part of Colorado's first-ever girl's state tournament that was finally official and held by CHSAA. What really made the moment my favorite was that I had been there in the beginning when they had a girl's state tournament that was small, not sanctioned, nor cared about and then I got to be there when it was finally something. We had the news on us, real medals, patches, more than 2 mats and a stadium rather than a gym. We had exactly what the boy teams finally had and it felt great. Other girls and I took a lot of pride in being a part of the group that helped it grow. Maybe it was just perfect timing for me, but having the chance to see what it used to be and what it is now will always be my favorite memory in girls wrestling. A bunch of female wrestlers and I went unnoticed for years, then we finally got the recognition we deserve along with the sport itself. Following the sport the whole way through its journey of developing definitely humbled me and showed me how hard work pays off. It was truly amazing to see what it has become right in front of my own eyes.

For two years I would hop in the car alone just to drive around & listen to music. In July I got Khumpa, where he joined me. We jump in the car, listen to our favorite signs, with his head out the window. We’ve done this since he was 7 weeks old & now he’s a year old. I’ve captured some of the moments together where you can see him growing up but still doing what he enjoys. The pictures aren’t that great but heres Khumpa doing something he loves, Driving around & listening to music.