In my first week of athletic training, I watched our high school’s star cornerback dislocate his elbow. In the heat of the moment, I was exuberant; we called 911, directed first responders, and watched the adult trainers splint the athlete’s arm. Initially, I was intrigued, excited that the injury was a break from the buzz of our everyday routine. After all, I’d never witnessed such an injury; I’d seen various turf burns and knocked-out teeth throughout my softball career, but never something so severe. I was enamored with the chance to truly experience the action that came with the title of “Athletic Trainer,” to see all of the skills I had learned throughout anatomy and sports medicine classes be put into practice. But after observing that injured teen standing on the sideline in the following weeks, longingly watching his teammates do what he no longer could, I realized that where I was given an opportunity, one was taken from him. I came to the conclusion that the most rewarding careers center on helping others recover from misfortune, pushing them to face adversity and grow stronger from pain. I knew I wanted to be a part of that recovery process, to provide an athlete the ability to return to doing what they love. Since that moment, I’ve dedicated 215 hours to athletic training across four different sports, and I remain hungry for more. Because of my experience in sports medicine, I began researching ways to pursue a career in the medical field. Faced with endless possibilities, it felt overwhelming at times; there were so many different paths I could take, an infinite number of ways to fulfill my need to help the athletes around me. Deciding that I wanted a future career that would both challenge me academically and allow me to continue working within the world of sports, I finally settled on orthopedics. I believe that my time as both an athlete and athletic trainer has allowed me to see both sides of a situation, to be able to physically treat any ailment while remaining empathetic for the athlete behind the injury. If there is anything I’ve learned from my time spent with and as a high school athlete, it’s that oftentimes all an individual needs is for someone to believe in and understand them. That is something that I intend to take with me into my future endeavors, where I can use my experience playing softball to connect with the athletes that I will likely work with daily, and my time as a trainer to connect with coworkers to provide the best and most innovative care possible. At the end of the day, I intend to pursue a career in orthopedics in order to help athletes like myself return to playing the sport they love at the level they have worked so hard to achieve.