It was 3rd grade and I knew the batting averages of my favorite baseball players like I knew my ABCs. On base percentage? Check. RBI with runners in scoring position? You bet. I played enthusiastically, the only girl on my little league baseball team for years. For one glorious summer I was the bat kid for the local Triple A team, an petite insider fetching bats abandoned on the field after a hit. I loved it all. In middle school I stayed small while my team mates grew bigger, stronger arms with unwieldy aim, faster. After a couple of searing balls to the face I realized it was time to take a break until I could catch up. The pandemic came and went and I tried other sports: basketball, tennis. In 10th grade, I joined the girls softball team. I was a little rusty but my love for baseball was still present, having gone to as many Tigers, Dodgers, and Mariners games as I could manage in the interim. My nerves intact, I went to bat and hit a line drive right to the first baseman. It didn't matter: I found where I belonged. For the next three years I was part of a team I loved, eventually becoming Co-Captain and mentor to the younger players. The practices could be tough but the games, for which I also dee-jayed with walk up music and warm up dance parties, were exciting, fun, wins or losses, we were in it together. As a team we won an award for three years for the best collective GPs of a high school softball team in the district. The balance wasn't always easy to maintain but it was worth the hard work. Now I'm a business major at the University of Washington: on my path to growing up. While I am not playing college softball, I am still in love with sports and have found a path that excites me: sports management! I can work for sports teams in marketing, management and front office roles that combine my enthusiasm (and just a smidge of bossiness) with a love of competition, all while advocating for women in sports. I hope to intern for city's NWSL women's soccer team or a newly founded in 2026 women's hockey team, with the end goal being a degree in business and sports management and a growing career with a pro team. From that one tiny but fearless girl on the boys baseball teams, to the dancing shortstop on my high school softball team, to the now sometimes stressed but determined college student, I have found not only a way to be myself but my north star in life. I can't wait to dip my toes in the water, learn, grow, knowing that in the future I may be the one working with my beloved teams, and in a position to provide opportunities for others to build the tent of women in professional sports and in leadership roles. From T-ball to softball to college business/sports management major, my passion has become clear and my adventure is just getting started.

A book adaptation is often a hit or miss. Characters get changed and plots get added in ways that either luckily enrich the story or infuriate the masses. My favorite adaptation might be slightly cliche, but it’s popular for a reason. The Harry Potter series was such an integral part of my adolescence, and my personal favorite book-to-film adaptation is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. While all the Harry Potter movies are high above other adaptations in terms of quality (looking at you, Twilight!), none of the prequels and sequels compare to Prisoner of Azkaban. This is the third entry in the Harry Potter series, and a more mature departure from its predecessors. The book was incredible, as they all were, but it didn’t boldly stand out from the others, whereas the movie is unforgettable. Director Christopher Columbus was replaced by Alfonso Cuaron for the third installation, and that shake-up led to a different visual style and innovative adaptation of the book. Scenes such as Harry riding Buckbeak for the first time and the showdown in the Shrieking Shack came to life in a way better than I could have possibly envisioned them while reading the book. The casting choices for newcomers like Lupin and Sirius were perfect, and the young actors were departing from generic child-actor line readings and put on genuinely good performances. One reason this adaptation was so successful was how it perfectly captured the elements of the book and elevated them into a captivating film. The film faithfully follows the book, from Aunt Marge’s explosion and the Knight Bus to the impeccable depiction of teenage awkwardness portrayed by the main cast. By this movie, we are well-versed in the Wizarding World, which allows for more personal dives into the characters without having to establish all the magical aspects beforehand. The characters go through intrinsic arcs and their entertaining and unique personalities start to shine through, and Cuaron captured this flawlessly. As far as the franchise goes, this movie is a warm hug for me (and that’s not just the coziness of Hogsmeade). All of the original eight movies are incredible in different ways, but this one is perfect to me. It doesn’t leave out any necessary plot lines (such as the Quidditch World Cup in Goblet of Fire), and the chemistry between the actors is palpable. The director stays faithful to the source material, truly understands it, yet creates a unique visual journey for viewers and fans. Whenever I rewatch the Harry Potter movies, this it the one that that enthralls me the most. It takes a director who both respects the source material and who is supremely comfortable with their own vision to create such a magical adaptation; an excellent example for anyone in a creative profession.

A big part of my identity is being a student-athlete. I've been an avid baseball fan since I was young. For years I played baseball for the Boys & Girls Club, despite being the only girl in the league. In middle school, I tried my hand at basketball and track & field. At Sehome High School, I’ve played three seasons of slowpitch softball and three seasons of tennis, and I’m very excited to pick up the bat one last time for a senior fastpitch season. My favorite of all has been softball. My team feels like a family. Together, we’ve experienced the highs of exhilarating district runs and the lows of crushing losses. As a team, we won the WIAA Academic Achievement Award for three consecutive years for having the highest collective GPA in our division. For the past two seasons, I have been a Co-Captain of the team which has been an honor. I’m proud of what our team has accomplished. In recent years, I’ve found myself growing into a leadership position, where I mentor my younger teammates. I love using my sense of humor to make our team as fun as possible, and after rough losses, I’ve learned to set aside my own conflicted emotions and prioritize the comfort and encouragement of my team. The memories of RBI doubles and walk-off triple plays are proud moments, but the most satisfying part to me is the human connection that we’ve made on and off the field. In the process, I've learned to find my voice, hone my leadership skills, and to enjoy building new relationships. We come from different backgrounds and levels of experience, but as a team we share a common drive to compete. Looking for common ground is a quality that will serve me throughout my life. In addition to sports, I’m an active member of my community. I’m a passionate Sehome Mariners fan, and you’ll find me at football and basketball games decked out in my green and gold and cheering wildly. I’m also a member of Sehome’s branch of Link Crew, the Mariner Mentors. As mentors, we guide incoming freshmen through interactive lessons and bonding activities. It’s rewarding to know I’m helping set these kids down the right path and that I’m someone they can look to for help. I’m also a Key Club and National Honor Society member. Serving my community through volunteer work is an amazing feeling, whether it’s getting dirty in habitat restoration, aiding the Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome Awareness Festival, or helping run my school’s annual blood drive through NHS. Knowing that I can make a difference and improve people’s lives just a little bit is tremendously gratifying. When I was younger, being an athlete meant being hyper-competitive, winning, or feeling disgruntled when we lost. As I've gotten older, my competitive spirit is very much alive but I have achieved a much more satisfying balance. Every athlete and team has good days and bad days. Learning to recalibrate after those bad days - and finding comfort in my teammates or just enjoying the ability to play -- has allowed me to become a stronger athlete, a better friend, and a happier person. That's the character I would like to represent as an athlete: someone who has a passion for athletics but strives to become an encouraging team mate and a leader in my community.

If some sort of melty flesh monster was terrorizing my town, I’d probably be in trouble. My inability to stay quiet and lack of coordination makes me monster bait, but if I team up with the right people, I have a much higher chance of staying alive and fighting the creature. The question is, who’s on my team? The first answer is obvious to me: Nancy Wheeler. She’s the most responsible and level-headed out of any of the characters, can plan a monster hunt like nobody else, and is an expert with firearms. First, Nancy's quick-thinking and high intelligence means she can build intricate traps in the Byers' house for a Demogorgon fight. Secondly, her accuracy and gritty determination have proven that she can hit long-range targets with a sawed-off shotgun. Not only would I feel safe with whatever plan she chooses, but I would also have an expert monster hunter by my side. With Nancy, her unrivaled skills and courage vastly outweigh her size and stature. Secondly, I would work with Max Mayfield. Not only does Max have a deeper connection to the Upside Down after her encounters with Vecna (so she can act as a double agent), but she’s scrappy and determined, two traits that can be very advantageous in a fight for your life. Although her outlook is often pessimistic, it’s also realistic, so we’d know what we’re up against. That's somebody willing to be truthful, which I respect. Her ethics, loyalty, and scrappy perseverance go a long way and would make her an excellent person to have on your squad. Lastly, I’d choose Jim Hopper. Hopper is a military veteran, a cop, and a father figure. He cheats death and sacrifices himself to protect others. Having an adult on my side would be very helpful, especially one of his size. His gruff demeanor is no match for his fierce loyalty, and that loyalty is the penultimate reason to succeed. While the stakes would be dangerously high and the outcome unknown, I am certain that fighting alongside these three rational, tough characters would give me a good chance against any interdimensional monster that comes my way and I would be honored to have them in my squad.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, it would have to be Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. So many readers could gain an understanding of politics and dangerously overreaching power. America is at a tense, partisan moment in history, and in many places in the South, you will find people banning and burning books because they may give a child the idea that the real world exists. Such a dystopian novel shouldn’t be relevant, but somehow in our country, at this moment, it is. Reading did so much for me as a kid, it taught me almost everything I know and made me want to learn more, and to have that opportunity taken away from a child out of irrational fear from parents could stifle a generation of curious kids, instead leaving them replaced by monotonous individuals echoing bigoted and half-formed beliefs. I’ve seen lists of banned books in states like Florida and Texas, and it’s absurd. A book will be taken out of the library just because it has an inkling of diversity or something that could instill empathy in a child. It’s a twisted kind of wrong, and if people could just read Bradbury’s work, they’d wake up and realize that we are heading towards his fictional creation that was once brushed off as extreme and dystopian, because taking away a child’s right to learn freely is extreme and dystopian. So, I recommend this one book, in order to save all of the others.

As I sit, the sorting hat atop my head, I realize I’m going to be a bit of a challenge. Not only am I fixated on the beautiful food lining the tables, but I’m going to give this hat some trouble. Throughout my life, my answer to this question has fluctuated. Belonging can be complex. How can a person's attributes and personality fit into one of four categories without seeping into some of the other ones? No matter my answer, it’s not an overwhelming majority. Am I a Hufflepuff? I have found myself wondering this more and more as I’ve gotten older. Hufflepuffs are loyal and enjoy having fun. I see both of those traits reflected in my personality. I will protect the people I love at any cost and I love to make people laugh. But something is missing: Hufflepuffs seem too passive, too happy-go-lucky. It’s just not the right fit. How about the Ravenclaws? I’m curious, studious and have a love for trivia. I can memorize useful (and useless) facts, and I’m fascinated by just about everything. However, it’s not fully where I belong. I don’t have the stern, calm demeanor of a Ravenclaw and while I hope to be a wisened intellectual one day, I'm still a work in progress with a penchant for fun, When I was younger, I always answered Slytherin (probably because it sounded cool). Slytherins have a bad reputation but they are also ambitious and have sharp wit. I have many goals for myself, dreams both big and small in scale. I’m a witty person. But I don’t have the cold personality to fit in. And I'm pretty ethical and compassionate when it comes down to it. The obvious remaining answer? Gryffindor. Like a melting pot of houses, the house built by Godric Gryffindor blends a multitude of qualities. The loyalty of a Hufflepuff, the critical thinking of a Ravenclaw and the shrewdness of a Slytherin all come together, mixing with an individual bravery and a passion for life. This is where I belong. I would fit in right alongside Ron and Hermione, much more so than I would Luna or Draco. In this house, I’m not confined to any one stereotype and can freely demonstrate the various qualities I am known for. I’d constantly push myself out of my comfort zone by trying out for Quidditch or exploring the Forbidden Forest in the night. I’d fight with my school against the Death Eaters, because even if it doesn’t go well, I’m always going to try to do the right thing. Serious attempts at bravery aside, what I would truly value is the camaraderie of my fellow Gryffindors: sharing the spirit of adventure with steadfast friends. In any other house, I’d find aspects of myself being seen, but not the whole picture. I’d always be the odd one out. But in Gryffindor, I’d feel truly at home. So, when the infamous old sorting hat vociferously shrieks my destination in front of my peers, I’ll be ready and willing to adorn the red and gold of Gryffindor and begin the journey ahead.