Growing up led me to make important decisions. From making new friends to playing sports and choosing classes to engage in, it shaped who I am today. I plan to be a teacher in education in the future. Supporting others and putting a smile on someone's face is my happiness. When I was younger, I would always play pretend teacher with my cousins and neighbors. Eventually, I loved being able to teach them things that I learned in school since they were much younger than me. Growing up led me to show interest in many activities, one being volleyball. Throughout these four years of high school, I was determined to earn a spot on the volleyball team. Volleyball has impacted my life both mentally and physically. It is crazy to think one sport can create teamwork, confidence, and encouragement. My freshman year started off with a group of friends that did not put me in a good mental environment. Eventually, I knew I needed to move on and meet people who cared for who I was and not who I was supposed to be. I wanted to become more involved with school activities, such as volleyball. Tryout day came and I had no experience with this sport. Unfortunately, I was cut from the team both my freshman and sophomore years of high school. Being cut from the team put me in a position where I knew I had to work harder. Then, I fell in love with the sport and continued to go to open gyms, take lessons, join a local travel team and even go to summer lifting everyday. I made new friends that supported my growth. I took time out of my summer to put work into a sport I knew I liked. After noticing progression in my skills, I felt more and more confident everyday. It came to junior year of tryouts and I got close with everyone on the team, which made me feel more comfortable. After tryouts, I made Junior Varsity and got to dress Varsity throughout the season. Senior year, I made varsity and those same friends that encouraged me and never gave up on me from the beginning. They stood right by me when I got accepted. I felt so special by the way they reacted and cared for my outcome. Volleyball put me in a position where I met new friends who actually supported me every step of the way and pushed me to my limits to become more confident in myself. Therefore, if I had not decided to join volleyball and keep working to put myself at a level I had not seen before, I would have not met the people I am friends with today. This one sport made me realize that if I did not try out and did give up, I would have ended up in a situation where I would be associated with a group of people that did not support me. Volleyball showed me that I will not get handed things but I work for them. This created a spark in my confidence and encouraged me to become a better version of myself physically and mentally. Being able to pursue teaching and encourage other people to their limits is a priority of mine. I plan to prepare myself to help others take the steps I took to become where I am today.

Growing up led me to make important decisions. From making new friends to playing sports and choosing classes to engage in, it shaped who I am today. I plan to be a teacher in education in the future. Supporting others and putting a smile on someone's face is my happiness. When I was younger, I would always play pretend teacher with my cousins and neighbors. Eventually, I loved being able to teach them things that I learned in school since they were much younger than me. Growing up led me to show interest in many activities, one being volleyball. Throughout these four years of high school, I was determined to earn a spot on the volleyball team. Volleyball has impacted my life both mentally and physically. It is crazy to think one sport can create teamwork, confidence, and encouragement. My freshman year started off with a group of friends that did not put me in a good mental environment. Eventually, I knew I needed to move on and meet people who cared for who I was and not who I was supposed to be. I wanted to become more involved with school activities, such as volleyball. Tryout day came and I had no experience with this sport. Unfortunately, I was cut from the team both my freshman and sophomore years of high school. Being cut from the team put me in a position where I knew I had to work harder. Then, I fell in love with the sport and continued to go to open gyms, take lessons, join a local travel team and even go to summer lifting everyday. I made new friends that supported my growth. I took time out of my summer to put work into a sport I knew I liked. After noticing progression in my skills, I felt more and more confident everyday. It came to junior year of tryouts and I got close with everyone on the team, which made me feel more comfortable. After tryouts, I made Junior Varsity and got to dress Varsity throughout the season. Senior year, I made varsity and those same friends that encouraged me and never gave up on me from the beginning. They stood right by me when I got accepted. I felt so special by the way they reacted and cared for my outcome. Volleyball put me in a position where I met new friends who actually supported me every step of the way and pushed me to my limits to become more confident in myself. Therefore, if I had not decided to join volleyball and keep working to put myself at a level I had not seen before, I would have not met the people I am friends with today. This one sport made me realize that if I did not try out and did give up, I would have ended up in a situation where I would be associated with a group of people that did not support me. Volleyball showed me that I will not get handed things but I work for them. This created a spark in my confidence and encouraged me to become a better version of myself physically and mentally. Being able to pursue teaching and encourage other people to their limits is a priority of mine. I plan to prepare myself to help others take the steps I took to become where I am today.