1. “Relentless Pursuit.” These two words are printed on the sleeve of my volleyball uniform and cause me to reflect each time I play. Individually, each word instills a sense of passion, but together they describe an unyielding sense of determination that guides my spirit. As an athlete, I am constantly in pursuit. I always believe we can win, even at match point, when the odds are not in our favor. Off the court, I continue my pursuit through perseverance, grit, and hard work in the classroom. It takes me longer to process information, and I am not the best test-taker, but that has never stopped me from challenging myself, taking higher-level courses, and finding ways to excel in them. In service to my community, I use my spirit to inspire others. I share my passion for sports by serving as a coach for the Men’s Volleyball Teams at my school, and my desire to pursue a health-related career led me to volunteer at Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital. Through my work there, I realized I possess the authenticity, compassion, empathy, and love for health and fitness that an occupational therapist should have and could serve others in their “Relentless Pursuit” towards recovery. 2. No matter our background, we all have struggled, and empathy, to me, means being able to relate to others who are struggling, letting them know they are not alone, and connecting with them through compassion and understanding. I plan to become an occupational therapist and volunteer at Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital. Through my work there, I have found that empathy enables healthcare providers to relate to their patients, creating trust and allowing for improved reception of healthcare delivery. In the rehabilitation setting, each individual overcoming an illness or injury faces similar yet distinct challenges, and empathy enables therapists working alongside them to better connect and understand how each patient's respective goals hold specific meaning and purpose in their lives. From the desire to perform daily tasks they once took for granted, to the chance to return to work or compete in sports again, each individual has their own set of goals they would like to achieve. By fully understanding those goals, and with the knowledge of how resilient the human body can be, occupational therapists serve as a glimmer of hope at a time when their patients may feel like they are starting over and rebuilding their lives. I began exploring career options during my sophomore year of high school, and that Fall, while I was traveling for a volleyball tournament, I met a gentleman staying at our hotel who was in a wheelchair. He was missing both of his legs and was one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. He was able to spin around in his manual wheelchair much faster than I could walk, and was jovial and friendly towards the staff, but the most impressive thing I saw him do was hoist himself up into his jacked-up pickup truck. Once he was in the truck, he used a pulley system to lift and load his wheelchair into the bed of his truck. He did this swiftly and gracefully, then drove away using hand controls. Over the weekend, I kept seeing him around the hotel and told him how impressed I was by how he had adapted his truck. I learned he was injured in his twenties and was driving the truck because he was there competing in an adaptive rowing tournament. I have always had an interest in the Paralympics and adaptive sports, but I had never met someone actually participating in them. It amazed me that, despite his injury, he was happy and living a more active lifestyle than most healthy, uninjured people I know. I realized then that I wanted to help people who faced similar injuries be active again, and through my work as a volunteer at Carolinas Rehabilitation, I made the connection that I could accomplish that by becoming an occupational therapist. My empathy and unyielding spirit help ensure I connect with and serve to inspire my patients, helping them not only to return to their former lives, but thrive and see possibilities where they once saw limits.