Beach volleyball is the best sport in the whole world. Nothing could possibly beat it. There are no subs, and everyone is kind! I started playing beach volleyball in middle school after playing one year of indoor. Why? Because I realized I loved the sun, the sand, and being in the middle of the action all the time! So, in the summer of my eighth-grade year, I tried out at Georgia Beach Volleyball (GABeach). I instantly fell in love and knew I wanted to take it as far as I possibly could! Through my countless hours of hard work, I am excited that I will be playing beach volleyball at the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga this August! Starting beach volleyball in northeast Georgia certainly had its challenges. I spent two years playing for GABeach, but I struggled to find high-level players to compete against. I had practice twice a week, but I was in the sand every other day getting reps in with my amazing parents. I still remember spending an entire two hours with my dad trying to hit five cut shots in a row. I kept getting four in a row and missing my fifth, but like with everything else, I simply refused to quit until I hit my goal. We still look back and laugh about this sometimes. My sophomore year of high school, I switched clubs and began playing for S3 Volleyball. While this club was the best in Georgia, it was easily 1½ hours away. This meant I was leaving for school at 7:15 in the morning, going straight to practice, then getting home at 9:30 that night, multiple times a week. While this was a grind, I loved every minute of it. I continued working out, lifting weights, doing speed/agility, and above all: working on my vertical. After four years of consistent plyometric workouts, I am proud to say my standing vertical has gone from 18 inches to 28 inches! When June 15th of my junior year came around, I had high hopes. Even though I was 5'5, which is incredibly undersized for my sport, I knew I could go D1. I was not going to settle for anything less. Things started off really well, but then everything fell into chaos with the NCAA roster caps. College coaches stopped responding to me, saying they could not have a player like me due to the roster caps. I basically restarted the entire process three times. During all of this, I was able to maintain a 4.0 unweighted GPA, a 4.5 weighted GPA, and become a member of the National Honor Society as well as the Spanish National Honor Society. Finally, I went on a visit to UTC and committed in August of my senior year! Few people who go on to play D1 beach volleyball commit an entire fourteen months after June 15th. It may have been difficult, but it was entirely worth it! However, I will not be getting any athletic scholarships, and I do not qualify for in-state tuition. The average cost at UTC is $31,800. Like most families, this presents a problem for us, but I am always up for a challenge! I am working to bring the cost down to make it more affordable, and earning this scholarship would be an incredible blessing. After college graduation, I hope to stay connected to beach volleyball, ideally by coaching or continuing to compete in tournaments. At the same time, I plan to major in accounting to build versatile skills for a range of careers, including business or sports management, as opportunities arise.

My brother was born twelve weeks early. Because of this, he was in the NICU for three months. His heart stopped multiple times, and the doctors were not sure he would survive. Due to his preemie status, my parents had not bought the appropriate supplies for my brother. They did not have small enough onesies or diapers. However, many generous donors provided them with free onesies, diapers, and preemie supplies. This meant the world to my mother. The generosity of the NICU and donors has left a lasting impression on my family, and we are all very thankful for their contributions. In my junior year of high school, I received an invitation to join the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. As a part of NHS, each member is required to plan and execute a community service project. I immediately knew what I wanted to do. I got my friends together, and we planned a project that would collect donations of preemie supplies and deliver them to our local NICU. We announced our service project across our school and got a large amount of donations. We were able to collect many preemie onesies, diapers, blankets, mittens, tiny hats, and supplies to donate, and each of us personally donated to this project as well. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the NICU and provide other preemie families with the same care we received. We repeated this project again in our senior year, and I hope I am able to continue donating to NICUs during and after college. I believe I can help improve my community for generations to come. As I grow older and mature, my goal is to learn more about directing projects, and I hope to level up my community service. I would love to continue the NICU donations theme and perhaps create a more widespread platform. I would also love to help children growing up in poverty, creating a safe and clean environment for them. Through this, I want to leave a lasting impact on the communities around me. I am incredibly hardworking and committed to becoming the best version of myself possible. I set goals, and I do not quit until I have fully achieved them. Failure does not mean I should walk away; it is motivation to do better next time. I hope to become like the type of woman Sophie was: an inspiration, instilling hope and faith in everyone I can reach. That is the epitome of life. In conclusion, being a part of the National Honor Society gave me the incredible opportunity to work for community service hours and create service projects. Collecting donations for the NICU meant so much to me because I was directly giving back to those who had helped my family so deeply. I hope to carry this with me throughout my lifetime, inspiring and empowering those around me to be the best versions of themselves. Simply going through the motions will not be enough. I want to create a lasting change.