- 2014 Highlights
Personal Statement
I am who I am today because of my parents. They have guided me through every right direction molding my beliefs and principles along the way. I have always had the luxury of being surrounded by great people and supporters apart from my family and to them I owe a big part of my success. Being a Miami native, my parents thought it was essential for me to learn how to swim at an early age as there are always pools, canals, beaches, etc., in every corner of South Florida. My parents enrolled me in swimming classes at the age of seven. I quickly befriended a group of fellow swimmers that I trained with and the fact that I had fun doing it, kept me motivated to keep going. To this day, they are my closest friends and have supported me through everything even after they quit swimming. This made me realize that I am very disciplined and dedicated as well as how I learned to manage my time between swimming and school. For the most part, I have always excelled in school and have strived for graduating in the top 5% in my class. As for college, I want to earn a minimum of a master’s degree in sports medicine in order to help other athletes achieve their goals. Several obstacles that I have had to overcome came during the time that my friends quit swimming. Although they never encouraged me to quit, I felt peer pressure that I had to stop swimming as well. I came extremely close to quitting, but the fact that I enjoyed what I did and how far I had already come, having invested so much time, work and tears made me realize I wasn’t ready to throw it all to waste. I pushed through those long and hard days of practice and the reward at the end was beyond satisfying. Due to my Hispanic background, I am bilingual and fluent in both English and Spanish. With the support and guidance that my parents have provided me with, I have developed an unselfish personality, always taking into consideration the opinions of my teammates and those around me.
