I originally started playing softball the summer before my third-grade year. Part of the reason I started playing softball was that all my friends were and it sounded like fun, but the main reason was my mom. She was the one that pushed me to practice and helped me catch up to all the other kids since they have been playing for multiple years already. The first year I started playing I was extremely nervous, but all summer long my mom and dad would take me to the diamond and help me practice as much as we could. I am so grateful that I had parents willing to do that because softball has not just been a hobby it has also helped me grow as a person. Playing softball over the years has thought me how to work hard and persevere. My parents always told me growing up "If you're going to do something do it 100%". This stuck with me throughout my career because I was always the girl on the team who would put in the extra work after or before practice or games so I can be the best I can be. However, most of all I have learned to be mentally tuff. This has and will continue to help me in all aspects of life. One thing outside of softball that has helped me grow mentally was watching my mom fight her disease. When I was around 5 years old my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Watching her fight this disease for the last 10 years has inspired me and showed me anything can be done. Sadly she passed this past year and it put huge stress on my life. It was hard for me to pick myself back up and be able to continue in sports and keep up my school work, but I had an amazing support system and have persevered. Going through this has helped me prove to myself if I can get through this I can get through anything else in my life on or off the field. Continuing into the rest of my high school career and entering college I hope to find something I am passionate about to turn into a career. Academically I hope to graduate high school with high honor roll grades and be able to take all the college classes I can so I am able to start whatever career I choose as soon as possible. For college, I hope to graduate as a student-athlete with honorable grades and with relations that will last a lifetime.
