Giavana Smith '21 Recruiting Profile

While playing sports, I believe my mental fortitude is tested at every practice, which has helped me grow as an athlete but also defines my character I put out into the world. I was a gymnast for over ten years before switching to diving when I was in the eighth grade. From a very young age, I have learned the importance of having a team who will support you through the process of getting new skills, even in individual sports. Also, I understand that you have to have patience to see results in certain dives, which also has helped me to have more patience with the people around me. In my sophomore year of diving, I missed making it to States by only a few points. Even though this was somewhat disappointing, I ended up appreciating the process of qualifying for States during my Junior year even more than I could have imagined. I had to overcome mental blocks, find motivation, and increase my degree of difficulty to ultimately accomplish my goals.

Not only have I pushed myself in athletics, but I have taken extra science and math courses while attending High School! My interest in math and science is an outgrowth of Science Fairs I competed in during Middle School. One of these was a Wind Turbine Competition where my team traveled to Anaheim, California and finished in the top ten nationally. Collaboration was encouraged at this fair and we ended up working with a team from Oklahoma to improve on our designs.

I believe I have the tools it takes and the drive to push myself to continually get better on the College level. I have a passion for the sport on my own but appreciate working with others for the betterment of the team!