- 2020 Highlights
Personal Statement
Ever since I was little girl, I had a love for the water. At age 5, I begged my parents to join a summer swim team. The rest was history. Since that early age, I have always been very determined, driven, and passionate about swimming. Early on, winning came easy, but as competition grew, I had to work hard to be my absolute best in the sport. I poured my heart and soul into swimming including a nearly 100% practice attendance. I am a true believer in "you get out what you put in." Therefore I always try to show up to each practice ready to work hard and learn something new or perfect a skill I need to improve. When I go to meets and achieve personal best times, it is great to see my hard-work pay off. Of course, there are meets when the times do not show this hard work. Although this can be frustrating, I have been coached to learn something from every race, be it a technique I need to improve or a start or turn that needs increased speed or better timing. Due to my passion and ability to connect with other swimmers, my coaches asked me to be a junior coach. This "job" illustrates my leadership potential and ability to work with others. I love it and find it so rewarding.
As I explore college programs, it is critical I find a program that fits my objectives both athletically and academically. Academics are very important to me and will play a major factor in my decision. I believe I have the work-ethic, determination, and leadership to compete for a high level college team and still do well in school. An example of my perseverance and persistence occurred last year. In March 2019, I had what we thought was a mild case of the stomach flu. However, it triggered a GI issue that took about 4 months with severe pain and 15 pounds weight loss to finally get a diagnosis (SIBO). I battled through practices despite terrible pain and tried to stay strong despite the weight loss. Through a natural herbs and vitamins regimen along with a very strict diet, I was able to eliminate the pain and gain my weight back. Practices got easier and my times began to drop again. This taught me so much about listening to your body, the importance of diet, and how we should never take for granted our health as athletes. A year later, my SIBO is now gone, but the lessons I learned from having to get through this difficult time will always remain with me.
