Personal Statement
My name is Fay Pahuja, I am 16 years old, and I am a junior for the 2021-22 academic year, graduating in the class of 2023 at Choate Rosemary Hall, a preparatory school in Wallingford, CT.
I started playing volleyball when I was 9 and this will be my 7th year on a competitive club team. I have been recognized on the JVA Class of 2023 Ankle Watch List and made the AVCA Phenom Watch list in 2020 & 2021. I started off playing OH but at the age of 10, Marion Kish, one of my most supportive volleyball coaches, gave me the opportunity to set. She encouraged me and made me fall in love with the sport and I have been a setter ever since. It was great to get back on the court this season, after almost two years of Covid, which made my past seasons inconsistent. I play on a highly competitive club team today, EVA, arguably the best team in New England with three D1 commits at top volleyball schools like BYU and Dayton. I believe I have never played at such a high level before and I continue to take my skills to the next level: my setting technique, ability to make plays, my defense, reading the ball, and my agility has been the best it has ever been.
At school, I have been consistently on the dean’s list/honor roll since my freshman year. I achieved a 3.90 GPA in my winter term, with a weighted GPA at 4.25. I am looking forward to finishing junior year strong, but also, I am looking forward to my senior year which is coming with its fair share of responsibilities. I will be leading my varsity team for the 2023 volleyball season as captain. I will be a prefect, and along with that, I will continue to manage the boys’ varsity volleyball team, as I did this year. My capstone project on “Normalizing Mental Health at Work” is now approved and I am looking forward to starting that research soon. I am also a Gold Key ambassador which gets quite busy during the fall and winter terms, gives me an opportunity to be the face for prospective students. I work closely with my coach and admissions to discuss prospective recruits and other students and planning my virtual meetings round the clock has been a lot of fun. This will be on top of my volleyball and other school club commitments. As you can tell, I like to keep very busy!
I plan to study business and psychology in college, and I want to find opportunities to take college level courses when I get a chance. While being remote during the height of covid, I used my time to do a course at NYU in the spring term in Business Organization and Management and earned a 3.67 GPA. During the summer I also took a 2-week public speaking and communication course at a summer pre-college program at Brown University, which was a fun and amazing learning experience by helping me become a stronger and more confident speaker.
In college, I am looking at one with a strong business school, majoring in behavioral sciences. As for volleyball, I want a team that plays well together and pushes me to be a better player on and off the court. I want a coach that pushes me and takes me out of my comfort zone and is open to trying new strategies to challenge both me and the team. I am open to options across the country, as long as I can see myself growing intellectually, emotionally, and as an athlete.