Personal Statement
I was born and raised in the Republic of Cyprus, a small island state situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. I attend high-school at the English School of Nicosia, a private school that teaches all its classes in English, follows the British educational system (seven years of high school instead of six) and prepares its students to take the British exams for University entry (IGCSE and GSE exams). As a result I will graduate in June 2020 and I am planning to begin my University studies in the USA in the Fall Semester of the same year.
I started playing volleyball at the age of 10 at the volleyball academy of “Anorthosis”, one of the leading volleyball clubs of Cyprus. Up to that age, I did gymnastics and ballet. At 12 years old I was a member of the U14 team of “Anorthosis”, playing in the starting line-up as a middle hitter. We finished in the 1st place of the National U14 Championship. The feeling of winning my first title with a team was what truly made me fall in love with the sport. At the age of 13 I started training with the U18 team and I played, as a starting line up player, for the U18, U16 and U14 teams. That year we won the U14 and U16 National Championship and won 2nd place in the U18 National Championship. Participating in three championships in a year, taught me that I had to sacrifice many things and become disciplined and efficient in order to keep up with both my athletic and academic schedule.
In September 2016, at the age of 14, I was selected to play for the Women’s team and made the starting line-up. Division 1 Women’s teams in Cyprus can have 3 foreign players, some of whom played in the NCAA or for their National teams. Playing with and against such players helped me develop tremendously my volleyball skills and understanding of the game. It also helped me build up my character and level of maturity, as I had to work and cooperate with women double my age and in different phases of their lives. We were finalists in the Division I National Cup (a national knock-out format competition) and reached the Final-Four of the Division I National Championship. During this season I was also a key player of the U18 team, with which we won the U18 Division I National Championship.
The great season I had with Anorthosis, resulted in me being called to the National Women’s team trials. I managed to make the team and in June 2017 I participated in my first International Tournament, the 2017 CEV European Championship Small Countries Division, in Luxembourg. I played as a starting middle hitter for our National Team. Cyprus finished in the 3rd place and I was the Tournament’s best blocker with 15 kill blocks, despite being the youngest player there. Representing my country was a huge honour and an amazing experience.
Volleyball plays a huge role in my life and I plan to continue playing while pursuing my University studies. Being a part of a team showed me that the closest you can have to a family are team-mates. Having experienced both amazing moments with them, such as winning National Championships, as well as horrible moments such as losing the title by two points, I learned that each individual player has a strong impact upon the whole. I look forward to being part of a team and working together with talented young women and inspiring coaches who can help me grow as a player and as a person.
