Mykalee Chambers '16 Recruiting Profile

Mykalee Chambers

The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?

I remember the first day I played a real game of Volleyball. It was atrocious. The ball flew in every direction, and nothing I did could control it. It was the first day of preseason practice for the Volleyball team at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx. Volleyball was not my sport; I was a Basketball player. My Basketball coach had suggested that I attempt Volleyball to improve my jumping, and so there I was, surrounded by more experienced players but determined to make the team. For weeks I showed up every day, and little by little I showed some growth in my hitting, bumping, and serving. I had made it through every week of cuts, and was convinced I had earned a place on the team. The day finally came for team tryouts, and I knew I was ready. I gave it everything I had. When the list was posted, however, my name wasn’t there. For a moment I had thought there must have been a mistake.

I was confused because out of 15 spots, the coach had chosen the 14 of the other girls who had made it through pre-season, but not me. Some girl I had never seen before, who came only for tryouts, had made the team. I was upset--I had been there every day in that hot gym for pre-season and she had not. I worked hard like the 14 other girls who made the team; I deserved that spot. As tough as I usually am, I cried out of frustration. I had just lost out on the opportunity to play a sport I had just started to love. It was the first time I had experienced what it meant to truly fail. To put my heart into something, and not get anything in return.

The following August, I went to pre-season again. It was hard, harder than I had remembered it being, but I was determined to make it this time. Then, the day before tryouts, I found out I was transferring to KAPPA International High School. I tried out for their Volleyball team, made it, and became a starter. I felt a lot of pressure because I was tall for a sophomore but still learning the sport. My teammates were there for me during the good times and the bad, and they helped me grow in my skills.

After my first season was over, I tried out for an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Volleyball team named Legacy. Despite tough competition, at Legacy I made the 15-year-old Premiere team which was the highest of the three levels for my age group. Since I started Legacy, I have gotten so much better. In November 2014, I made the 16-year-old Premiere team. My experience at Legacy has encouraged me to try harder to be prepared for college Volleyball. I want to be able to play the sport that I love next year. I took a step towards that goal in June 2015, when I was nominated by my high school coach to try out for the PSAL International Girls Volleyball Team, making the team of 14 out of 52 girls who tried out, and traveling to Finland last summer to compete against a Finnish team.

Even though the I did not make the Volleyball team the first time I tried out, I did not give up. I have learned from my failure. I tried out for other teams to looked to improve my skills. I learned that if I want an opportunity to succeed anywhere, I have to work for it. Nothing in life will be given to me unless I work hard for what I want. In the future, I know not give up on the first time I fail. That I should always keep trying, keep working my hardest and my best, until I get it done right.