I first started to play basketball in 4th grade, I was new to the sport and did not have much knowledge about it. Most of the first year I played when I was put into a game I was very anxious and nervous about making a mistake, worried about what my teammates would say. I was determined even at my young age that I wanted to play basketball in college. I knew I had to practice extra time on my own in addition to our teams regular practices to work on the fundamentals. Over the years all of the extra time and effort I put in daily to master the skills needed have made me the player I am now. As I continue my journey through high school I keep practicing and putting in the extra time to keep growing as an athlete. I’m not done learning and am looking forward to the future, with my goal of playing at the collegiate level. I am now working with youth teaching them how to play basketball which has been an awarding experience. With the motivation I had at a young age it has taught me to continue to push each and every day to work that much harder on and off the court to achieve my goals.