Mila Burkart '25 Recruiting Profile

I realize that by looking at my UTR alone, you may wonder why I want to play tennis in college. I am a late start to playing tennis and did not begin playing in a high-performance program until I was 14 years old.
When I was 13 years old, I started in an after-school tennis club and realized I had a passion for playing tennis. I wanted to play in the club's high-performance program and started practicing one-on-one with my coach at 6am in addition to the after-school program.
I worked incredibly hard with my coach and six months later, I was able to join the high-performance program. Since then, I have continued with the high-performance program, practicing 25-30 hours a week and playing tournaments (local and sectional).
In my sophomore year of high school, I changed my schedule to the athletic schedule (no breaks or lunch, all classes are stacked back-to-back) to provide more one-on-one time with my coach. 
This summer, in addition to the high-performance program and playing tournaments, I am attending two college expos and am participating in a tennis program designed for developing the mental aspect of the game.
When I start my junior year in August, I plan to maintain this schedule for the Fall semester of my junior year and then play high school tennis for the Spring semester. I am looking forward to being part of a high school team.
Academically, I have a 4.0 GPA and have taken advanced math and science classes. For my junior year, I am also adding in advanced English and advanced social sciences courses. 
Although I still have far to go in my improvement as a tennis player, I have experienced exponential growth since I have started in a high-performance program. My coach told me when I started that tennis is a game of loss. During this journey, I have experienced a lot of losses but through those losses, I have developed grit, resiliency and mental toughness. I love this sport and will continue to work incredibly hard to get to the highest level I can.