Tennis has been a huge part of my life for the last five years, and I hope to advance my tennis career at the collegiate level. My 8th grade year is when I first started to take my game seriously. 8th graders have the opportunity to play on the junior varsity team for my high school, and that was the first year I became part of a tennis team. I remember playing in a high school junior varsity match and was severely losing during my 8th grade year. I really wanted to give up, but I knew my teammates were relying on me to win this so we could move on to the next round. That moment is when I felt motivated to push through my own wants and put my teammates before myself. I ended up winning the match, and all of my teammates rushed onto the court to celebrate with me. It was such a rush, and I felt great accomplishment. This feeling made me aware of the fact that I want to be apart of a team throughout high school and even further.
Faith immensely impacts my everyday life. When I'm on the court and feel selfdoubt, I rely on my faith to push through the competitive matches. I was invited to become the only youth representative of the Deacon Committee at my church, and it has taught me life lessons I never expected to gain. The elders took me in as one of their own, and they have helped shape the person I am today. Through my church, I have had numerous oppurtunities to go on mission trips and share the gospel with those less fortunate than I. These trips have greatly influenced my career aspirations. I would like to go to a school and pursure a nursing degree, and then use that to travel to mission fields and heal the sick and wounded.