- June 2015
Personal Statement
In the summer preceding ninth grade, I was a four star recruit. Nevertheless, my parents decided that the rating couldn’t compare to an experience abroad. In the fall of 2012, my sister and I began training and studying at the Academy Sanchez-Casal which is located in Barcelona, Spain. While living there for the past three years, I have had the chance not only to compete against high level players, but also experience a new culture. This, however, is not limited to the Spanish culture.
I have been able to travel around the world to many other countries in order to play ITF tournaments. This gave me the opportunity to embrace different foods, traditions, and languages, as well as play the sport I love.
This past March, I traveled to Qatar to compete in a Grade 5 ITF in which I reached the finals by beating an Egyptian girl, Hana Mortagy. This particular girl has a WTA career high singles ranking of 1203 and a WTA career high doubles ranking of 1138.
Afterwards, I went to a Grade 3 in Argentina where I reached the semifinals. Because comparing the ITF ranking system to the American system may be challenging, the following information will allow you to get a glimpse of how I would match up against top American players. To begin, the number two seed at this tournament, Agostina Zamprogno, had beaten two Blue Chips, Andrea Kevakian and Madison Bourguigon, as well as a five star, Alexa Bortles. Though I didn't play her because she lost in an earlier round, I did play her opponent and beat her 6-2, 6-1. On my way to the semifinals, I beat a girl named Florencia Rossi 6-3, 7-5. She has a high ITF ranking and also beat a Blue Chip, Jenna Friedel. In May, I reached the semifinals of a Grade 4 in Estonia, and just this past July, I won a Grade 5 ITF and was the finalist of a Grade 4 in Greece. Now, my ITF ranking is 301.
Although tennis is the main purpose of these travels, I can’t say that going to these places didn’t change the way I viewed the world and people. Living and going overseas to new environments with different cultures and languages taught me to be adaptable and receptive to change. Most importantly, though, it helped me to better understand different backgrounds, people, and the world as a whole. With these additional life skills I feel confident in saying I will have a positive impact both on the court and in the classroom.
