- 2021 Spotlight
Personal Statement
When I was a young girl, I dreamed of turning the world into a better place, especially my home, Colombia. My classmates always thought I was some sort of genius and even joked that I would become the world’s first president, find the cure for cancer and HIV, give Reggaeton concerts, and much more. The idea that my classmates believed I could have such an impact in the world inspired me to chase for a difference. But my dreams grew gloomy, and I realized all those achievements required much more effort than just saying it. Still very deep inside me, a spark of hope remained alive.
As time passed, I focused on other activities and forgot about my aspirations. I started playing tennis every evening at the Colombian Tennis Federation and started competing at the national level. Every time I hit the ball, passion filled me like lightning. The feeling was both invigorating and serene and even served me as a means of catharsis. In the blink of an eye, tennis became my world. I gained several tools and lessons for life. I understood that strength might take me far but wisdom, respect, and humility can make me unrelenting. I learned from others and it taught me to grow as a person and become the best version of myself that I can be.
Five months ago, my left wrist started hurting, and the doctor told me he had to immobilize my arm to prevent dreadful consequences. In just one minute, everything fell apart. I became exasperated, despondent, and I closed myself to others. But it gave me time to reflect, and it opened a door for setting sail into an introspective journey.
Tennis, despite being believed to be a “high class” pastime, was my first step out of the bubble I used to live in. I noticed others didn’t have the same opportunities I did. Namely, I didn’t know that the reality most people live in is a true struggle. I thought their suffering was a stereotype and exaggerated. Tennis allowed me to bond with people from all kinds of sociocultural backgrounds. My friendship with caddies, other players and even the coaches from different contexts helped me diminish the social and economic gap, which may have hindered and divided us off the court.
I realized that outside the court, the real world was even dimmer than it seemed to be. I was blinded by an insignificant cast. Instead, people were imprisoned with the chains of inequity, poverty and social disparities, as their dreams and goals vanished in the midst of chaos. In a way, my wrist was to me what social issues were to those whom I shared home with; we were both constrained and couldn’t accomplish our full potential. I wanted to fight for others’ issues as my own, to make a change.
I could see again. I remembered my dream. The lens through which I perceived the world changed and my behavior with it. I aimed to spread happiness and hope even with the smallest acts of kindness. I smiled at anyone who crossed my path, greeted and I even fought for myself and other women against male chauvinism and bigotry. I wanted to combat segregation and indifference, walking in the shoes of every person, no matter the size or the color. I wanted to challenge the socio-cultural norms and injustices I had been experiencing in Bogotá. I wanted to set our differences aside and heal the wounds that polarization had brought, cultivating the love for our multicultural landscape.
Today, I still aim to leave this world better than I found it. My impact might be minor, but with the tools I’ll get from college I hope to expand my abilities as an agent of change. Tennis opened my eyes to reality, and I hope to keep them wide open while I help others to see.
