Shannon Meisberger '17 Recruiting Profile

When I was younger I was always that kid, the skinny one, the small one, the one that never got picked. I was always last, whether it was the B-team in soccer or kickball in gym. I was always the awkward one who hadn't yet grown into her long, skinny limbs. After years of ridicule and a hardened belief that I would never be able to compete with other girls my age, I joined the middle and high school track team in seventh grade. I had finally found a sport that I really enjoyed; hurdling made me happy. I told my parents that hurdling was my thing, Track and Field was my sport. My parents supported me the whole way, although my parents have now told me that they questioned the legitimacy of my claims until freshman year, my breakout year. Finally, I was appreciated. I wasn't the awkward kid or the friend of so and so, I was the track girl.

My experiences have motivated me to become a role model for kids in my school and community. I mentor young track and field athletes in the local group, Berkshire Lightning, where I help out with hurdling and introduce children to a sport that they can excel at. I hope that through my work as a student athlete, and as a mentor I can help ensure that more kids will have the courage to see themselves as athletes, and not as bench-warmers. To further help those in my community I have become a member of the peer education program at our school, I tutor other students in both math and science, and I train young altar servers at my church. I don't want anyone else to be that kid.