Gabriela Mensah '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Gabriela Mensah; I am a class of 2023 dual sport student-athlete currently attending Valley Stream North High School in New York. I have always been completely immersed in the world of sports. The sporting world is an exciting but demanding component of today's culture, with the power to bring nations together by giving a universal language that everyone can comprehend, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religious beliefs.

My basic values have an impact on my life view, which affects multiple aspects of my life, including academics, athletics, and so on. Understanding the necessity to live with some degree of fear is one of the things that are important to me. Throughout my athletic journey, I have believed that to live without fear is to live without drive, the desire to achieve one's goals. The absence of fear may hinder one's ability to function. Purpose begins to be questioned. Having hopes, dreams, and aspirations all far from one reach force an individual to strive for greatness. This mentality not only aids in my athletic journey but translates into my daily life as a young adult. My constant fear of mediocrity has motivated me to always push past my “limits” in order to see growth to some degree.

Sports have shaped me into the individual that I am today. Behind the front face of the track community, there are many hours of training and coaching and perfecting to cross the line first, jump a certain height, or throw a certain distance. It has been a gratifying experience since joining the track and field community. Having joined the track and field community was the most challenging, tiring, yet rewarding commitment I have ever made. It is by no means an easy sport, and it requires a great deal of mental toughness. In track and field, I developed into an enthusiastic, hard-working, patient, and self-driven young woman who always strives to do her best.