Hannah Kawar '20 Recruiting Profile

Hi there, my name is Hannah Kawar. In summary, I currently play varsity water polo at Notre Dame High School in Belmont, California, along with club water polo at Burlingame Aquatics Club. I have been participating in water polo since my freshman year in high school, and have had a continuously growing interest in playing at a collegiate level. I hope to further establish my love for my sport whilst competing at a four year college with an outstanding environmental science department.

As of my Junior year, I have centered my college interests around academics, as attending college is mainly to receive an excellent education. My attraction to the sciences have been notable to my teachers and peers, both former and present. I let my curiosity and inquiring nature lead me to spending hours after school researching and further developing my knowledge of topics such as ocean acidification and allosteric enzymes, hoping to reach a state of mastery.

This constant strive for peak comprehension can additionally be seen in the pool. Freshman year, my coach noticed my quick take to water polo, moving me up to varsity about halfway through the season. I took this opportunity as a way to learn the methods of some of the best water polo players in the Bay Area, using whatever fraction of playing time I had to take on the most advanced player on the opposing team. Through this, my coaches and teammates can’t deny my resilience to failure. While many players let the thought of committing errors bewilder them, I have continued to use my few faults as a method of "bouncing back" by constantly learning and improving myself and my athletic performance. Whether it’s by watching game footage individually with my coach or getting advice from referees and professionals, I have learned to utilize all of my resources to my advantage in order to become the best player I can be in that moment.

I believe that having a driven spirit committed to improvement is essential while playing a competitive sport, which is why I think I would be an ideal candidate for playing college-level water polo.