I view leadership as not merely a trait but something vital in life. Through my athletic and academic endeavors, I've been blessed with opportunities to apply leadership and work ethic qualities to my life. I am a multi-sport athlete, participating in both soccer and track at a varsity level, and I have participated in countless other sports throughout my youth. I am also a 4.0 student while working and serving my community. Although at times it is hard to balance these extracurriculars, I know they are preparing me for my future. Essentially, my life as I know it would look completely different without my experiences in these sports.
I have played soccer since I was about three years old and have spent countless hours at the fields, practicing, traveling to tournaments, etc. Like every sport, soccer obviously has its competitive nature. Through my hours practicing to gain a starting position, or improvement in general, it has truly instilled my desire for consistent development. I recall the first time I practiced true determination was when I joined my first competitive soccer team. I started off the season as the last addition to the team; I struggled with playing time and was playing an unfamiliar position. I complained to my dad about it, and for the next few weeks, he spent hours training with me in our backyard. I later gained my starting position and became one of the leading players. From then on, I knew with hard work I could accomplish anything. This desire has guided my academics, pushing me to get the best grades possible and seek additional resources for improvement. It has also given me the determination to work through tough subjects, naturally guiding me as I further my education in college.
This year I had the opportunity to be the varsity captain of Stansbury High’s soccer team! Although I've had previous experiences as team captain, since freshman year, I set a goal for myself to become captain for my senior year. Throughout the season, I learned many lessons as captain, such as how to guide my teammates through issues, observe individuals to ensure everyone's being included, and keep a positive environment. The skills I learned throughout being captain taught me how to work with groups of people and leadership; these will be necessary in my future work.
I've also spent over four hundred hours serving my community. I have volunteered in retirement homes, preschools, tutored, set up sports camps, etc. The joy and fulfillment I’ve received through this is truly immeasurable; I love knowing that I can improve lives. My experiences in preschool volunteering, as well as sports, have led me to understand my dream career. I've always known I wanted to pursue a career where I can physically improve lives, and because of sports, I was interested in physical therapy for some time. But I realized that I was also interested in some of the fine motor aspects as well. With the combination of these experiences, I've decided to pursue a career in occupational therapy.
I will attend the University of Utah with a biology major; I will then obtain my master's degree in occupational therapy in hopes of providing others with more life in their days. I know that my future is achievable with the continuation of practicing a driven work ethic. Sports have blessed my life in so many aspects, and with the traits I've learned from them, will guide my future success where I’ll continue to give back to my community.
Have you ever had the desire to do something so bad that it's all you can think about? Like if you didn't do it, you would regret it forever? Well, this was my situation for the winter season of the 2024-2025 school year. The thing I desired most was to wrestle. I have played basketball for most of my life. So, as you can imagine when it came down to making the decision between wrestling and basketball, things got pretty complicated. I decided that the only solution was to do both!
So, there I was taking on wrestling, basketball, student government, national honors society presidency, and roles in many other clubs all at the same time. At first, it became a little bit overwhelming. The most difficult part was having to listen to everyone telling me that I "couldn't do it", that I was "taking on too much at once", or that I wasn't "physically capable to succeed in multiple things at a time." People thought that this would scare me and make me want to quit. However, this only drove my motivation to do it further.
I became the athlete I always strived to be. I became a team captain in basketball and focused on being a reliable teammate who drove our team beyond our "limits." In wrestling, I supported every girl on my team throughout their matches. I knew that they needed to look up after their match to see me there supporting them. In my own matches, I went in with a mindset of gratitude so that no matter what happened, I could demonstrate what good sportsmanship really is.
Although sports took up the majority of my time, I was able to spend a lot of my spare moments planning events for Tooele High School. I had the opportunity to plan our Spirit Week along with an assembly at the conclusion of the week. This was an amazing way that I was able to lead my school. I showed them the games, started school cheers, and I was even able to get people up and singing along to songs!
The remainder of spare time I had was spent participating in service. I had many opportunities to help families in need (especially around Christmas time), visit the old folk's home, work in the food pantry, etc.
All of these opportunities I was able to participate in taught me how to be a leader in everything that I do. I learned that there are people watching and looking up to you no matter what it is you're doing -especially as an athlete. This is why I choose to speak with kindness and intent, participate in athletics with discipline and sportsmanship, and act positively and respectfully.
Throughout my years of high school, I have participated in volleyball, basketball, wrestling, and softball. Something that every sport has taught me is that every good thing in this world requires work. If you are willing to put in the effort, you will be rewarded. I have taken this lesson and used it in my academics, which has allowed me to maintain my cumulative 4.0 GPA. This achievement has empowered me to win academic all-state in three different sports, as well as region titles in basketball and wrestling, and additionally qualifying for state wrestling as an alternate. When you allow yourself to reach your full potential, nothing can stop you from achieving your goals. Sports have allowed me to set higher expectations for myself, which in result, led me to a greater level of success.
