It was New Year’s Eve and my parents sat my sister and I down to tell us the unthinkable, that my dad had been diagnosed with cancer. I have had friends that have had cancer or their parents but I guess I just never thought it would happen to us. The next years would be some of the hardest months of our lives. My parents had already bought us tickets to Disney, they had gotten them before they knew my dad was sick. Luckily the way his radiation and chemotherapy went we were still able to go to Disney as a family. Even though my dad was very tired from the treatments he still stood in line with us and jumped on the coasters with us. Over the next few months after we had gotten back home was when I got worried. He had surgery soon after and ended up being in the hospital way longer than he should have, so my sister and I stayed at my grandparents house for almost two weeks. It was hard for me to not only be ok with everything going on but to make sure my sister was doing ok with everything. The chemo made my dad really sick and really tired therefore my mom was responsible for taking care of everything for us and the house while my dad slept and tried to get better. He ended up having another surgery and that one went a lot better, but he still had to do chemo for the next 6 months. I had sports and games and my sister had cheer so life just continued on for us as much as it could. It was a very hard two years. Fast forward to today, my dad is better so far cancer free now, but my parents still have a lot of bills because he still has to go to the doctor every 3 or 4 months. I knew I wanted to go to Hanover College and my mom let me know that if that is where I needed to go I would be responsible for getting scholarships and grants to be able to help with my tuition because they just weren’t going to be able to help me. I really hope I’m chosen for this scholarship, it would just help me be able to focus on school and not focus on how much it cost and to worry about being in debt when I graduate.

Sports have been a part of my life since I was 5. I played them all softball, basketball, even tried cheering. I grew too fast so I gave up on cheer and decided to go the softball way. Best decision I ever made! I was a multi sport athlete from 6th grade on to graduation all while keeping up with a part time job and my grades. While I participated in all the sports there were many of my friends that tore ACL’s and MCL’s which took them out of playing. I hurt my Achilles heel while I was playing, plus have had many bone bruises. The Physical Therapists always helped me and my friends to help get us back playing the sports we loved. I found out early some of my friends only did one sport and kept having the same injuries over and over. While I figured out that since I was playing multiple sports that I was using different muscles all the time so I think that kept me from getting seriously hurt. During high school I was able to help the athletic trainer during high school football games on the sidelines. I found out I really enjoyed being right there in the middle of it all. I would love to be able to become a sports Physical Therapist so that I can help athletes get back to playing the sports they love by healing their injuries and making them stronger. I want kids to be able to realize just like I did how their body works and what all can be done to keep them healthy and injury free. I would love to win this scholarship to help me be able to stay in school and stay on the path of being able to go to DPT school after my BA in Kinesiology.

My favorite athlete to cheer on is Katie Ledecky. She is so mentally strong and just pushes herself to extremes. She is one of the greatest swimmers that comes into the sport of swimming. Her achievements in the pool have not only won her numerous medals but have also set new standards in the sport. Ledecky’s success can be attributed to her incredible work ethic. She is known for her rigorous training schedule, which includes extensive hours in the pool and additional training in the gym. Her dedication to improving her technique, endurance, and strength is evident in her performances. Ledecky's commitment to her training regimen ensures that she is always at peak physical condition. She has shattered numerous world records across various distances. She holds the world records in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events. Her ability to train and be physically fit helps her achieve these goals. These record-breaking swims are a testament to her extraordinary endurance, speed, and technique. Mental toughness is one of the main contribution's for her success. She possesses an exceptional ability to stay focused and composed under pressure. Whether it is the Olympics, World Championships, or other major competitions, Ledecky consistently performs at her best. Her mental resilience allows her to overcome challenges and makes her one of the most important and successful athletes While Ledecky is primarily known for her experience in distance freestyle events, she has also demonstrated versatility by excelling in shorter distances and relay events. Her adaptability across various distances and formats showcases her comprehensive skill set and makes her a valuable asset to her team. Ledecky’s swimming technique is both efficient and powerful. She employs a smooth, high-tempo stroke that maximizes her propulsion through the water while minimizing resistance. Her ability to maintain this technique consistently over long distances is a key factor in her dominance. Beyond her physical abilities, Ledecky serves as an inspiration to many aspiring swimmers. Her humility, sportsmanship, and dedication to her craft make her a role model. She has also been an advocate for the importance of education, balancing her academic pursuits with her swimming career. Maintaining peak performance over multiple years and through various competitive cycles is incredibly challenging, yet Ledecky has managed to do so. Since she entered swimming as a teenager, she has consistently been at the top of her game, winning multiple Olympic and World Championship medals. Her achievements have had a significant impact on the sport of swimming. She has pushed the boundaries of what is considered possible in women's swimming and has inspired a new generation of swimmers to aim higher. Her presence in the sport elevates the level of competition and drives advancements in training techniques and strategies. In conclusion, her combination of talent, work ethic, mental toughness, versatility, innovative technique, and inspirational qualities make her an extraordinary swimmer. Her record-breaking performances and consistency over the years have solidified her status as one of the all-time greats in the sport. Ledecky's impact extends beyond the pool, as she continues to inspire future generations of athletes with her achievements and character.

I love that Jake’s motto was “just one more”. I have played softball since I was 6. I have always dreamed of playing collegiate ball. As I grew up and started playing travel ball I was told I would never make it to play ball in college. I continued to work at it and went to private lessons to get better. I ended up making some travel teams starting around 12. Softball is my passion because not only do I get to do what I love I have been able to travel all over the states to play. I played in a tournament where I was nominated to be an All-American in Evansville. I got to play with the best of the best in the state of Indiana. I also was lucky enough to be able to play in Myrtle Beach this past summer and win 2nd place in a tournament. I got hurt the first game while I was there and had to fight through a very tough foot injury due to me being the only pitcher. I fought so hard to get my team to the championship game. The coach from the other team in the game gave me the game ball after the game was over because he thought I was so resilient to play through while I was hurt. In January of 2022 I thought that my dreams of playing collegiate ball were going to come to an end. My dad was diagnosed with rectal cancer. I wasn’t sure how my sports in school was going to turn out since I was so worried about him. He went through chemo and radiation and had a couple of surgeries. He has gotten better. Once he got better I knew I could get back to my dreams. I attended many college camps and spent many hours writing emails and contacting college coaches so that I could achieve my goal of playing softball. I was able to attend a camp in Indianapolis where the coach of Hanover remembered me from the videos and emails I had sent her. She asked me to hang around after the camp so she could speak with us. When she came to speak with us later after the camp was over she offered me a spot on her 2024-2025 roster. I am very thankful that my parents have supported me and have given up much of their time to spend it at the ballpark with me so I could continue pursuing my dreams. So here’s to “one more” time to get to continue to play softball.

Being “the new kid” impacted my life because I have to pull out of my comfort zone to meet new people and to not be shy. When I came to my new school I didn’t have a lot of great friends and I didn’t really know a lot of people. The school I moved to was a small school and it was so nice because the few kids I knew introduced me to their friends. I was able to jump on the sports teams which had drastically helped me with my dreams of wanting to become a collegiate athlete. It made me believe in myself again that I could succeed at what I had been trying to do my entire life. I played basketball and softball as the new kid and made plenty of friends there but my sophomore year I included volleyball to my sports and noticed that all the same kids played the same sports at my school. Therefore, again that helped with my friendships because I was with the same group of students the entire day plus in the after school activities. I joined a youth group with some of the friends I had made playing sports and I started to volunteer to help out one of the moms that ran the youth group when I was able to. This has helped me tremendously. This has made a huge impact on my future goals because I’ve been admitted to my dream college choice and I even am going to be a college athlete getting to play softball. With being the new kid I was able to gain the confidence to speak with college coaches and get them to become interested in myself and my talents. Being from a small school it has allowed me to get the help I needed to get good grades which has helped me earn a merit scholarship to the school I’m attending. I want to become a Physical Therapist so having to get out of my comfort zone has allowed me to be able to brag on myself about my grades and my accomplishments which has led me to an internship at a Physical Therapy job a few days a week and made me more confident in my ability to speak to adults and advocate for myself. That is something I would have never been able to do if I was never the “new kid”.

I have a lot of goals for my future! I will start out with academics. My schooling has always been hard for me. My parents switched my schools to help me be more successful. I now have straight A’s with a 3.95 GPA all while playing 3 sports. I want to play softball when I get to college along with go to school to be a Physical Therapist. I have been hurt a couple of times, and realized that the people that helped me were inspiring. As I graduate from high school and then hopefully my first choice school I’m hoping my good grades will continue while I’m at college. I want to get into Physical Therapy school for my graduate program then hopefully be ready to start my career.

I have always had upperclassman to look up to while I’ve been going to school. I want to make sure I do the same for the kids around me. I have lots of younger kids that look up to me because of my little sister. I know they are watching me when I play softball, volleyball, or basketball. I make sure that I have a good attitude on or off the court or field. I also make sure if I’m at lessons and there are younger kids there that I help them achieve their goals that they are wanting to accomplish. I also make sure all the younger kids around me and even my friends know that school is important and so are my grades. I make sure that I help them with their school work. I volunteer to help work the concession stands with my coaches during the off season for the other sports to help with the expenses of the seasons. I am excited to be a student ambassador also for my junior year so I will be helping underclassmen with coming into the High School next year along with some other things that go on at the school.

I have always struggled in school. My old school I attended was very large and I endured bullying and difficulties in learning. My parents moved me into a different school. With the encouragement of my new teachers and my 504 plan, I made straight A’s my freshman year. This year I’ve been invited into the honors classes for English and Math. I believe that all the work I have to put into school to make good grades and to play sports will help me get into my dream college and to further my graduation into being a physical therapist.