Ever since discovering volleyball in middle school, I've dedicated myself to becoming an exceptional player. Initially, I lacked natural talent and physical prowess, but I was drawn to the sport. Through relentless determination, I transformed myself by shedding weight, honing my skills, and forging lasting friendships. A pivotal moment was joining my high school's boys' volleyball varsity team. Stepping onto the court, I felt invigorated and prepared to tackle any challenge. We practiced daily, conditioning our minds and bodies to perform at our peak on and off the court. I began to notice subtle changes: I became more confident in my speech and more composed in unfamiliar situations. Despite having good grades and inconsistent attendance at first, my grades improved after joining the volleyball team. My attendance also improved, as did my relationships with my teachers, counselors, and deans. However, we lost our very first volleyball game because we weren't communicating effectively with each other. It was disheartening and frustrating to witness my team and my perspective crumble before me. So, just as I did at the beginning, I aimed not only to become a great volleyball player but also an exceptional teammate. To be honest, I had never been part of an actual team until I joined the boys' varsity volleyball team. It was difficult learning what was appropriate for me to say at times when my teammates felt like giving up. However, to be a good influence, I not only had to take into account my teammates' well-being but also their feelings as we played together. By the end of the semester, we only won 3 games, however, I live with no regrets of my high school experience. My teammates aren't saddened by our atrocious win-to-loss ratio because we had fun playing every match together with each other. In the final days of practice, I found myself teaching valuable skills to junior varsity players who also did as bad as varsity did. I felt in my element teaching players who couldn't serve the ball past the net to being able to serve to the end of the court. Now that I'm on summer break I try to practice volleyball daily as well as teach my younger siblings some valuable skills as well. How I made an impact as a student athlete was as a teacher because of my intense knowledge of the sport. As well as having an optimistic attitude resulting in affecting my teammates' attitudes as well.