I believe in never giving up on yourself. During high school, I faced a challenge that made me want to quit doing what I love the most. But during the winter of my junior year of high school, I realized that the word “quit” was never going to be an option again.
Growing up, I was an exceptional basketball player, always making the A-team and winning awards. I played AAU basketball since fourth grade and thought nothing could stand in my way of becoming an outstanding player, until tryouts came during my junior year of high school. I had a decent tryout and thought that nothing could go wrong since I had been on the team my first two years. I was not prepared for what was about to happen to me.
My coach pulled me aside after and said, “I’m sorry but we have to cut you this year because there are too many point guards and we don’t have enough room for you on the team.” I remember all of these emotions rushing through my body. I was so taken back. Basketball had been my passion since I was ten years old. After that moment, I thought I never wanted to touch a basketball again.
After beating myself up for days, I realized that I wasn’t going to let one person tell me that I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t going to give up that easily. A few weeks later, I was offered a position from my former elementary school to be the head coach for the seventh and eighth grade girls B-team, which I was super excited to accept. Shortly after that offer, I joined my local CYO high school team and continued to play in summer leagues. I ended up winning the MVP award for the entire summer league the same year. After receiving the award and being able to coach a sport so close to me, I realized how much I wanted basketball to be a part of my life.
When I got to Penn State, I was selected to play for the Women’s Club Basketball team. This year will be my second season with the team and I am continuing to grow as not only a player, but also as a team player and leader.
Looking back, I can’t believe I was going to give up my love for the game because of one person. That experience taught me to be patient and hard work. I learned that not everything in life will be handed to you on a silver platter. You have to relentless when going after what you want.
I believe in never giving up on yourself.
