Soccer has always been a big part of my life. My involvement in sports started at a very young age. My parents always wanted my siblings and I to be immersed into all sorts of activities when we were young and help us find our passions. I found my identity within soccer and basketball and followed my sister's footsteps throughout most of my life. I was always inspired by the strength and sense of community my sister had with the soccer and basketball world. I will forever be thankful that my sister opened my eyes to the opportunities sports ultimately gave me throughout my life.

 

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and began playing soccer when I was 5 years old. I always dreamed of playing at the collegiate level, specifically playing for a college in the Big 10. With those aspirations, I sacrificed a lot in high school, missing school events and dedicating time to pursuing my goals. Soccer showed me what it genuinely means to commit yourself and your time to something you love. Going into my sophomore year, my hard work landed me the opportunity to play collegiate soccer at Northwestern University, where I am now.  

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Playing sports and soccer specifically has taught me so many life lessons I wouldn't have learned without it. Soccer taught me true teamwork and collaboration. Soccer is incredibly unpredictable and taught me how to problem solve on my own and with others. Soccer is entirely situational and its critical that you and your teammates come together to problem solve and accomplish great things together. The cheesy sports quote, "There's no 'I' in 'team'" could not hold more true. Not only the sport itself, but also the people around me, showed me how to foster a growth-oriented and dedicated mindset. With any team sport and especially at the collegiate level, it is very competitive. Some players are going to play in games more than others and you cannot afford to fall behind in terms of skill level, mental toughness, fitness or any aspect of the game if you want to earn your spot. While being a good teammate and supporting the success of everyone around you, you have to constantly be improving yourself, you have to persevere when things aren't going your way and stay committed to growing as a person and as a player. 

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A very big and unexpected lesson that I learned throughout my soccer career was to have patience. During my freshman and sophomore year at Northwestern covid largely affected my soccer season. Our 2020 fall season was cancelled and a lot of hard work goes into preparing for a season so to have it taken away unexpectedly is heartbreaking for all student athletes. During covid we were also not allowed to play contact in practices for the first couple months coming back to training and our covid protocols were much more strict than the rest of the student population. We were required to quarantine throughout the entire year, only able to see some of our teammates that we either lived with or lived close to, we weren't allowed to hug our families or go home at any point throughout the year without having to self isolate for an extended period of time. Again, we weren't allowed to play contact at practices for the first couple of months of training but we had to social distance and work individually at team trainings. It was very important if we were going to return to playing contact we had to ensure the safety of our teammates and staff. Being a student athlete during covid was an extremely difficult mental and emotional battle no one could have predicted. Having to go to training every day not knowing when you would be able to play the game you love again took a lot of trust. Trust that we would eventually step on the field and play a competitive game of soccer again. While there were a lot of hard days and what felt like the loneliest times I have faced, I grew a lot as a person and a player. I became a lot closer with my teammates and the student athlete community, I developed a lot as a player physically and mentally and I connected with my deeply rooted passion and love for soccer to keep me going.

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These life lessons have given me a greater perspective on life and have truly shaped the person that I am. The fundamental skills that I have learned through playing sports are skills that I bring with me in every working environment. Self-commitment, hard work, teamwork, collaboration, dedication, learning and growth-oriented mindset, patience and trust are all core values for me as a person and have helped guide many of my successes to date. 

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Playing soccer gave me so many opportunities I'm not sure that I would have had without it. I was able to learn so many things about myself, like how I could push my mental and physical toughness beyond what I thought. Because of soccer, I am able to study at one of the most competitive, academic schools in the country. I have grown my personal and professional networks beyond what I could have imagined and made lifelong relationships with incredible people. My eyes have been opened to so many others' life stories, hardships and triumphs, that gave me greater perspective on life. 

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I am forever grateful for my soccer career because I gained an incredible education, experienced a life full of unforgettable memories and opportunities with friends I will hold in my heart forever. Soccer and sports in general have made the biggest impact on my life, shaping the person that I am. I would never be where I am now without this part of my identity.