This year I dove into my first year of college, and with that came a lot of hard adjustments, changes and challenges. However, the most challenging change of them all was adjusting from a student athlete to just a student. All throughout grade school and high school I played soccer and basketball, soccer I played almost year-round at a very competitive level. Up until last year, I was convinced that I'd be playing soccer in college, and that my career wouldn't end my senior year of high school, but it didn't work out that way. I made the tough decision to not pursue soccer in college, I instead went to the school I absolutely love, Hofstra University, and decided to explore things I couldn't in high school because I was always too busy at practice or a game. Sometimes I regret it, but other times I know I made the right decision because it's allowed me to build up an identity outside of being a soccer player or basketball player.

Don't get me wrong, I love soccer and basketball, the memories I have on the field and court and the friends I've made and lessons I've learned from them are things I'll always be thankful for, but that chapter of my life is over now. Sometimes I really miss it, especially soccer. At some points it feels like I spent all those hours at practice and training, all those hours in the car on the way to games, suffered through the injuries, the turf burn, and the bruises, and withstood the preseason fitness tests for nothing, only to quit after high school. I feel like all the skills I've built up throughout the years and the talent I was born with has gone to waste. Why would I just drop something I've basically dedicated my life to? But the truth is, nothing lasts forever, my time as an athlete just wasn't meant to last past high school, not if it meant not going to school I fell in love with, or not being able to have the friends I have now. My time as an athlete was amazing, and I'm so proud to have been able to wear my high school and club colors on the field and the court, and make my coaches, teammates, and parents proud when I was out there. But there's more to me than just "the soccer player" or "the basketball player," and I want to explore that part of me.

Being that college is supposed to be a new chapter in your life, a fresh start, a clean slate, I decided that I would become more than just an athlete. This is my chance to become involved in more clubs, go to more school events, really focus on my work, and even go out and have fun with my friends more often. Without the commitment of being a student athlete I have a chance to just be a normal student, I can attend sporting events as a fan, go to parties, have some time to myself, travel into the city for the day, and enjoy all the opportunities that are thrown at me without the weight of planning it around practice or games. I'm not struggling to keep up with my work, and I can excel in my classes, because that is what's most important. I was never going to become a professional soccer player, no matter how much I thought I would, but now I can focus on pursuing the profession I really want in journalism and that is the first priority.

I will always be thankful for and adore soccer and basketball. They're the two sports that helped define my childhood and taught me so many lessons. I wouldn't be who I am today without my experiences from them. Deciding not to play them anymore doesn't mean I'm not passionate about them, or that I'm a quitter. I was just mature enough to make a decision that I thought was best for me, even though it was difficult. I always thought that I'd always be able to call myself a "soccer player" and that I'd be a student athlete all through college, but that part of my life has ended, and now I can call myself a "journalism major" or "student reporter," and hopefully in the future I can call myself a "professional journalist" or "professional writer." Of course there will always be points where I miss making last-ditch slide tackles on the soccer field, or diving for a loose ball on the basketball court, but in the end I'm confident that I've made the right decision. I'm happier than I've ever been, and I'm excited to see what new opportunities the future holds me.