I started swimming competitively when I was 7 years old and it’s hard to believe that was 13 years ago now. I don’t remember a lot from my early swimming days but what I do remember is the people that helped me get to where I am right now. When I started out I was not a very good swimmer, but I kept practicing and eventually I got better, and now I am a division 1 college swimmer. I worked hard for all my success, but I would not have gotten there without the help of my coaches who taught me so much over the years. They helped me achieve what I did by keeping me motivated and determined and helped me become the swimmer I am now. I have never lost my passion for swimming, even through the toughest times in my career, there is always that fire burning inside me to be better, to work harder and achieve my goals. This I owe to all the people in the sport that were an influence to me at one point or another in my career.

My coaches didn't just make me a better swimmer, but they instilled values in me that will benefit me in all areas of life. Being an athlete has taught me how to work hard, be a good teammate, be humble, and face adversity when it arises. Through every hardship in my life, I am able to be strong and fight through it because of what swimming has taught me. I don’t know who I would be if I wasn’t an athlete, it has been my life for all these years. I am thankful for who it has shaped me into, and the people that have helped me get to where I am.

It is so important to give back to your sport because there are kids who were just like you once, who are trying to achieve their goals and be successful. After all you have accomplished, you need to turn around and help others behind you. It’s a cycle, once you have had others that have helped you, you then must step in and take their place. You don't have to be a coach to give back, there are so many ways you can be involved in your sport later on in life, even just being a volunteer helping out a team can do so much. Giving back to your sport is a way of saying thank you for everything the sport has given you, and helping those kids along their paths in life. Do it for the little kid in you that fell in love with your sport all those years ago.