Please tell us about the particular life experiences, talents, commitments, and/or interests you will bring to our campus that will enrich our community.

First day of practice, a nervous junior, I feel the glare of my senior teammates pressing onto the back of my head.

“How did he make it?” one senior whispers to another.

“He’s never going to play anyways,” another reluctant player says.

Coach tells us what to do. Starting next level training I had never done before. This follows for the next couple weeks, sitting the bench and watching, waiting. But tragedy strikes: the starting player, lands wrong and sprains his ankle.

My coach turns to me after carrying him to the bench. “You’re in Daniel,” he says.

Heart pounding and hands shaking, I sub in. My first varsity game starts at match point. We are down 17-24. The serve, a shanked pass, and the game is lost. My first experience in a varsity sport was terrifying, but a relief to finally be off of the bench

As the weeks follow, I continue to play, progressing and learning. Games and practices become a daily routine: dress up, pasta parties, and having fun with the team. Even the seniors warmed up to me, seeing my potential to bring greatness to the team.

“I told you they would warm up to you! I’m so proud of you,” my mom tells me. She was a huge confidence booster for me.

After someone got hurt, I learned to step up my game. I lifted my head, pushed past the judgment, and showed everyone what it means to step up. Nothing can hold me back from trying, which is the spirit I will bring to UW-Milwaukee in fall 2014 as a new freshman.