I knew from a young age that soccer was where I wanted to be, at the time we couldn’t even think about fitting a sport for me into the budget, so I didn’t get to play until much later. I grew up watching my older sister play, but she never really had a heart for the game, although she was my inspiration. I was always a smart kid that knew what I wanted, with high grades and so forth, but I never got to fully express myself until I started playing. I didn’t get to start until middle school, after finally getting out of a very rough and suffocating situation, but it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders when my feet hit the field for the first time. Once I started playing the soccer field was always where I wanted to be, even in times I’ve wanted to give up and quit, I could never actually bring myself to do it. I’ve made mistake after mistake on the field that’s made me want to give it all up, but looking at my progress over the years, I’ve seen myself grow as a person and I’m glad I never gave it up. A little something about me and the sport that most people don’t know, is that I used to be terrified to take a shot, and to face the judgement if I missed. I would always pass it off to a teammate last minute and let them have the spotlight, but one day it just went away, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I’ve went from highschool soccer, straight into club, and then some indoor, for 3 years in a row just to keep myself on the field. I strive and push myself because I want to become the best that I can be, even though I still make mistakes and still have plenty to work on. Being on a field with my teammates, and the people I’ve watched grow over the years is were I get to let everything go, it’s where I’m happiest.