College Essay Draft

The 18th century French philosopher Denis Diderot said, "Only passions, great passions can elevate the soul to great things." Describe one of your passions and reflect on how it has contributed to your personal growth. (University of Southern California)

   Inhale, exhale. With sweaty palms I perform my service ritual... bounce the ball four times, spin four times. The roar of the people in the stands and rowdy cheering from the opposing team fills the gym. As the ref signals for me to serve everything drops dead silent. I turn to the sideline and see the hopeful faces of my team mates, my coach, my friends, and my family. I close my eyes taking a deep breath and all I hear is the rhythmic beat of my heart ... thump... thump. Opening my eyes I take the first step as I reminisce about the time Coach Trish taught me how to jump serve "your first step is a forward movement being sure to plant your foot in the direction in which you want the ball to go." Onto my second step I raise my hand bringing the ball in front of me "the second step is a crucial part of the serve be sure to extend your arms straight out in front of you." Down to the third step I toss the ball low to give me just enough time to jump and serve the ball across the net "the timing of your toss is very important. Take your third step then toss." Onto the last and final step I draw my right hand a little past my ear like a bow and arrow and I jerk my hand forward making contact with the ball; and what do you know... an ace on match point, 26-24. The crowd goes wild; the adrenaline rush I got from that play ignited a fire in me to want to continue playing the sport I soon grew to love.

   Reflecting back to when I first started playing, seems like I lived two completely different lives. On the court I took on the role of being team captain requiring me to become a vocal and responsible leader. I needed to be able to communicate with my team mates and always made sure to keep the energy and intensity level up throughout our matches. It's funny because looking back to my sixth grade year, I was that shy girl in class who never spoke up and sort of us just followed the crowd, but in volleyball it was a whole other story. I was that player who would make a fool out of herself to make sure her team was having fun and taking care of business on the court. You would never find me jumping up and down going crazy at school, because I was too worried about being teased by other students. On the other hand, whenever I'm on the volleyball court I could care less what others think about me, because I am passionate about the sport and I am not going to let what other people think about me keep me from expressing my joy and love for the game.  It was just something special about the sport that sparked this desire and passion within me.

   School quickly faded into the background as volleyball emerged into the spotlight of my life. I had my priorities out of line and learned this the hard way. With the transition from elementary school to intermediate school and a new club season starting, it was so easy for me to "forget" about my academics. At first it was only certain classes that I wouldn't finish assignments for, but then it soon became all my classes and as the days went by, it accumulated into weeks of incomplete homework and projects. It was only a matter of time before my coaches would hear about my incompetence in school and before I knew it I was on the bench cheering on my team mates at our first game of the season instead of actually playing. How does that sound for being called a team captain? I was supposed to be a role model for the other girls on the team and I let them down because of my poor time management skills. Throughout the entire second half of the first quarter in seventh grade I worked my tail off in every single class. Taking notes even though it wasn't required, constantly asking questions and I even stayed after school to receive extra help in a few of the more challenging classes like algebra and science. This was the start of a new and improved me. It was a noticeable difference and I realized how easy it was for me to get help from others if I just spoke up for myself.

    Now it was time to put two and two together; volleyball and school. It was tough at first but with the help of my counselor, teachers, and more importantly my parents I was able to get through it. Through my experience I learned how simple it is to succeed in life if you just stop, listen and take to heart what others have to say. For the rest of the school year, I was determined to work hard to get good grades and become a well-rounded student athlete. From my experience with playing volleyball, I thought it would be a good idea to join the Leadership program. I was able to put to use the values of effective communication skills and team work that I learned from club season; to successfully lead the student body as class president. Volleyball not only taught me to have a high self esteem, but it helped build my character and enlightened me on the morals and principles of the different aspects of life.

   The sport of volleyball has taught me important life values such as confidence, hard work, discipline, teamwork, determination, and effective communication skills. It taught me that somewhere behind the athlete I've become, is the little girl who fell in love with the sport and never looked back. Prior to playing volleyball I was always quiet around others and I was the complete opposite of what you would call a social butterfly, but because I stuck with the sport and applied what I learned into my everyday life, I've grown to become much more than your average social butterfly. Thanks to volleyball, I was no longer shy or afraid of talking to others because I got over my fear of being judged by others.