Reflection #1
The most significant challenge I have faced was decommitting from George Washington University after being committed for softball since my freshman year. I decommitted this past summer because of a coaching change. All of the other girls that were previously committed except for 2 girls ended up also decommitting. I had a phone call with the new coach, but he didn’t make me feel comfortable like the previous coach had. Due to this, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life and chose to decommit. This was such a hard decision because I was given a full ride to a Private, Division 1 institution. My decision to decommit only motivated me to work harder to find another school where I could further my education and softball career at. With that being said, I practiced and trained harder, and also communicated with many schools in the process. In communicating with other schools, I found myself on the phone with better academic schools than GW. I was in communication with Ivy League schools: Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Cornell, and Columbia. This made me realize that all my hard work in the classroom and on the softball field were worth it. After I decommitted I was so afraid that I wouldn’t find any other school, but with determination I now have the chance to attend a school I never thought was possible for me to attend. Now that I am on the radar of these Ivy League institutions I have become more committed than ever to my studies and improving my game.
The most significant challenge I have faced was decommitting from George Washington University after being committed for softball since my freshman year. I decommitted this past summer because of a coaching change. All of the other girls that were previously committed except for 2 girls ended up also decommitting. I had a phone call with the new coach, but he didn’t make me feel comfortable like the previous coach had. Due to this, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life and chose to decommit. This was such a hard decision because I was given a full ride to a Private, Division 1 institution. My decision to decommit only motivated me to work harder to find another school where I could further my education and softball career at. With that being said, I practiced and trained harder, and also communicated with many schools in the process. In communicating with other schools, I found myself on the phone with better academic schools than GW. I was in communication with Ivy League schools: Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Cornell, and Columbia. This made me realize that all my hard work in the classroom and on the softball field were worth it. After I decommitted I was so afraid that I wouldn’t find any other school, but with determination I now have the chance to attend a school I never thought was possible for me to attend. Now that I am on the radar of these Ivy League institutions I have become more committed than ever to my studies and improving my game.
Reflection #2
For myself, softball has brought me the biggest educational opportunity. I’ve always been an exceptional student in the classroom, although, I do not take full IB and AP courses. I’m very grateful to my parents for all that they have invested in my education; whether it be time or money they never hesitate to help. With the support of my parents and softball I may have the opportunity to attend Harvard University. I realize that this wouldn’t be a possibility if it wasn’t for softball. Without being an athlete my academic resume doesn’t begin to compare with those of non-athletes who aggressively apply to the school every year. Each year many people with stellar grades, perfect test scores, and diverse extracurricular activities apply to Harvard only to have more than 96% of applicants turned away. In 8th grade, softball also gave me the opportunity to attend George Washington University. Although that deal fell through, I would’ve never had that chance without softball. In November of last year during a softball tournament I had lots of schools come out to watch me: UPenn, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, Brown, Harvard, and many more. Without softball I would never have even been considered by these schools, but because I have committed myself to excelling at the game and inside the classroom, I don’t need to be the smartest person to get into these schools. At times the recruiting process can be stressful and time consuming but it is something that I will always be thankful for because without it I would never in a million years have the chance to attend college at such prestigious and academically excellent schools.
For myself, softball has brought me the biggest educational opportunity. I’ve always been an exceptional student in the classroom, although, I do not take full IB and AP courses. I’m very grateful to my parents for all that they have invested in my education; whether it be time or money they never hesitate to help. With the support of my parents and softball I may have the opportunity to attend Harvard University. I realize that this wouldn’t be a possibility if it wasn’t for softball. Without being an athlete my academic resume doesn’t begin to compare with those of non-athletes who aggressively apply to the school every year. Each year many people with stellar grades, perfect test scores, and diverse extracurricular activities apply to Harvard only to have more than 96% of applicants turned away. In 8th grade, softball also gave me the opportunity to attend George Washington University. Although that deal fell through, I would’ve never had that chance without softball. In November of last year during a softball tournament I had lots of schools come out to watch me: UPenn, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, Brown, Harvard, and many more. Without softball I would never have even been considered by these schools, but because I have committed myself to excelling at the game and inside the classroom, I don’t need to be the smartest person to get into these schools. At times the recruiting process can be stressful and time consuming but it is something that I will always be thankful for because without it I would never in a million years have the chance to attend college at such prestigious and academically excellent schools.
Reflection #3
I would say my greatest talent is without a doubt softball. When I was nine years old, I tried out for a travel ball team in Orange County and made it. That coach was easily the toughest coach I had ever played for in my life: he would yell at us if we made a mistake and make us practice for 5 hours in one day. I began doing lessons and training in Orange County; I would drive up at least 4 times a week. That season my team won Nationals, we were the best 10u team in the United States. My next season I tried to play for the same coach again but this time I couldn’t handle the yelling. I felt as though I wanted to quit softball entirely because he made me so scared. So that season I quit the team. I immediately found another team and continued playing travel softball in Orange County. Fast forward 6 years and I’m still playing and training in Orange County. Along the way I had to miss out on many activities and opportunities. To this day I still look back on my days playing for my first travel ball coach and I can’t help but think how great of a coach he was. Yes, he was hardest coach you could ever play for, but now I realize that everything he did only made me a stronger player and young woman. My softball career has been like a rollercoaster; granted there are good days and bad, but at the end of the day there’s nothing else I could see myself doing. With softball I’ve been given the chance to further my education without having to worry about the cost. I can honestly say that without softball I wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend some of the schools that are currently on my list. Although initially I wasn’t the greatest softball player, with hard work and dedication it has gotten me extremely far in life.
I would say my greatest talent is without a doubt softball. When I was nine years old, I tried out for a travel ball team in Orange County and made it. That coach was easily the toughest coach I had ever played for in my life: he would yell at us if we made a mistake and make us practice for 5 hours in one day. I began doing lessons and training in Orange County; I would drive up at least 4 times a week. That season my team won Nationals, we were the best 10u team in the United States. My next season I tried to play for the same coach again but this time I couldn’t handle the yelling. I felt as though I wanted to quit softball entirely because he made me so scared. So that season I quit the team. I immediately found another team and continued playing travel softball in Orange County. Fast forward 6 years and I’m still playing and training in Orange County. Along the way I had to miss out on many activities and opportunities. To this day I still look back on my days playing for my first travel ball coach and I can’t help but think how great of a coach he was. Yes, he was hardest coach you could ever play for, but now I realize that everything he did only made me a stronger player and young woman. My softball career has been like a rollercoaster; granted there are good days and bad, but at the end of the day there’s nothing else I could see myself doing. With softball I’ve been given the chance to further my education without having to worry about the cost. I can honestly say that without softball I wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend some of the schools that are currently on my list. Although initially I wasn’t the greatest softball player, with hard work and dedication it has gotten me extremely far in life.
Reflection #4
My parents have always told me that I’m more mature than other kids my age. I believe this is because I’m an only child so I’ve always been independent. I’ve always felt that I’m able to express myself through my thoughts and views on life. In the past I used to just live life just because; I always went through the motions because it seemed like I was supposed to. However, this summer I realized that life is too short to just go through the motions; everyday is a blessing, and it’s important to live life to the fullest everyday. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to bring this approach to my life everyday. I have a lot of friends who, like me, play competitive softball and will be attending D1 universities on athletic scholarships. However my friends take everything for granted right now, they are so focused on playing college softball at these big schools that they don’t realize that they’re missing out on everything life has to offer. Unlike my friends, I’m focused on enjoying life right now while pursuing every possibility and using softball as a bridge to a bright future. I constantly try to make the most of everything God has given me and try my best to entertain every opportunity He presents me. At the end of the day, I’m not sure if my outlook on life is the best but one thing I know for sure is that it is what makes me unique.
My parents have always told me that I’m more mature than other kids my age. I believe this is because I’m an only child so I’ve always been independent. I’ve always felt that I’m able to express myself through my thoughts and views on life. In the past I used to just live life just because; I always went through the motions because it seemed like I was supposed to. However, this summer I realized that life is too short to just go through the motions; everyday is a blessing, and it’s important to live life to the fullest everyday. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to bring this approach to my life everyday. I have a lot of friends who, like me, play competitive softball and will be attending D1 universities on athletic scholarships. However my friends take everything for granted right now, they are so focused on playing college softball at these big schools that they don’t realize that they’re missing out on everything life has to offer. Unlike my friends, I’m focused on enjoying life right now while pursuing every possibility and using softball as a bridge to a bright future. I constantly try to make the most of everything God has given me and try my best to entertain every opportunity He presents me. At the end of the day, I’m not sure if my outlook on life is the best but one thing I know for sure is that it is what makes me unique.
Final Reflection
People are always surprised to learn that I am part Japanese because I don’t “look asian”. My grandfather was a marine in the U.S. military and when he was stationed in Japan he met my grandmother, a Japanese woman. She gave birth to my dad who’s half Japanese, making me only a quarter Japanese. The Japanese culture is one that I am always eager to learn about because it’s a part of who I am; I most enjoy making sushi and origamis with my grandma. My Japanese bloodline is one that I could never ignore because it is something that I believe makes me unique. Another part of my life that I couldn’t live without would be softball. I found softball at the age of 6 and haven’t been able to put the ball down ever since. The bottom line is that softball and I have a love/hate relationship. I can’t even begin to explain how much this sport has put me through both physically and mentally: it has absolutely drained me. Despite that though, softball never fails to teach me new things in more ways than one. The sport of softball is just one of those things that is ingrained in me, it runs throughout my entire body. This sport always keeps me on my toes, always knocks me down, always hit me with a new challenge, but in the end it always picks me up and dusts me off. I’d be lying to you if I said there hasn’t been a time that I’ve thought about quitting the game. When I was 10 years old I played for a coach who was extremely hard to play for: he would yell and scream at us until we had tears in our eyes. After about a year and a half of playing for him I finally told my parents I can’t anymore. Every Time I would think about having to go to a game or practice my whole body would shake, and that was when I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. So I took some time off from the game: 2 weeks to be exact. In my time off, it became clear to me that softball wasn’t just a “game”, it was my life. Softball to me was my future, it was something that made me the happiest person alive. However, it wasn’t until I put the ball down that I realized this. Once I got back to playing I felt complete again, without softball I could feel in my heart that something was missing. Since this, softball hasn’t been EASY by any means, as a matter of fact it’s HARD; there’s so much failure involved in the game that you can’t help but lose confidence in yourself at times. There have been times when I have had 15 at bats in a tournament and I didn’t get a single hit. It was times like this when I would get down on myself; I would think why do I even play. However, I always find myself going back to the thought that I can’t live without this game. I love this game because it teaches me so many life lessons.
People are always surprised to learn that I am part Japanese because I don’t “look asian”. My grandfather was a marine in the U.S. military and when he was stationed in Japan he met my grandmother, a Japanese woman. She gave birth to my dad who’s half Japanese, making me only a quarter Japanese. The Japanese culture is one that I am always eager to learn about because it’s a part of who I am; I most enjoy making sushi and origamis with my grandma. My Japanese bloodline is one that I could never ignore because it is something that I believe makes me unique. Another part of my life that I couldn’t live without would be softball. I found softball at the age of 6 and haven’t been able to put the ball down ever since. The bottom line is that softball and I have a love/hate relationship. I can’t even begin to explain how much this sport has put me through both physically and mentally: it has absolutely drained me. Despite that though, softball never fails to teach me new things in more ways than one. The sport of softball is just one of those things that is ingrained in me, it runs throughout my entire body. This sport always keeps me on my toes, always knocks me down, always hit me with a new challenge, but in the end it always picks me up and dusts me off. I’d be lying to you if I said there hasn’t been a time that I’ve thought about quitting the game. When I was 10 years old I played for a coach who was extremely hard to play for: he would yell and scream at us until we had tears in our eyes. After about a year and a half of playing for him I finally told my parents I can’t anymore. Every Time I would think about having to go to a game or practice my whole body would shake, and that was when I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. So I took some time off from the game: 2 weeks to be exact. In my time off, it became clear to me that softball wasn’t just a “game”, it was my life. Softball to me was my future, it was something that made me the happiest person alive. However, it wasn’t until I put the ball down that I realized this. Once I got back to playing I felt complete again, without softball I could feel in my heart that something was missing. Since this, softball hasn’t been EASY by any means, as a matter of fact it’s HARD; there’s so much failure involved in the game that you can’t help but lose confidence in yourself at times. There have been times when I have had 15 at bats in a tournament and I didn’t get a single hit. It was times like this when I would get down on myself; I would think why do I even play. However, I always find myself going back to the thought that I can’t live without this game. I love this game because it teaches me so many life lessons.