Student profile
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Dazed and starry-eyed, [name of applicant] was transfixed on Roger Federer gliding across the court with effortless grace and composure. A fuzzy, neon ball whizzes past her foot and suddenly the trance was broken. Immediately, she runs after the ball and returns to her original position, ready to hand him the ball.
While she became a ballgirl in seventh grade, [applicant´s] athletic career took off at [name] Elementary School with the help of coach [name of coach]. He introduced her to the sport of basketball in fourth grade and even encouraged her to join the football team, where she was the only girl.
"[name of applicant] was the epitome of what I have always wanted for sports at [name of school]," [name of coach] said. "[name of applicant] was exactly that spitting image of being a great athlete and student. She was that role model, it was rare to find someone of her caliber that was the whole package."
[Name of applicant] pursued these sports at [name of school] and participated in competitive clubs until she decided to focus her efforts on tennis. For her, tennis was the obvious choice because had been playing since the age of three.
"Out of all the sports, I was the worst at tennis," [name of applicant] said. "But the individual aspect of tennis made me choose it. In tennis, I could only depend on myself. I couldn't ride on the coattails of someone else's talent and this idea motivated me to train harder."
Throughout middle school and high school, [name of applicant] trained for hours each day and played tournaments every other weekend. But for her, the biggest life lesson she learned from tennis wasn't work ethic- it was coping with failure.
"No matter how hard I worked, I often lost tons of matches," [name of applicant] said. "Dealing with that was mentally hard because my results didn't reflect all the work I poured onto the court. It took time, but I learned that failure was necessary for me to grow. "
Even with the losses, [name of applicant] climbed the NorCal rankings and played national tournaments. At [name of high school], she made the varsity team as a freshman and became a captain in her junior year, a spot that had been reserved for seniors the past ten years. [name of tennis coach], the high school tennis coach, picked her in part not only to prepare her for the following year but also because she was approachable.
"I think of [name of applicant] as a quiet leader and the girls respect her," [name of coach] said. "She communicates with them without sounding bossy or pushy."
During her junior year, she learned how to sacrifice as she often had to play lower on the ladder in order for the team to win. But for her, it was worthwhile because they were crowned DeAnza league champions, one of the hardest tennis leagues in the country, for the first time in five years. According to [name of coach], [name of student] was a key player to the team's success.
"It didn't matter if I played singles or doubles," [name of applicant] said. "My job as a teammate was to help my team win and through that I learned how to play for something bigger than myself."
Sports -not just tennis- has shaped and influenced [applicant´s] life in a myriad of ways. Her experiences as a ballgirl was not only an avenue for developing her tennis skills, but a source of inspiration too.
"Being on the court with tennis legends is surreal," [name of applicant] said. "They inspired me to become more resilient and to stay humble and grounded. Most importantly, the experiences that sports provided me taught me how to dream."