I want colleges to look at my transcript and wonder how I did it all and how I succeeded in all of it. 

I want to be able to say that I didn’t fold under pressure and that I do swimming because I love it and love the feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself. 

But it’s tough to maintain perfect grades and be the perfect athlete when you feel like you’re losing what you love about the sport in the process. 

It’s all about harmony. You have to successfully balance school, sports, mental health, and social life. 

When someone asks me why I swim, I always say it’ll give me a better chance at college. However, I love it because it gives me a break from everyday life, structure, and stability. 

Every day, my time in the pool is about getting better and staying focused on just swimming. Not about the test I have tomorrow or what I have going on with my friends, but just swim. 

Although swimming takes the majority of my time, my family comes to all of my meets to cheer me on. 

Swimming made my brother, who graduated last year, and me closer because we were on the same team. That gives us a shared interest to talk about when he is at college. 

For my social life, my teammates are also my friends. They understand the pressure I put on myself to swim and help me have a better mentality about the sport I chose. 

Newspaper enables me to have a different outlet that focuses on writing and creativity. I can spend time with my best friend and take photos of events that I love. 

In college, I want to study journalism and be able to swim for the college I attend. 

Someone once told me that I make swimming my whole personality, and that’s all I talk about. It’s true, but it’s because I devote myself to what I love. As long as I have people in my life who encourage me and are my motivation, I can continue doing that.