June 28, 2006

(The student-athlete nominee is required to submit a personal statement as part of the NCAA Woman of the Year nomination process. In the personal statement, the nominee was asked to identify and briefly describe three to five benefits the nominee has gained from her experience as a student-athlete. A 200 word maximum will be enforced)

Through four years of volleyball at Siena College, I have gained insight that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. One of the most important lessons that I have learned is to always focus on the next point. Like life, the game keeps going, even when you make a mistake. Being a student-athlete has taught me that I can recognize what went wrong and continue to concentrate on all that comes next. College athletics has also taught me the importance of discipline.

To succeed in school, sports and life, we need to make certain sacrifices to realize our ambitions. Whether it is pushing a little harder in practice or putting in that extra hour of studying at the library, being a student-athlete has helped me learn how to prioritize my goals in order to achieve those that are most important to me. However, sometimes we can not accomplish everything on our own. As a college athlete, I have learned that teamwork is a critical aspect of success.

Teammates are an invaluable source of support and friendship and, without them, we could never reach our goals.