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There are many things that make up who I am! Some of the most prevalent are my family, early school years, basketball, music, and religion.

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I have always been an athletic person, and that has been a very big part of my life since the beginning of high school. I played volleyball and basketball throughout my high school years. I played on a high level volleyball team, we placed 15th in nationals my sophomore year. Some of my teammates play at schools like BYU, UVU, Utah, and DSU. I always wanted to play volleyball in college but the opportunity was not right for me. I ended up committing to DSU to play basketball my senior year of high school. I learned a lot, and didn't have the best experience. I decided that I needed to transfer to SLCC after our season ended. My experience wasn't that much better and I quickly learned that I wasn't wanted by my coaches. This was unfortunate but I stuck with it and made some my best friends from this team. About a month ago, I committed to play basketball at a small school in Montana. I feel truly accepted by the coaches and the team and I couldn't be anymore excited to finish the rest of my college years with people I know want me to be with them. The recruiting process for sports is extremely difficult, I sent over 1500 emails to college coaches for volleyball alone. I have talked with over a hundred coaches on the phone and been on multiple visits for volleyball and basketball. Recruiting has improved my communication skills more than anything. I have learned how to properly email, and create thoughtful responses to difficult questions without sounding too childish. I think these experiences alone will help me with communication for the rest of my life.

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I grew up with my older brother and younger brother and our parents. Me and my siblings have great relationships and often do things together like shop or play sports. My parents met at the University of Utah where they were both athletes. My dad played basketball and my mom played softball. My older brother played lacrosse for Westminster, and my younger brother also has aspirations of playing lacrosse in college. Recently my mom discovered her biological parents and we have added many people to our family! It has been so wonderful getting to know my knew cousins and spending time with new family. Without my family, I wouldn't be who I am today.

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I grew up in a denominational household, with my dad considering himself a christian and my mom considering herself agnostic. I started questioning a lot as i grew older, I didn't necessarily agree with a lot of the history behind religion as a whole. I now consider myself a spiritual person but I will never consider myself any religion. I think it is really important to respect anyone's religious beliefs, and I take pride in being understanding and accepting of other peoples' values. This is important when you communicate with others because you want to be respectful towards them and what they believe.

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Music has been a big part of my life as long as I can remember. I used to listen to CD mixes on a pink barbie CD player my grandpa got me for christmas. My favorite was listening to the Jackson 5 and Amy Winehouse. Now, I use music to calm my nerves and stay in a good mood. Having struggled in the past with depression and anxiety, I have always used music to cope with my feelings. Almost everyone enjoys music, so it can be a great way to connect with different people. Having conversations about music are usually positive, and create generally good relationships!

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During my elementary years I went to a small private school called Redeemer Lutheran. I absolutely loved this school and it has positively affected me for the rest of my life. Because I had such a great experience at this school, I decided to study elementary education to become a teacher. Elementary school can be a big factor into who you become. When you are treated with respect at a young age, and promoted to think for yourself, you can become a strong individual who is prepared for your future. This relates to communication for me because I want be able to effectively communicate with my students in the future. And I want to be the role model for them that I had in elementary school.