Athletics have always been an integral part of my upbringing and remain an important part of my life. My parents, both amazing athletes themselves, raised my brothers and I to embrace physical challenge, revel in teamwork, and above all, to enjoy ourselves in whatever sport we decided to take up. I remember playing tennis at an early age with my father, who earned a tennis scholarship to a University in the U.S. after training himself while living in a ghetto in South Africa, and watching my mother train for and compete in numerous triathlons while raising three children and working full time. Under their guidance, my brothers and I tried out every sport offered to us, including softball, soccer, basketball, and any road races that the whole family could join in for.

After moving from Kernersville, North Carolina to Portland, Oregon for my 7th grade year, I followed my best friend at the time, Cassie Randolph, to a track & field practice at school. Little did I know how much that track practice would impact my life. At the start of my track career, I was not a very strong hurdler at all. In fact, I lost all of my races that first year. Every hurdle I hit, every race I lost, every tear I shed on the track, all lead me to want to quit every other day. However, thanks to my supportive family, coach Fernando Fantroy, and my Dare to Dream Track Club, I kept going.

Being a member of Dare to Dream taught me many things about myself, including mental strength, perseverance, my physical pain threshold (having knocked down a hurdle or two (hundred) over the course of my training), and also the importance of maintaining a positive attitude even when the going gets tough. Our track motto, "DSMO," which meant "determined, self-motivated ones," was a mantra I whispered to myself not only at every track practice and meet, but also while studying for exams in school and before going on stage in a play production.

Being active and pushing myself physically will always be a part of who I am and will always be things I continue to work on as a result of my experience as a student-athlete. My dedication on the track has lead to dedication in so many other areas of my life, and I am grateful for my amazing parents for their support, my younger brothers for looking up to me as a role model and pushing me to be better, and Coach Fernando for seeing so many amazing things in me that I had yet to see but was able to attain under his training.