BeachBlog: Part 7BeachBlog: Part 7
Beach Volleyball

BeachBlog: Part 7

Hey Stanford Fans!
 
We wrapped up our 2018 season, and I have officially concluded my beach volleyball career at Stanford. So, what's next?
 
I am graduating from Stanford this June with a degree in Human Biology, and after that I plan on attending medical school to become a doctor. Pursuing that field has always been my ultimate goal, so academics were always a priority, but I always had a passion for volleyball and didn't want to choose between the two. I fell in love with volleyball because I loved how fast-paced the game was and I loved the strategy behind the game and the need to execute under pressure. I loved being active, I loved working with other people towards a common goal, I loved having to consistently put in hard work to improve, I loved how exhilarating and gratifying it felt to have your hard work finally pay off, and I loved how meritocratic the sport was. I wasn't ready to give all that up, so I decided to pursue being a student-athlete at the collegiate level.
 
One thing that Coach Karissa said to us that really stuck with me is that we play volleyball to become better people, not just to become better players. It reminded me at a tough time that I wasn't just playing just to be a good volleyball player, but because I liked the person that the sport was molding me into. I now see a lot of parallels between volleyball and medicine, parallels that excite me for a future in healthcare. I always wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to be able to help people and have significant social impact, and I think that the lessons learned through volleyball will be invaluable to me as I pursue this dream.

 
Being a student-athlete has taught me many lessons beyond just hard work, accountability, balance, and time management. In order to be a good doctor, you can study for hours on end to gain a deep understanding of the human body and different treatments, but you also have to be able to apply a certain set of facts and techniques to multiple different situations with different patients of unique backgrounds. Similar to volleyball, you can practice a skill for hours on end, but no practice rep will ever be the same as what occurs in a game.
 
Volleyball has also taught me how to perform well in high pressure situations and to deal with failure in a healthy and productive way. In athletics, you can make a mistake, but you can't dwell on it or let it affect you mentally, because you need to stay present and focus on the play at hand, just as in medicine you can't let a previous patient encounter prevent you from focusing on the patient at hand. Volleyball has also taught me that you can practice diligently and put in as much effort as possible, but sometimes it still isn't enough to win a match. No one wins all the time, just as in medicine you can't expect successful patient outcomes every time, even if you do everything in your power towards achieving that goal. Athletics have instilled in me a sense of resilience, because even if I can't control what happens, I can control how I react to it. Volleyball has taught me how to find meaning and learn from both good and bad experiences—a skill that made me a better athlete and which I believe will make me a better physician.
 

 
Finally, volleyball has taught me how to connect and empathize with people of varying backgrounds and cultures, expanding my worldview. I learned how to communicate and work with various types of individuals towards a common goal, another skill that I think will serve me well moving forward.
 
Looking back on my four years as a student-athlete here, I feel completely overwhelmed with love, gratitude, and humility. Being a Stanford student-athlete is a truly exceptional and remarkable achievement. It means that your college years were filled with hours and hours of training both in the weight room and on the court alongside national champions, Olympians, and other elite athletes. But it also means that your years were filled with hours and hours of classes, study groups, and office hours alongside the next generation of CEOs, world leaders, and revolutionizing innovators. No one at Stanford is mediocre, and while it can be intimidating to be associated with such an elite group, it is also extremely motivating. Everyone in the community is relentless in their pursuit of excellence, both in the classroom and in extracurricular endeavors, and the hard work that they put in and the humble ways in which they do so is truly inspiring. This is why I consider being a student-athlete at Stanford one of the greatest honors—it is a group of individuals that I have always and will always admire and aspire to emulate.
 
I have had the time of my life playing volleyball, and I wouldn't have traded a single day representing Stanford with my teammates for anything. I had very limited beach volleyball experience coming in, so John Dunning and Denise Corlett took a huge chance on me as an incoming freshman when they offered me the opportunity to be Stanford's first full-time beach player. Although I still don't know exactly what they saw in me that convinced them to entrust me with that honor, I am so grateful that they did, and I can honestly say that I never stopped trying to be qualified for the position.

 
Volleyball has been such a huge part of my life up and my identity up until this point, so it feels a bit surreal to think that I am onto the next chapter of my life. However, the more I've thought about it, I've realized that even if I am no longer playing for upwards of 20 hours per week, volleyball will always be a part of me. This sport has given me so many amazing experiences, taught me some of the most important life lessons, and introduced me to some pretty incredible people. These are all things that I know I will take away from my time as a volleyball player and I know will serve me as I start the next chapter in my life.
 
It truly has been the greatest honor and privilege to represent Stanford. I poured my heart and soul into this team and this program and gave them everything I had, and I would like to think that I helped set up some of the foundations for the program's future success. It breaks my heart that I don't get more time here, but the future of Stanford Beach Volleyball is so bright and I can't wait to see my teammates take this program to new levels next season and beyond.
 
Once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal!
 
#5 signing off.