I played sports constantly throughout my life before getting to college. After spending my freshman year without playing sports I was itching to return to a competitive environment and decided to tryout for the UW boxing team. I had never boxed before and didn't know anyone on the team but forced myself to step out of my comfort zone and give it a shot. After a month of pouring my heart out at grueling tryouts I was fortunate enough to be one of the few people who made the team. I trained relentlessly throughout the school year and bonded strongly with my coaches and teammates. In February of 2015 I had my first boxing fight in Reno, Nevada (pictured below). Unfortunately, the fight didn't go my way and I got knocked out in the first round. Rather than letting this get me down I used the experience as motivation to train even harder and I became the President of the team the next season. As President I was in charge of managing day to day activities of the team, leading tryouts, and acting as liaison between the club and the university. My journey from being scared to tryout, to making the team, to getting knocked out in my first fight and then becoming president taught me the importance of perseverance and believing in yourself.