I have dedicated myself to not only a sport for 4 years in college but also to believing in myself and making a difference in the larger world. Although I may not have the typical athletic body, I have played at Emerson for three years and enjoyed every moment of it through the good and the bad. We are not the best team in the league, but this past season became very close to beating a rival team to make it into the semi-finals of our conference. This year will mark my fourth and last year on the team, and I will play tennis along with beginning an internship on a presidential campaign. While I’ve managed to be in several organizations on campus and remain active in sports, this semester will behold my biggest challenge, of maintaining a healthy balance and lifestyle that includes a sport I love and my goals to move forward. I also have committed myself to service at school. This moment in time was not just any break, it was a bit of relaxation after working against a strong sun, on a hot New Orleans afternoon in March. After some brainstorming in September 2006, thinking about what I would do after the tennis season was over, I decided I wanted to create an Alternative Spring Break Program at my College, Emerson College. It was through a lot of hard work and dedication that myself and 11 other Emerson Students and 1 addtional advisor were able to go to New Orleans see it first hand and work on several houses through Habitat for Humanity. After seeking out several students who were interested in such a trip, we all committed $150 to make this trip happen. We knew we would have to fundraise all of the rest of the money on our own. With the help of the committed ASB Emerson team and plenty of hard work, we were able to raise over $7,000 to become an additional set of hands for helping to rebuild this broken city. We had a great time and set the foundation for years to come so the idea of ASB can stay alive at our college. It was through my hard work and dedication to tennis, I knew I could achieve anything I put my mind to, thus making this program a reality. In my last year of college I’m hoping to spread my positive energy across the tennis court and onto my team members and hope that they too can make a difference on and off the court and encourage them to become involved in the community where they play and live.