You and I are bound together by a decade filled with lots of sweat, many more tears, and an abundance of smiles, high fives, and laughter. Even while writing this supposed goodbye letter, I realize how we will never quite leave one another. Volleyball, we have had a long ride and I am amazed and grateful for how you shaped who I am and the paths I have taken.
Retrospectively, it feels funny. When I started playing you, I thought you would just be a small hobby to balance out my theater-nerd self—boy was I wrong. Having just graduated from Swarthmore, my closest friends, my most vivid memories, and much of my growth as a community member and person are related to you.
Looking back, I want to say thank you. You taught me lessons that will serve me for the rest of my life. You taught me to be endlessly grateful for my family--for my mom who would knit during games (never quite understanding all the rules) and for my dad who booked his travel for work around my season and showed up to every single game of my senior year. You showed me to value patience, practice and the discipline required to grow from good to great. You granted me my first tastes of success, failure and perseverance. You unveiled to me just how competitive I am and how hard I can work. Because of you, I know myself to be strong, bold, and unapologetic. I know I am a leader. I know I will fail sometimes at the things I do, but I also know I will get back up to learn, to grow, and to fight for victory.
Most importantly, you showed me how to find and build community. I am filled with love for my coaches, mentors, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and of course my beloved teammates. By both challenging and supporting me, they pushed me to evolve into my best self and filled these past years with such color and joy. They showed me that real community holds one another close during our good days and even closer still during our bad ones. And because of you, volleyball, I have made life-long connections with people who I never would have met otherwise. You pushed to me to become a leader on the court as well as a leader in my community.
Sitting here now, I could not be happier that I chose to try out for that first team and stand in front of the net that first time. I hope you know that I will carry you with me as I take each next step in life.