For as long as I can remember I have been holding onto a 40-inch metal pole. It wasn’t a fishing-pole or shovel, but a lacrosse stick that I have been holding onto most of my life. When I was 5 years old and going into kindergarten, I began playing lacrosse and didn’t look back.

After beginning with kiddie-lax, I began to grow into it and become more involved. I transitioned into playing on the local rec team, and then on the middle school team where I began playing midfield. Over the years, my career grew as a I continued running back and forth, day after day, game after game.

As I began enjoying lacrosse more, I started playing even more. I was now not only playing in the spring, but also in the summer and fall for a local travel team called Upper Level. When I reached high school, I began playing the most competitive lacrosse of my life, and I also began coaching for the local rec teams.

Over the course of high school, I went on to serve as captain of the team helping to lead our program to win three conference titles, and compete in two county finals, three state playoff appearances, and a state final game over three seasons.

After finishing my high school lacrosse career, I finally stooped and looked back on my many years and realized how much lacrosse can be used as a metaphor. The many years I spent running back and forth, always chasing a goal. Whether it was through ups, downs, wins, losses, tragedy, or friendship it was more than just the game of lacrosse.

Looking back on it, the game of lacrosse now sounded so much like the game of life. However, it was time for me to move on from lacrosse and begin chasing a new goal. This journey has led me to where I am today, at the University of Georgia, where I will be chasing the next goal in this game of life.