When I was a 7 year old school girl, a man came into my classroom and asked the teacher if he could pass some information to the girls about gymnastics. “What is gymnastics?”, I thought. Then he proceeded to check our height, strength and probably other characteristics that he was looking for in future athletes. He was one of my future coaches and he was using an old Soviet technique of selecting potential athletes. I got the slip with information about tryouts, and happily presented it to my dad at home. We went to tryouts, and after performing close to 20 pull ups, jumping into a giant pit of spongy squares, and showing off my flexibility, I was accepted!

     My parents had a discussion with me about the responsibility and difficulty of the sport, and talked to me about the dedication and work it’ll take to make it in gymnastics. As years went by I became stronger, better and more motivated to succeed. And I was! I always strived to do my best and one of the most important lessons I remember from that time was my dad telling me this: “Always do your best. It doesn’t matter what others are doing – you can’t control other athletes or their performance. All you can do is do your best, and see where that takes you”. That advice has been useful to me my whole life, in sports, life, school, career...

    After years of success nationally and internationally as a gymnast, I started growing a little too tall. Among other problems I encountered an issue with our parallel bars and when doing giants on the high bar, my toes would sweep the floor and give me terrible carpet burn. My coaches looked for other options for myself and my teammates as we were about to begin high school. I was encouraged to try pole vaulting and I immediately fell in love with the sport. I loved the transition between gymnastics and pole vaulting, since I still felt like a gymnast once in the air during a vaulting jump. With the same determination and hard work I succeeded in pole vaulting on national and international scales during high school, but once it was time to graduate I had to make a decision for my future. I knew that athletics was very important to me, but investing in academics was just as crucial in my eyes. I was fortunate enough to meet a coach from Northeastern University, who eventually became my coach as I got accepted to Northeastern.

    I competed for 4 years as a Division I student-athlete and I truly enjoyed the experience. Of course juggling both sport and school wasn’t always easy (and a part time job!), but that’s what shaped me and helped me to become the person I am today. Hard work always pays off as I learned both through athletics and academics. I noticed that the busier I was the more organized and diligent I became in my work. Sport teaches you so many lessons – to keep going even when you think you can’t, to keep believing and striving forward towards your goals, you get back what you put in, and many more. Those are some of the invaluable lessons I learned along the way of my athletic career and I am incredibly grateful for them.

    Once my athletic eligibility ended I pursued a few different careers, none of which I had a true passion for. I am glad that I tried though, because those experiences helped me realize that there’s nothing better than doing what you love and following your true calling. For me it’s always been exercise, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. As a personal trainer today I get to translate this love for health and my motivating approach to life and share it with those who are on a path to a healthier life. I condition people’s bodies and through exercise and nutrition, and coach their minds to become who they truly are inside - I couldn’t ask for a more rewarding job.