Essay \"Tennis: a navigation tool for my life\" - grade A PDF

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Tennis: A Navigation Tool for My Life...

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Tennis: A Navigation Tool for My Life

It has always been my dream to explore new places, try to learn new things and step out of my miniscule town in order to gain some exposure. My love for adventure can be attributed to the devotion and love of two people who gave me the opportunity to explore and study abroad, thousands of miles away from home, even when they knew that they would only be able to see me twice a year or even less. These two wonderful souls are my parents, and there is nothing that I wouldn’t do for them. My father, a renowned neurosurgeon, and my beautiful mother, a consultant nutritionist, are from a small city in Punjab called Patiala. My parents’ journey from rags to riches has not been an easy one. They always wanted me to gain the best possible education, no matter how far I would have to go to achieve that, from boarding school to university in the United States. Along with the support of my education, my parents also encouraged me to play sports throughout my career. They gave me all the opportunities that their parents could not afford to give them. I am a professional tennis player and I have been playing tennis for the past eleven years. This accomplishment would not have been possible without my father’s never-ending encouragement that began when I first picked up a racket. I have competed all over India and I have won several national singles and doubles tournaments. I am now representing my university in the United States as well. I was ranked in the top 50 and top 100 players of India in the under 16 and under 18 age group categories respectively.

Perhaps a surprise after listing such accomplishments, to be honest, in the beginning I did not enjoy playing tennis and I had almost no interest in pursuing it as my career. For the first three years, my father motivated me to continue playing tennis, and I am now grateful that he did not let me quit. He has been pushing and challenging me since I was a small child, studying in 3 rd grade, to participate in activities that I did not enjoy. He never lost faith in me and he always believed that some day I would be successful and I would start playing passionately and independently. My father made life challenging for a 3 rd grader, but by the time that 3rd grader was in 6th grade, he started loving everything that he did on the court. It was the time for a change; a change which transformed my life. Tennis started to a play major role in my future decisions. I improved and gained so much interest in tennis that the opportunities in my hometown felt very limited. I decided to transfer to a tennis academy, four hours away from my home, which had its own tennis-specific international school. I trained there for four years, studying the international board, and worked to improve my ranking with the goal of coming to the United States, where the level of tennis is more competitive. Even though I spent seven hours on the court every day, I did not let that affect my academics. I topped my entire school with the highest grade in every subject in IGCSEs. I credit these achievements to my parents who taught me how to manage time efficiently and how to make the best use of every opportunity. It is because of tennis that I received such great exposure to the rest of the world. I shifted from the tennis academy to another international school further away from my home in a quest to achieve better education and to seek enhanced tennis opportunities. My parents readily supported me in this decision. I recently graduated from Pathways World School, Aravali, India

which is a school affiliated to the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, and I graduated with 39 IB points out of the possible 45. IB English Language and Literature really helped me improve my English skills and not only gave me the confidence to read and analyze complex articles and other works, but also improved my writing skills and drastically reduced my grammatical mistakes. Despite the IB helping me attain my current level, hardwork and “shitty first drafts” in writing college essays also contributed to my overall development in gaining confidence in the English language. Anne Lamott, through her honest piece of writing, ‘Shitty First Drafts’, explains how difficult it was for her to start her writings and how the writers tend to procrastinate. If nothing came to her mind while writing she would make a few phone calls and hit the kitchen; but what I do is that I go hit the gym or have a game of tennis. Sports are a stress-reliever for me and they help my focus immensely. I believe playing a tennis match is like writing an essay; the more you practice, the better you get. Living in boarding schools for 6 years, studying international curriculums and playing tennis professionally were all important aspects in my preparation for attending university in the United States. Tennis has been a major aspect of my life which substantially contributed to my personality and growth. Diverse educational opportunities, changing environments, unfamiliar surroundings and exploring places; these things are the foundations of my life. My parents have always let me make my own decisions and motivate me to find my own strengths and weaknesses. This free will, coupled with perception of duty which my parents have given me is a key trait that has kept me afloat in my life. All of these experiences have been vital to my personality, and my identity is what makes my writing distinct and real. I have a long way to go

with English and my writing skills, but I will use the diligence I’ve honed in tennis and the support from my parents to help me get where I want to be. I am ready for the journey ahead.

- Akhil Bansal NEU ID Number: 001703301...