Day 354 of 365 "Working Through Adversity"

Meet Amanda from Anaheim Hills, CA.

The one word that best describes Amanda's life today is "Bliss."  The reason why Amanda chose this word is because she is enjoying a relaxing time on the beach with her friends.

If Amanda could change one thing in the world, she would "Want college to be free for everyone."  The way she would go about making this change is by voicing her opinions, educate and collaborate with like minded people who share this vision and have the influence and resources to make this change.

One year from today, Amanda would like for her college tennis team to win the NCAA title for women's tennis.  And remain healthy and happy along the way.

If Amanda's life were a movie, it would be about the dedication, sacrifice and hard work playing tennis at a young age and a high level of competition.  Her story would give an insight to the pressure of performing on the court and working through adversity.  The title of her movie would be called "Working Through Adversity."

I met Amanda and her teammates as they were standing on the waters edge on Main Beach in front of the Hotel Laguna.

Amanda shared with me the ups and downs of playing competitive tennis at such an early age and the struggles and sacrifices her family made so that she could pursue her dream.  Amanda is a Freshman in college and plays tennis for the University of Portland.

Amanda is soft spoken, very bright and loves to read.  I know this because her friends were looking to her for answers to some of the questions and she had some great answers.  Who knows, maybe Amanda will send me her notes after reading this and give me recommendations to make this story jump off the page!

When I first saw Amanda, she was holding onto what I thought was a rug she must have just purchased in town.  I had to laugh at myself because it turns out that it was her beach mat to sit on with her friends.  Sometimes I can be clueless when it comes to my observations.

I am a huge tennis fan and told Amanda that I will be following her career and cheering her on.  You can check out Amanda's player profile from school here.

Good luck Amanda as you pursue your tennis dreams!