Confidence by Sam

Confidence by Sam - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

My tennis coach has taught me the greatest lesson i've ever learned. There are people who enter our lives for a reason, and she had a big reason to come into mine. I’ve always believed in myself in the face of challenges and had a quiet confidence about me, but the way she carries herself changed the way I carry myself. The confidence she has in herself is unlike anything I have ever seen. From the way she talks to her posture, she knows who she is, and she isn’t afraid to be seen.
I was excited when I first met her. I finally got the chance to tryout to be part of an elite program at a tennis club near my city. I had to hit for an hour with the lead pro at the club, Felicia. I showed up early to warm up and check out the club. There was a poster board on one of the walls that showed the biographies of all the tennis coaches at the club. When I came across Felicia’s name, my excitement soon turned to gut-wrenching nerves as I saw that she was a former professional tennis player. I was about to play tennis with a former top 100 tennis player in the world. I had to play well.
The door opened, and there she was standing tall and upright as she said “Hello.” It was one of the loudest greetings I’d ever heard. Every time she talked to me, it sounded like she was yelling. During that one hour tryout she watched me intently as I hit. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if she blinked. When I was finished with the tryout, we walked back to talk to my parents. To my surprise, she praised my game and said that she would love to work with me. I trained under her tutelage for the next six years and enjoyed every minute of it.
Her personality is one of a kind. She showed me how to have confidence without becoming boastful and how to be a kind person through the process. I had confidence in myself before I met Felicia, but it was nowhere near what I have now. After modeling my behavior after her for so many years, I walk around with my back straight and a smile on my face. I talk loud and proud to everyone I meet because I am confident in who I am and what I am saying. Without meeting Felicia, I would never be as kind or confident as I am today.