I’d have to say my path to Grand Valley Rowing is a little bit different than most other seniors. As a junior in college, I decided to transfer to Grand Valley based solely on its women’s rowing program. I had been rowing at a different school that wasn’t competitive on even a state level, let alone national level and decided I wanted more. So knowing I would only get to compete with Grand Valley rowers for two years, I decided to make the switch. So the biggest lesson I’ve taken from Grand Valley rowing is that if you want more, you can have more- you can have as much as you’re willing to fight for everyday. And that is what it took for me to be successful in this sport: a daily commitment to strive for more than what I already have and improve myself systematically. This lesson will no doubt carry me through the rest of my life and lend itself to my future success. Other than personal growth, rowing has left me with so many good memories with other determined and inspirational people. I can’t narrow all of my memories down to one specific moment that I can call “favorite.” I think for me it is all the little moments of success: the day you pulled a PR on your 6K, the last ten strokes of a big race, the day the whole team had a water balloon fight, the day we rowed a BFE in a hurricane, the day you held the medal you and your teammates worked hard for, or even the small funny jokes with teammates. It’s the little moments that I remember the most and will carry with me throughout my life along with the large lessons.