It was evident from a young age that I had some speech issues. My family did not understand how serious it was until I was not hitting any of the speech milestones. By the age of 4, I was considered pretty much non-verbal. The ironic part is that I thought I was speaking clearly. I would have full conversations and thoughts in my head, thinking this was all being verbalized and understood. Sadly, the noises and garbled sounds coming out made no sense at all. Eventually, coaches and teachers threw their hands in the air and really did not know how to help me since communication was so limited. This was just the beginning of my journey.

My mom was trying to figure out how to navigate through my next steps in the sports world while I was trying to get through speech therapy sessions and flavored tongue depressors. One day she randomly came across a coupon for tennis in a local magazine. I picked out my pink Venus and Serena Williams Wilson racquet at the front desk and I was ready to go. The second I stepped on that court, something lit up inside of me. It felt so natural. It felt like a safe space and a place where I feel like I could fully express myself. Every time I stepped on the court, my speech was a bit clearer than the time before, and I began to soar. Not only did I love tennis, but I truly found my voice and confidence on that court. Without tennis, I have no clue where I would be.

Flash forward 20 years later. I graduated speech therapy years ago, played collegiate tennis and now serve as a member of the USTA National Adaptive Committee. I have a goal of helping other families who find themselves where I was. I am active in the adaptive community and continue to be vocal and active in order to help others find their voices.

I am proud of my journey and proud to be a part of other athletes’ journeys.

I give back to the sport that has given me so much. I want to give all athletes an opportunity to thrive.