Today, when I think of my time at Princeton, I feel like water polo was an invaluable component of my life there. However, I came to Princeton unsure of how my athletic experience playing women’s water polo would fit with my academic and student life. I knew that it would be a challenge to try to integrate these three components, but I never fully anticipated how interconnected these parts of student life were. My freshman year, I was fortunate to find such an amazing coach in Luis Nicolao and a wonderful mentor in Goga Vukmirovik, our team captain.
Goga and our other team leaders broadened my understanding of leadership in their holistic approach to college life. Throughout my four years, my teammates became some of my best friends and together we strove to distinguish our relatively new program on a national level.
In the course of playing water polo for Princeton, and keeping in touch with my teammates after graduation, I’ve learned and have come to understand that work ethic, commitment to excellence, and respect for others and their talents in athletic endeavors can readily translate into achievement in college life and the professional world. I’m astonished by just how fortunate I’ve been to have this opportunity, and I’ve returned to campus several times to cheer on the Tigers.
