I am a Division-1 student athlete at the University of California, Davis. I compete year round in cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track and field. As much as I wish I could say running is the least interesting thing about me, like so many other student-athletes, my sport is such an intrinsic part of my story that I would be remiss to not include it in this section.I began seriously running at the age of 12 and have run through tens of thousands of miles worth of Nikes, Hokas, and New Balances. My running shoes have seen me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. But no matter what the run looked like-- whether it was fast or slow, short or long, I always returned with an invigorated sense of commitment and mental fortitude. Running has taught me everything I know about perseverance and I am able to apply this work ethic to all that I do. While my high school's rigorous course load and AP classes certainly prepared me well for college, I truly believe it is running I have to thank for my academic success. Through monotonous, 12+ mile long-runs, I acclimated to completing (and even finding joy) in the most tedious of tasks-- like combing through 50+ page theses and research papers. Long interval sets that feel hard from the very first rep gave me the strength and experience to remain calm on difficult exams-- tackling one question at a time. Changes in weather, race times, and competition at meets made me accustom to the constantly evolving and increasingly arduous standards of my professors, the university, and academia itself. The time commitment of being a three-season, year-round, traveling athlete has taught me how to best maximize my education and time in the classroom. Every assignment completed, every office hour attended, every paper written is done with extreme focus and intention as I cannot afford to get it right and get it done the first time. While all of these academic skills have been pivotal to my success in the classroom, I am most appreciative for the ways in which running has shaped my sense of self. Because of running, I am not afraid when faced with adversity, I am not afraid when I have to learn, and I am not afraid to fail. Running has taught me to chase me how to chase my wildest aspirations and how to respond when the outcome is not what I expected. Most of all, it has given me my strong sense of confidence (maybe too much confidence considering I have turned my entire LinkedIn bio to a cheesy dedication to the sport),So yes running is my personality, but is that such a bad thing?