Loyalty for Life

In sports, everyone likes to root for the underdog. This is my third time applying to the University of Washington’s Seattle campus, which makes me sort of an underdog. For as long as I can remember, the University of Washington has been a constant throughout my life; avidly supporting Husky sports every weekend, people like Isaiah Thomas and Lorenzo Romar were heroes to me. This personal history runs so deep that I would not take "no" for an answer when I was not accepted to my dream school upon graduating from high school. My commitment to UW was so strong that I turned down opportunities at Boise State and Colorado Boulder to instead attend UW Bothell for easily transferable credits. I was raised on Husky traditions and this influenced an interest in sports journalism that has become my passion and career goal.

As a lifelong athlete, I love the games of basketball, football, soccer and golf. In my two years at UW Bothell, I have found my interest in sports journalism extends beyond just the sports I know best. My creative writing professor encouraged me to try something new, so I trained and ran in the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon. Pushing my physical and mental limits gave me a new perspective on sports and helped me to become a better writer.

Through creative writing classes, communications courses, and writing freelance articles on local high school sports, I have honed my craft in order to achieve my goals. On the strength of my freelance work published on social media, I was hired at Prep Hoops, a college basketball scouting agency. My writing is used by collegiate coaches to analyze and select players for their teams. Attending the UW Seattle campus would allow access to professional and collegiate sporting events that aren’t readily available on the east side. Location is particularly important in order to get the most experience covering sporting events. By finishing my communications degree at UW Seattle, I would also have the opportunity to take my talents to UW's student newspaper, The Daily. I see this as a stepping stone leading to an internship at a larger periodical next summer, where I would have the opportunity for more involved work covering pro sports in Seattle.

I believe the University of Washington is the best fit for me for several reasons. My home is in the University District, which is where my family, job, sports, and commitments are located. Time management has been a struggle due to the commute from my home and job in the U District all the way to UW Bothell. Over the past two years commuting to Bothell, my crowded schedule did not allow me to invest in the social and family relationships I value while balancing my journalism. What little time I had to spare was spent reviewing homework or preparing for tests along with a hefty work schedule. Despite these challenges, I’ve maintained a 3.5 cumulative GPA which is well above the UW Seattle Spring 2019 all men’s average of 3.31. While I am thankful for character-building challenges, having more hours in the day to focus on my priorities would undoubtedly have a significant positive impact on my quality of life.

When considering my application I hope you take into account the passion that I have for the University of Washington, and connecting the community with sports news. What differentiates me from other transfer applicants is my unwavering dedication to the school which catalyzed my ambition to become a sports journalist. Being a Husky is not just a means to an end for me, it is my way of life.

Note: This piece was used for my original UW Application