At the end of my junior year, I was excited to see that there was an opening on the  Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in my area. Applying for this committee gave me an opportunity to reflect on my experiences as an athlete on the court and off the court. The application process required me to get references and explain why being on such a prestigious board was important to me. The further I got into the application process, the more I came to understand what a unique organization the IGHSAU is compared to other states. I started to understand that its existence has allowed me to have an athletic career throughout my school years with no boundaries and tons of support. As you can imagine, I was extremely thrilled and honored when I received the news that I would be serving on the advisory committee.

I was very anxious when I walked into our first meeting in September. It was great to meet the other committee members along with the adults that work for the IGHSAU. I really enjoyed learning how the Union creates postseason and tournament brackets. This was intriguing to me as it impacted me heading into my senior year of athletics. 

I would have to say my favorite part of serving on this committee was the opportunity to attend and work at the state tournaments. I was allowed behind the scenes, helped check athletes in, and developed a great appreciation for the organization and prep work that goes into these tournaments. The "Iowa Girl" is very fortunate to have these events to showcase our talents. The Union does an amazing job of endorsing these tournaments throughout our state. Every athlete wants to make it to state and the reason is because the IGHSAU makes it such an amazing experience. 

Unfortunately, my time on the Advisory Committee and my senior year was cut short due to these bizarre circumstances we have been dealing with in 2020. However, I feel very special that I got an inside glimpse of the best girls athletic organization in the nation. As I stated in my application, I don’t think that there are many girls that can say that both of their 80 year old grandmas played high school basketball. This kind of tradition and legacy is promoted by the IGHSAU. I will be able to play a sport in college because of the opportunities that have always been there for me provided by my school under the tradition of girls athletics in this state of Iowa.

I would like to thank the IGHSAU for selecting me to represent southeast Iowa and I will forever be proud of my connection with an athletic association dedicated to girls high school athletics.