High school girls lacrosse player of the year

Position: Goalie

Height/Weight: 5-foot-2, 150 pounds

Class: Senior

College choice: Signed with Notre Dame

Why Notre Dame: I chose Notre Dame because my grandfather, my mother and four siblings went there, and my grandparents were married there, so it's a very special place to me. When I was considering Duke, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth and Northwestern, I was always referencing back to Notre Dame. I felt very comfortable there. Catholicism was an important factor, along with athletics and academics. They have a good business school in the Mendoza College of Business, which is nationally recognized and where my grandfather and mom got a degree from, so it would be a real honor to carry on that legacy. Notre Dame is the perfect fit for me.

Best high school moment: All my senior year. Everything we practiced leading up to each game was executed perfectly, and we felt like we were in control the entire time. And winning state felt great because we got to go out on a high note.

Why lacrosse: My dad played lacrosse in college. I'm fourth of five, and all of us played. My brother was a goalie, and he got me into playing there. My dad shot to me, and I got into it right away. I started playing in second grade and started playing goalie in third grade. I played as both an attacker and goalie all the way until eighth grade, and then I stuck to just goalie to get ready for high school.

What you'd like to be doing in 10 years: In 10 years, I hope to be somehow be involved in lacrosse in my professional career because athletics is where my passion lies. Hopefully I can get there with my Notre Dame education within next four years. Right now, my intended major is business. I don't have a clear direction yet, but business is associated with everything, and it's a good foundation. So if it turns out that's not what I want to do, I can transition out of it easily.

Favorite high school course: AP comparative government. It was incredibly interesting. We focused on six countries, and looked at the dynamics of their governments, then compared them at end of the year. It's great knowledge to have going into real world. I took away from it that it's important to speak up for what you believe in because around the world, some people can't. It's easy to take what we have for granted, and we're fortunate for what we have here.

People who helped along the way: It starts with parents. I was lucky they encouraged me to get into lacrosse and then supported me with whatever position I wanted play. They took me to camp and put me in position to become better. My siblings influenced me by playing in the yard. They challenged me to become better. My teammates pushed me to be better, and I live by the 40-percent rule Tim Godby has. He talked about it a lot this season, and it's a belief held in the Marines. When you feel your body getting tired, you have 40 percent more in the tank. So push yourself. That was your job. I've been playing under coach Godby and coach Matt Snyder since second grade. It started with Milton summer camps. I've been under their watch for 12 years.

Toughest high school opponent: As far as in-state opponents, I would say Lassiter. They're always a physical team, and the players have been in a rivalry since middle school. As far as out-of-state, we've always challenged ourselves with high-level teams, like McDonough from Maryland, and playing teams like that is why we've so much success in-state.

Favorite movie: "The Heat." Melissa McCarthy is great. I enjoy watching her because she's a great, physical comedian. She shows that a lot in this movie, and I love it.

Favorite song: "Rolex" by Ayo & Teo. We took the field to that song, so it reminds me of my team and the great season we had.

Worst high school moment: The state championship my junior year. We lost to Walton by a point. I attribute that loss to our success my senior year. Because of the loss, we were so driven to win the title and show everyone what type of program we have.

If you could be any other athlete on earth: That's a hard one, but I'd probably be Joe Flacco because he's always clutch in big games. I'm a huge Ravens fan, and I think he's great. I lived in Baltimore for five years before I moved here in first grade.

Money or happiness: Happiness because it's more important, definitely. When I think about great moments, it doesn't involve dollar amounts but great people and great times.

Best word to describe yourself: Dedicated. I can't stop doing something until I achieve my goal.

View of the world at this moment: I think right now, the world is at a very big turning point, socially and politically. Our country is at a crossroads, and I'm interested in decisions that are being made at the highest level in politics. I want to have a voice in that discussion and want to make my beliefs known. This is an interesting time to be growing into an adult, and the world needs leaders. Hopefully, I can be a part of that.

What you would put in a time capsule: I would put my senior yearbook in a time capsule. I have been the editor of the yearbook for two years, so during that time I tried to make it reflective of the Milton seniors. In my sociology class, we had an assignment where we had to look through old Milton yearbooks dating back to the '40s, and it was so interesting to see how things had changed. In one of the books there was a page dedicated to weddings, and I wonder if my yearbook will have norms that will become outdated. That's why I would put it in a time capsule.