Faith Anderson '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Faith Anderson and I am a diver from the Class of 2017 with a great story.  After spending 9 years diligently and successfully working towards my dream of becoming a college level gymnast, my career came to an unexpected end due to an overuse injury to my elbow.  Rather than becoming discouraged and defeated, I turned my attention towards diving.  I decided to try diving because of my gymnastics background and the sport came naturally to me and I fell in love with it.  After having surgery on my elbow in August of 2013, I began to focus on diving full time.  After just 4 months of training, I qualified for Districts and then qualified to the State Tournament.  It was then that I realized that I could have a bright future in the world of diving and could possibly prepare myself to become a successful college diver.  I have a lot of work to do to fulfill that dream but I know that with my dedication, hard work and determination, I can reach that goal.

While diving has become my passion, my main focus is always on school.  In addition to transitioning from gymnastics to diving, after six and a half years of being homeschooled, I also decided to transition back into the public school system.  I am now a straight A Honors Student at East Palestine High School, where my goal is to become the Valedictorian.  In a very competitive class with many hard working and intelligent students, this will be a tough goal to reach, but I am up for the challenge.  I believe in setting the bar high in everything I do.  In addition to my studies, I was also recently elected to be one of the Vice Presidents for the Rotary Interact Club.  This is a service based club that participates in such things as Operation Christmas Child, Caring Hands Food Bank and EP Dog Days (a community cleanup and beautification day for our small town).  In addition to service opportunities, we also participate in and attend various leadership workshops and conferences.

I believe I would be an asset to any coach and team.  While there are many hardworking and dedicated athletes across the country, I believe that my response to the adversity and challenges that life has thrown at me over the past year really sets me apart from my peers.  I have proven myself not only as a tough individual but a tough competitor.  My goal is to find a school that will be challenging both academically and athletically.  I would like to find a school where I can continue to improve not only as an athlete, but as a well rounded person ready to face the challenges ahead.