Extracurricular activities, personal pursuits, or work experience

Tennis is one of the activities I consider I am most passionate about. There are so many things to love about tennis; the thrill of playing it and the excitement of watching it. Like every other child, my parents had an influence in my interests. In my case, it was my father. It was my father who introduced me to the world of rackets and tennis balls, to the world of tennis. When I was young, my father's love for tennis intrigued me. As far back as I can remember, my father has been passionate about tennis and he has been an avid tennis player since I was a child.

As I grew older, my interest in tennis grew with me. I was ten (10) years old when I started playing tennis. My family encouraged my interest and supported me in my hobby. It was their encouragement and absolute support that motivated me. I continued playing tennis all throughout the years I spent in school. I excelled in tennis that I made it on my high school varsity team. From early on, I have already realized that tennis will be one of the activities that I will always be passionate about.

More than being a sport, playing tennis has connected me to my father. It also plays an instrumental role in bonding us together. I believe this is the intrinsic value of tennis in my life and why it remains an important activity to me. The sheer love for tennis is a shared passion that binds me and my father. Just last year, my father and I shared our love for the sport as we watched tennis at the Beijing Olympics. This shared experience with my father combined with the bond between my father and I, my love for the sport, and the instinctive national pride of watching the Olympics as it was held in China made the event a very touching and lasting experience that I will never forget. As a foreign student in the U.S. with a heart passionate about tennis, I feel so proud to have been a part of the Olympics.