Describe a time someone has done something for you and how this has helped you grow Who helped you: One of the athletes you coached during adaptive tennis, a student with Down syndrome. When it happened: During a weekend or summer adaptive tennis session where you were volunteering/coaching students with disabilities, including athletes with Down syndrome and autism. What was happening: You came into the program thinking your role was mainly to “help” the athletes: teach tennis basics, feed balls, explain drills, encourage them, and make sure they had fun. You expected to be the coach and the one giving lessons. Specific student: There was one student with Down syndrome who always showed up excited, even if he missed shots or struggled with coordination. He would celebrate small wins, laugh after mistakes, and keep trying without getting embarrassed. Maybe he remembered your name, gave high-fives after every drill, or thanked you every time even when the lesson was simple. Specific moment: One day, you were trying to teach him a forehand drill. He kept missing the ball or hitting it into the net, and you started overthinking how to explain it better. But instead of getting frustrated, he smiled, reset, and said something like, “Again!” or kept asking to try one more time. When he finally made contact or got the ball over the net, he reacted with genuine happiness, like that small improvement was a huge victory. What he did for you: He didn’t “help” you in the usual way, like giving advice or tutoring you. He helped you by changing how you viewed effort, success, and joy. Through his attitude, he showed you that growth does not always have to be measured by rankings, scores, or achievements. Sometimes growth is simply showing up, trying again, and finding happiness in small progress. How it helped you grow: Before that experience, you may have been very results-focused because of school, tennis, college applications, and trying to build a strong resume. Coaching him helped you become more patient and less obsessed with perfection. You learned to slow down, communicate more clearly, and appreciate people’s different ways of learning. It also made you realize that leadership is not about being the most talented person in the room. It is about making someone else feel capable and included. Main lesson: The student taught you that helping others is not one-directional. Even though you were technically the coach, he taught you patience, gratitude, humility, and the value of small victories.