“As a leader you’re not judged by how well you do, you’re judged by how well your team does.”

I started playing tackle football in fifth grade. My parents wanted me to start up a sport. I tried out soccer, that didn't really work. I tried out golf, that also didn't really work. I think football was just like, ‘let's go out there and see what you can do.’ 

My freshman year of high school, I was benched for the first four games. And I was really disheartened. I didn’t know why I wasn’t starting, so I started working harder in practice. I started climbing like crazy and I knew I would not stop until I got what I wanted. I finally got to start in my fifth game and never looked back.

In sophomore year, I became team captain. As a leader you're not judged by how well you do, you're judged by how well your team does. My proudest moment came at the end of the season, when I noticed how good our new teammates [were]. I was proud of myself for being a part of their process to become better players.

My team was mostly Mexican and Polynesian players. It was kind of weird being the only Indian on the team, but I think that also taught me a lot [about] other cultures and how similar our communities are. That was a really interesting connection to make and a very interesting thing to see happen. Before every single game we do a tribal chant, which is really cool. It brings us together and unites us to accomplish one goal, which is to win the game.

In junior year, I played outside linebacker. And we were winning by one point, it was 26 to 25. The opponent was on our one yard line. And there were four seconds left on the clock. I was able to see what they were trying to do and I was able to stop them. And we won the game as a result of that last minute stop.

Football taught me the value of other people counting on me. Because there's about 10 other teammates alongside you, fighting with you. And so if you let them down then you let the entire team down, which is a certain amount of pressure. I think it pushed me to be better and excel.