The Emerald City is where I spent most of my time while at Stanford.

What is the Emerald City? To some of us water polo alumni, Avery Aquatic Center represents the Emerald City. In the evening, with the lights on, that place is truly magical.

I am currently training with the USA National Team to compete in my fourth Olympic games. This year, I will be limited in the times I can visit Stanford because of full-time training, which consists of 10 three-hour practices a week.

I go back to the Farm as often as I can. Deciding to go to Stanford was the best decision I made in my life; it goes beyond playing a sport. I still feel connected to the current student-athletes and the coaches. I have often gone back and jumped into a practice to remind myself why I still play this game and to keep me humble.

Graduating from Stanford in 2003 was a dream come true for me. I know it sounds very cliché, but if you are the first student in the history of Bell Gardens High School to get accepted at Stanford, it’s just the reality. I had no idea what to expect at Stanford but I walked away with lifelong mentors in my coaches and a greater sense of community.

One of the best things we did as a team at Stanford was committing to tutor at the East Palo Alto Charter School. Community has always been important to me because of where I grew up. The sport of water polo has given me so many experiences I am grateful for and I want to be able to give that option to other kids.

This planted a seed in me. When I went to the charter school every week, I saw myself in those kids and wanted to do more to help them believe in themselves. I related so closely with those kids because I grew up in a lower income area in southeast Los Angeles. I really enjoyed making the connection with the kids and seeing their confidence grow.

English was not my first language and my parents could not always help me with my homework. But the one thing I had and I believe those kids can benefit from is sports. The city of Commerce provides free access to a variety of sports teams. The free access allowed me to join a sport and learn all the skills that being part of a team provides.

That tutoring experience is coming full circle for me. I am the co-founder of Project2020, which is a non-profit striving to give access and opportunity to kids from East Palo Alto, east Menlo Park and Redwood City in learning how to swim and play water polo. This past summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of several clinics that included about 50 girls that have never had a swim lesson in their life. Water polo has taught me so many life skills like discipline, teamwork and work ethic. I want to be able to do that for kids that are dealt a harder deck of cards.

I am also appreciative for receiving the Johnson Foundation Scholarship, which was originally endowed by the late W. Ruel Johnson.

It created so many opportunities for me and I will be forever grateful.

Since my graduation in 2003, I have been playing water polo overseas.

It has truly been a privilege to represent the USA in three Olympic Games. It has been an incredible experience to travel the world and compete. I have connected with so many Stanford alumni over the years and we always come back to telling stories about the Farm.

One funny Stanford moment I remember from my first Olympics is meeting a Stanford super fan. Cliff Hayashi is an avid supporter of Stanford Athletics and he was in Sydney cheering on the USA teams in various sports, primarily Stanford athletes. I was visiting with my parents after our opening-game win against the top-ranked Netherlands—we surprised the world by beating them—and I was so excited!

There was this quiet man standing beside my parents, and my teammate Ellen Estes pointed out Cliff. That was so amazing to me: I hadn’t competed for Stanford yet but I would be going to the Farm that fall to compete in my first season for the Cardinal. It really showed me how close knit the Stanford community was and it made me so proud to be part of that family. In my first year playing at Stanford, Cliff was at a majority of our games. Other colleges know him as super fan and other national teammates appreciate him when he cheers for the USA and not just Stanford.

Women’s water polo was first introduced to the Olympic program in 2000.

The USA women’s water polo team is the only country to have medaled in all the Olympics to date. I have been fortunate to be a part of that journey and aspire to keep that tradition going.

I am currently training to be part of my fourth Olympic team. We currently have a ranking of No. 6 in the world. Some people consider us gold medal contenders and some consider us underdogs. We have made a commitment to each other and have a set a goal of getting back to the final game. In Beijing, we walked away with the silver medal and we were proud to stand on that podium representing our country. We hope to make our country proud again and bring home another medal. However it plays out, we will be playing with our hearts on our swimsuits and leaving it all in the pool. Go USA and Go Stanford!