Calling it a full-blown identity crisis seems a bit extreme, but when you’ve only lived 21 years and 14 of them have been dominated by a single part of you, it can be hard to look forward to what’s coming next. In this instance, my identity has been rooted in my sport. I started running track when I was 7 years old, and most if not all of my memories somehow include a track event.

As I sit here writing my very first blog post, I can’t help but smile. One, because writing for fun was never anything I would ever consider doing before and two, because I am finally able to sit down and reflect on a day that I can honestly say changed my life.

My name is Jada Walton. I am in my second year at Texas A&M university studying Sports Management. I also play on the women’s basketball team. The moment I received word that Maria Taylor was coming to talk with the student athletes at Texas A&M, I knew this was something I could not miss.