Personal Statement

Hi, my name is Allison Veronica Katibnikov. I’m bilingual, and speak two fluent languages; English and Russian. At a young age my parents introduced me to several sports primary to volleyball ; Taekwondo, dance, gymnastics, tennis, etc. Finishing as a WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) certified 2nd degree black belt in taekwondo, I not only finished 5th in the USA Open Championship, but throughout the journey was taught an important message, with self- discipline comes respect. Self-Discipline brings a structure to a person's life and allows them to overcome obstacles to stay focused on a goal. With that develops respect. Respect is a trait that I have carried with me ever since which not only developed me as an individual but also as a player. Being open to a variety of sports, I finally found a sport I was willing to give up everything for if it was the last time I could play it, and that was volleyball. 

I began playing volleyball in middle school and at the same time joined the Rolling Thunder Volleyball Club (RTVBC). I have been playing volleyball at Rolling Thunder Volleyball Club for over 4 years now, but I am currently going to be playing at Sky High Volleyball. Freshman year I was given a great opportunity to be a part of my Junior Varsity volleyball program at Stevenson High School, which has a very large and competitive volleyball program. Throughout each year of volleyball I was a front row player, specifically a middle blocker. Although I love this position, i'm always willing to try myself into other spots on the court in order to benefit my team and lead them to success. I believe that a great player is the one who will go out of their comfort zone in order to not only advance their skills but also advance the team to a new level. In any sport the time you put in to get better will show results.  My coach once told our team “if you care, you work harder, and the harder you work, the more you will get.” This quote motivated me to work harder and become an outstanding volleyball player. Besides, going D1, I have a strong interest in the medical field, specifically towards biology/chemistry. Being a doctor is one of my goals that I will also take into account with volleyball as well. 

Lastly, I’m a hardworking, respectful, helpful, kind and most of all a dedicated individual. I'm always striving to be the best of the best and on top of my game. I don’t give up on myself and I don’t let failures stop me from being the greatest. Instead, I let failures teach me new lessons that will help me become a stronger individual who will fight for what they want. Learning self discipline at a young age helped me differ from others. I was the girl on the court, at school, at home, who stayed focused on her goals with motivation to become a successful person, player, teammate, and daughter. My grandma once told me in Russian “ты лучше всех потом что ты королева” (“you are the best because you are a queen”), and that has stuck with me ever since and helped me realize that no matter the amount of failures and challenges I face, I’m still Allison Veronica Katibnikov who fought for her dreams every step of the way.