"PRESSURE IS A PRIVILEGE" by Andie Lozano-Lomeli
- Embrace Doubt
- Apr 5, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: May 25, 2024
Andie Lozano-Lomeli
Embrace Doubt Scholarship Recipient
High School: Brownsville Pace High School
Grade Level: 12
Age: 17
Class: 2024
Academic Achievements and Awards:
First Place in RGV Science and Engineering Fair (State Qualifier), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s award, Richoh Sustainable Development Award, American
Meteorological Society Award, Outstanding Student Leader Award, Transformational Leadership Award-Class Speaker Award, Principal’s Leadership Award, Second Place in BISD Science and Engineering Fair, First Place in Regional Science and Engineering Fair (State Qualifier), TSA Second Place, 4th Highest Ranking Student, 1st Place Regional Job Interview, Third Place in BISD Science and Engineering Fair, TSA Second Place, 4th Highest Ranking Student, 3rd Place State TSA Debate (National Qualifier), SkillsUSA State Qualifier Technological Innovation, 2nd Place Regional Science Fair.
Athletic Achievements and Awards:
Volleyball Newcomer of the Year, 4x All-Metro Volleyball First-Team, All-Metro & All District
Basketball Newcomer of the Year, 4x All-District Volleyball First-Team, All-Metro Volleyball
Defensive Player of the Year, 2x All-Valley Team, 2x All-District Most Valuable Player, All- Metro & Morning Star MVP.
I grew up in Pace because my mom has worked there my entire life, and I have grown to love our community. Throughout my youth I was always at high school volleyball and basketball games, I looked up to the players and knew they were what I wanted to be. I would get so excited when they would even talk to me. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a Viking volleyball and basketball player. I also wasn’t the most athletic kid in elementary and middle school. I was behind my teammates as far as my coordination because I was tall and hadn’t grown into my body. Things began to feel more natural to me when I got to 8th grade and immediately fell in love with volleyball. The feeling of getting a big kill never got old and to this day hasn’t. I also have always put a large emphasis on leading and being with my teammates. Watching them grow is another aspect of why sports mean so much to me.
My role model would have to be my Coach Daya. Coming into my Sophomore year I knew we were getting a new head coach, but I didn’t know she would make such a big impact on my life. Coach Daya is smart, kind, hardworking, and she has given me a foundation of support to grow upon throughout my high school career. She played college volleyball and hasn’t stopped loving the sport, and I see myself through that. She has the intensity I love to see in a coach, and I love how she has pushed me to my limits. She isn’t just an amazing coach because of her IQ in volleyball, she is amazing because of her kindness. No matter what the situation is, she will always be honest with me, giving me the opportunity to grow. I admire her because of her approach to life and volleyball, and I hope I can take on her mindset.
Throughout my career there have been multiple moments where I have doubted my athletic ability. This was seen mostly throughout my club volleyball career. When I train in the upper-valley I am surrounded by talented athletes who have been working for years on their athleticism. When I am put on the court with these talented individuals I reflect on my own abilities, and there have been times where I have gotten in my head about my talents. I know what I am capable of, but lack the confidence on that side of the volleyball world. I distinctly remember a tournament last year that I was doubting myself and received a message on instagram from one of the volleyball players in our feeder school. She was asking me about volleyball and wishing me luck at the tournament. When I saw her message I was reminded of the young girls who look up to me in the viking community, and I was reminded of my confidence I uphold in our gym. Aside from this instance I also like to spend time going back to fundamentals to increase my confidence and IQ. This reminds me of how far I’ve come, and the work I’ve put in to get where I am today. You have to remember how far you have come to appreciate your current success. That is what I think of when I have confidence issues.
I broke my back midway through the 8th grade. I had been experiencing mild pain for months, and at a tournament I came down on my left foot and broke my L5 on the left side of my spine. This is called spondylolysis, and I was in excruciating pain. I was unable to walk for a week due to back spasms and stiffness. I got an MRI and received the results that I had indeed broken the bone. The doctor in Brownsville told my parents and I that I would never play sports again because of the risk of losing all ability to walk. I was devastated because sports had been my life, and without them I didn’t have much sense of identity. When I began physical therapy we got a second opinion and received the same response. My parents decided to get a third opinion and we took a trip to Houston & showed the specialists my MRI. They decided that I would be able to continue my career if I committed to physical therapy and took enough rest off. It was also understood that there was no guarantee that my fracture would not get worse. Meaning essentially that I would be playing in fear the rest of my life. I understood the situation and got to work on my physical therapy. I was out for almost a year and worked to strengthen the muscles around my back while maintaining my flexibility. I felt drastically better, and continued the exercises to maintain my health. Most of my Freshman and Sophomore year I played the entire season successfully, but at the end of my Sophomore year I began to experience pain. In one of our last games I felt a pop in my back. I knew I had worsened my injury and I was struggling to walk. When we went back to the doctor I got another MRI done and found that I had developed the next stage of my injury. This is called Spondylolistheis, which is a complete separation of the bones that are fractured. I did another round of physical therapy, and got back to work. Throughout the times of frustration I reminded myself of my love for the game and zoned in on supporting my teammates. If I couldn’t be the best me on the court, I knew I would be the best version of myself off. Because of this injury I have developed an even deeper infatuation of the game. I understand that at any moment, it can all be taken away from me. I am grateful for my health, and grateful for my ability to train. This injury created the adversity that lit a fire under me pushing me to become the player I am today.
I am sure almost every athlete has had thoughts of quitting before, and I strongly believe what sets athletes apart is how they take on these thoughts. I’ve thought on countless occasions of quitting and living a relaxed life, but then I am reminded of all the friendships, moments, and experiences given to me through sports. If an athlete who is considering quitting is talking to me about their struggle, I would remind them of the experiences they’ve had and of the future memories they can make. The feeling of getting the game winning kill is incomparable to almost anything else.
I would tell younger athletes that pressure is a privilege, being a good teammate is important above all, and positivity changes the game. One of the sayings that truly got me through some of the tough moments this year would be pressure is a privilege. To be on a varsity sport, have hundreds of people watching you do what you love is absolutely a privilege. To be trusted to score the game winning point or to lead the team to a tough victory means more than anything. One instance of this is seen in our rival games against Veterans. Every time we played them there was a huge crowd, and I was always scared. When I began to feel scared, I reminded myself, to be playing at this level, and to be put in this position means more than anything. You only have the chance to be in that spotlight for 4 years, and I knew I would miss it as I got older. The next piece of advice given would be, being a good teammate is important above all else. The number of relationships I have gained throughout my career is astonishing, and it is through being a good teammate. Those friendships mean the world to me, and I am so grateful I was put in the position to make those friendships. This also helps your confidence and team chemistry, being there for your teammates can increase their level of game, and yours. When everyone is in sync, you can conquer anything. Last but not least, positivity is everything. Having a smile on and off the court changes the attitude of the game. It inspires your teammates to continue to work hard, and overall puts everyone in a better mood. Positivity is the difference between a win and a loss in almost every situation.
One of the most important pieces of advice ever given to me is when my mom told me, “You can learn something from every coach, teacher, teammate, experience, hardship, or success.” She told me this at a young age when I was struggling with a coach that I didn’t agree with. The opportunity to grow is always in front of you, you just have to take it. No matter if it's a lesson on skill, positivity, friendship, attitude, or any other aspect, there will always be something you can take.
Embrace doubt signifies the importance of appreciating adversity. This can apply to using haters to fuel your work ethic, because their doubt can magnify your game. Another aspect of this phrase is embracing failure, and learning from your mistakes. Everytime you fail you have an opportunity to learn from your mistakes. My last take on this phrase would be being comfortable shouldn’t be comfortable. If you feel uncomfortable or if you are doubting the pain you are in, you are in the right spot. In order to grow you have to embrace the pain.
Aristotle once said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” I’ve lived in the Rio Grande Valley my entire life, and I have grown to appreciate the beauty of the culture in our community. In recent years, Brownsville has grown due to Space X receiving attention from launches, but people continue to ignore the heart that lies within our town. The helping hand always given to your neighbors, eating tamales and watching the Dallas Cowboys, carpooling to athletic events, attending your cousins' friend of a friend's quinceanera, and many other acts spread the love across our community. As an athlete, I have seen the tireless efforts of my peers to be able to compete with competitors from wealthier communities that have more time and resources. Despite the abundance of talent and tenacity held by several members of our community, many lack the resources to take their dreams to the next level. Brownsville essentially lives in a bubble, which has kept the achievements and hidden talents of our community relatively unknown beyond the city and the valley. By earning my degree in public communications, I hope to shed some light on the talent in our community. In the next 5 years I will have finished playing college volleyball at Texas Lutheran University, and I will return to the valley to pursue sports journalism.
-Andie Lomeli-Lozano / Embrace Doubt 4/5/24
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