Harmoni ’26 is expanding access to volleyball in her community by leading a free, inclusive camp for fourth and fifth graders, using her service grant to inspire young athletes
My service grant enabled me to support the children in my community. Because volleyball is an expensive sport, many children in my community would never have the opportunity to learn how to play. When I was around their age, I was fortunate enough to join a club team, but a majority of the fourth and fifth-graders who attended my camp lacked the resources or opportunities to play. I was able to bring the sport that I fell in love with at their age to them free of cost, and to set an example of myself and other high-level volleyball players who volunteered as coaches for my 3-day camp. Before this experience, I had never really been in a coaching position, so I had a bit of a challenge on the first day, knowing exactly what to do and say to the children. However, I had help from the other coaches, and I eventually felt like a natural.
The pictures that I have attached to this blog are specifically from the first day of camp. There is a picture of everyone at the end of the first day, when we did a question and answer session for the kids to ask us any questions that they had; there’s a picture of me and another coach teaching the campers how to position their hands before they set the ball; and the last picture is of the whole coaching and volunteer staff.
Because I had multiple 4th and 5th-grade boys sign up for my camp, I did not want their first exposure to volleyball to be of female players only. Although it was last minute, one of my male friends from club volleyball agreed to come and help on the first day. I think it helped all the boys there see how they could progress in this sport, especially since my friend is going to play college volleyball.
Volleyball is a majority white sport. I have been on teams where there has been only one additional black girl, or I was the only black girl on the team. It was very important for me to demonstrate to all the students of color that they, too, can succeed in this sport. I believe that this aspect of my camp allowed me to show up as a leader.
I encountered some challenges, but nothing was too much to handle at that moment. For example, I noticed that one of the campers, a boy, was sitting outside the group. I walked over to him, sat down with him, and asked him what was wrong. He expressed to me that he didn’t like volleyball and that he would rather be playing football or basketball. Instead of taking that sentiment personally, I shared with him a story from my own personal life. I told him that I was a dancer for a long time before I even thought about volleyball, and when I did, it was something new that I wasn’t really sure if I liked, so I had a bit of reluctance. I encouraged him to try, even though it was new, and I told him that he wouldn’t be able to decide if he liked it or not if he didn’t at least try and give it his best effort. Soon after that, he got back up and went to his group. I believe that this encounter showcased my ability to pay attention and embrace change as a coach.
