Dear Jewell,

Over the past four years it has become "normal" for me to get on a 24 hour flight and fly half way across the world. However, never did I think that as I look back on each of those flights, every time I hopped off the plane for another semester at Jewell, that my connection to this place would become so much stronger.

Playing for Jewell gave me the opportunity to play tennis in a team environment, which is what originally attracted me to the US college system. Usually tennis is a very individualized sport, however, Jewell allowed me to compete at a competitive level along with having a team of people around me all experiencing the same emotions and exhaustion. I will always remember the feeling of playing a tight match and having teammates line the side of my court, cheering for every point, because sometimes it's that support and belief that allows you to close out a tight match. From late night practices, long bus trips, early morning weights and conditioning sessions, we experienced it all together, making the wins more meaningful and the loses easier to learn from.

So, thank you Jewell for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. To my coaches, thank you for developing me into the player and person I am today. To all of my professors, thank you for always having your office doors open, and allowing me to catch up when I missed several classes for tennis, and helping me succeed both as a student and an athlete. To my family and friends, thank you for all your support. While most of you never saw me play in the US, I always knew that I had a cheer squad on the other side of the world. To my teammates, I cannot thank you enough for all the memories, both on and off the court, and for being my second family over these crazy few years.

While I will miss the perfect sound of hitting a tennis ball on a indoor court or the adrenaline rush after a winning a third set tiebreaker, I am thankful for the experience, lessons and memories that Jewell has given me over the last four years.
 

Sincerely,

Claire Mackay