Suraya Khan

• Kind hearted
• Supportive
• Empathetic
• Motivated
• Trustworthy

One of the reasons I enjoy playing volleyball is because of the team atmosphere. I am able to form strong and trusting relationships with my teammates. This enables us to work together to achieve our collective goals. I lead the team by example with my strong work ethic, motivation and determination. I provide my teammates with support to help them excel and as a result, our team excels. In addition, I am able to bring people together and listen to their concerns. This enable us to solve problems as they arise to prevent them from affecting our performance.
On the beach with my partner, I am able to again support her and help to keep her positive on the court. I realized that if I can keep her calm and in control of her emotions, we can be more successful together.
I welcome feedback both from teammates and coaches. I know this feedback helps me to continue to improve and help achieve my goals.
Overall, I thrive in the team environment as I believe the mutual trust and competition helps us all perform to the best of our abilities.

These are some of my athletic highlights:

• July 2023 – Ontario Cup – 1st Place
• July 2023 – International Children’s Games – 5th Place
• June 2023 – MVP School Girls Volleyball
• June 2023 -MVP School Coed Volleyball
• May 2023 – MVP Indoor Club Team
• May 2023 – Nationals Division 1 Tier 1 – 5th Place
• April 2023 – Ontario Provincials Division 1 Tier 1 – 5th place
• April 2023 – All-Star Volleyball Team for District
• June 2022 – Coaches Excellence Award
• May 2022 – Ontario Provincials Division 1 – 1st place
• May 2022 – Canadian Nationals Division 1 – 5th place
• 2018 Rookie Junior Tennis Tournament Champion

When I won these tournaments and achieved these awards, I felt joyous and grateful. It is a great feeling when you strive and achieve your goals. I also felt thankful for my coaches, teammates and family as I would not have won these awards without their support and motivation.

When I am not playing sports I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I enjoy taking walks, hiking in the trails, watching movies and coloring. I also have realized the joy of spending time with my family. I am very close with my brother and my cousins and enjoy spending time with them. We are able to have fun together and also support and help each other when needed. I think we are able to do this because we have mutual trust and respect for each other. This is similar to the trust and respect with my teammates.
Lastly, I enjoy trying new activities when travelling to different places. For example, when I went to Portland, Oregon I learned how to windsurf and we continue to travel around Ontario and Quebec

I do not have one specific role model but I am motivated by specific traits that different people in my life portray. My father has shown me determination and perseverance. I have learned to be supportive and caring from my mother. She has also taught me that through hard work, I can accomplish my goals. In addition, national player, Sophie Bukovec is motivating to me with her work ethic, mental toughness and athleticism.

I feel it is important to be involved in other extracurricular activities. I played competitive tennis, downhill ski and track and field. I have played piano and have been involved in student council. These activities have given me the opportunity to meet new people and make new friendships. In addition, the new experiences have challenged me both physically and intellectually. Playing different sports helps me stay active and provides me with different challenges.

Principal’s Award

• Honor Roll
• Geography Award
• Valedictorian Elementary School

When I received these awards I felt honored and grateful. It is rewarding to be recognized for my hard work and achievements in school.

At this time I have not yet decided on a major. There are so many opportunities and I hope to keep as many options as possible at this time. I enjoy helping and mentoring others and therefore think I may study education. However, I am also interested in business and kinesiology. Therefore, at this time my interests are business, education and kinesiology or health sciences.

I envision my time at university to be some of the best years of my life. I thrive in a challenging environment and look forward to being a student athlete and excelling both in the classroom and on the volleyball court. I expect the main parts of my school life will involve academics and volleyball. I also am excited to cheer on our school’s other athletic teams and fully immerse myself in other student events on campus. I expect to stay on top of my responsibilities through self motivation and staying organized. I am excited to form long lasting friendships with my teammates, coaches and classmates.