My father once told me that if you wanted to tell the story of New York City, you don’t tell the story of New York City. You tell the story of a single brick; a single brick, on a single building, in a single street, in a single neighborhood in New York City. By doing this, you can capture the story of a broad area, by zooming in up close. Similarly, if you wanted to tell the story of the Jesuit High school women’s tennis team, you have to pick a brick.
Meet Bess Waldram. Waldram is a junior at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon and regularly participates in numerous volunteer activities, many of which are through an organization called National Charity League. Her favorite of these activities are the events that focus on children and teenagers, including organizations such as the Make A Wish Foundation, The Randall Children’s Hospital, the Oregon Food Bank, Project Linkage, and The Streetlight Homeless Shelter. She has also received the Yellow Rose Bud Award and Mother Daughter Award for these Charitable acts. Waldram believes “…Jesuit’s mission of being ‘men and women for others’ has transferred into my life in a lot of valuable ways.”
Bess Waldram is also a 5-star tennis recruit and the number one ranked player in the Pacific Northwest region, according to tennisrecruiting.net. As well as winning tournaments at the regional level, she has also been awarded sportsmanship awards both at her high school and at the USTA National Level.
“She is a fearless competitor who always plays cool and collected and inspires the team,” noted teammate Katie Kelley.
“My involvement in these philanthropy activities has given me a lot of perspective on and off the tennis court,” Waldram said in regards to her charity work. “Every day I feel grateful that I have the health and resources to be able to continue to strive toward my goals as a Jesuit athlete. I feel it is an especially important responsibility to represent my school with positive sportsmanship, kindness, and to give my best efforts whenever I play.”
Successful high school athletes can often be accused of being focused solely on personal achievements. It is clear that Bess Waldram does not view it this way. Waldram realizes that she is part of a bigger picture, just like a brick in New York City.
Meet Bess Waldram. Waldram is a junior at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon and regularly participates in numerous volunteer activities, many of which are through an organization called National Charity League. Her favorite of these activities are the events that focus on children and teenagers, including organizations such as the Make A Wish Foundation, The Randall Children’s Hospital, the Oregon Food Bank, Project Linkage, and The Streetlight Homeless Shelter. She has also received the Yellow Rose Bud Award and Mother Daughter Award for these Charitable acts. Waldram believes “…Jesuit’s mission of being ‘men and women for others’ has transferred into my life in a lot of valuable ways.”
Bess Waldram is also a 5-star tennis recruit and the number one ranked player in the Pacific Northwest region, according to tennisrecruiting.net. As well as winning tournaments at the regional level, she has also been awarded sportsmanship awards both at her high school and at the USTA National Level.
“She is a fearless competitor who always plays cool and collected and inspires the team,” noted teammate Katie Kelley.
“My involvement in these philanthropy activities has given me a lot of perspective on and off the tennis court,” Waldram said in regards to her charity work. “Every day I feel grateful that I have the health and resources to be able to continue to strive toward my goals as a Jesuit athlete. I feel it is an especially important responsibility to represent my school with positive sportsmanship, kindness, and to give my best efforts whenever I play.”
Successful high school athletes can often be accused of being focused solely on personal achievements. It is clear that Bess Waldram does not view it this way. Waldram realizes that she is part of a bigger picture, just like a brick in New York City.