– Vedant Gundu, Grade 12 student, Vista International School
Leadership is never known to be easy and I know that better than most. Balancing the demands of student life with the intense discipline and training in tennis requires real commitment. But through the ups and downs, I have been focused, determined, and driven. And a big part of my journey has been the support I have received from my family, coaches and school.
As a grade 12 student of Vista International, I have chosen MPC as my stream. Needless to say, making that decision was easy but following through with it was not. I currently reside in Spain with my parents to undergo rigorous professional training to become an ATP Pro. This takes up almost 8 long hours of my day and way too much of my energy but I still come home to find my study to-do list waiting on my desk. Not that I’m complaining, even though you could find me falling half asleep at my desk, this rigorous lifestyle has shaped my personality and my unshakeable discipline.
I have learnt that good habits are the product of a successful person, time management is not about scheduling everything you do but about saving those minutes that you would waste on your phone or daydreaming looking out of the window. Although all of this might sound to be in a negative light, I have taken the decision and responsibility upon myself and I will follow through with it with every inch of my soul, win or lose.
Leadership is a mindset and anyone can be a leader to make an impact in their life and influence others to do the same. I consider myself as one, by consuming knowledge and gaining experience to tune my life out towards a path of success and if you aspire to become a leader in your own field, you must be prepared for challenges to greet you everyday, challenges that might seem out of reach and out of control almost like life wants to you see fail.
My family has supported me way too much, gratitude I can’t express in words shifting continents just to give a shot at following my dream. So did my school taking a risk with me, not knowing whether I would still be able to pass my classes or no while not attending anything in school, yes you read that right, I haven’t been to attending classes regularly since the 8th grade, I mainly study on my own at home, or in the car. If my exam is tomorrow, you might catch me with my book in the shower as well.
The school has blessed me with something that we all desire – time. They have given me time and space to chase my dreams as a tennis player, whether it was flexibility during tournament season or teachers who understood my schedule and would take time out to teach me topics that I don’t understand.
I will be graduating next year, the class of 2026 and I have missed a major part of my school days, running around with my friends, homework stress and just goofing around as a whole. And a question might rise up “Vedant, how can you miss something you were never a part of?” Well that’s the beauty of it, the few times I was in school, writing my exams I tried to make the most of it, and the teachers, students and the rather chaotic atmosphere stuck onto me and I still find mind reminiscing about some of those moments.
Now as I get ready for college and more tennis, I carry everything that I have learned up until now. The wins, the lessons, they’ve all shaped me from boy to man ready to take on the challenges of life, ready to go even further. Nothing is impossible really you just need to find out a way, there’s a solution to everything just depends on whether you’re willing to work for it.
I hope this article finds you and inspires you because just remember, you need to sacrifice who you are for what you want to become and that happens with not huge steps but a personal motto of mine, one percent better every day.
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