Forget the Mars Rover. I’m cuckoo for Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff, the 15-year-old tennis prodigy that managed to beat Venus Williams at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Eyebrows furrowed, sweat trickling down the skin covering a conqueror’s countenance. The heat was immense. What else can you expect when facing Venus?

The showdown was set at the No. 1 Stadium, the second biggest for the championships. By the third round it was over. Cori Gauff secured her spot into the second week at Wimbledon, defeating a 5-time champion. She then lost to Simona Halep in the tournament, but being one of the youngest persons in the modern Tennis era to qualify for Wimbledon, it is safe to say that we have a prodigy on our hands.

In a press conference, this is what Gauff said: “I hope they learned about me that I’m a fighter…I’ll never give up. I hope they learned from me that, I mean, anything is possible if you work hard, just continue to dream big.” She wasn’t wrong. Here’s what’s even more amazing: she had stated that even while competing, she had exams to study for! This is something we all can learn from.

As we continue our schooling at whatever level – studying and doing what is necessary to meet academic requirements – we should also focus on our dreams. Ultimately, learning should also complement your goals in life, and we can all take a page out of Coco’s book and not down play our dreams at the expense of anything else. Do your exams, study hard, but also live your life! We stan a student who can enjoy life while fulfilling its duties, and a huge part of that enjoyment is simply by doing what you like. 

Now you don’t have to be a phenom like Coco. The point is, no matter your age, no matter the struggles you face or how hard exams may be, you can do it with sheer determination. She was determined and she put in the work. She said it herself, she knew that she could do it because she put in what was needed. Don’t just dream, grind. Do what you have to do whether on the court, field, in the pool or in the classroom. Don’t sit and complain about what you have to do when there might be enough time to do what you can do. I acknowledge the fact that some people just genuinely can’t multitask that well. That’s okay, but no one said it would be easy, not even Coco herself. In fact, she had to undergo rigorous schedules between school and the tournament. But, if you have a dream in mind, you can achieve it despite the struggles. 

So let us welcome a new sporting star, one who conquered the limits of age, gender, and even the thing we dread the most: exams. Welcome Cori Gauff, the girl who conquered Venus.

— Fabrizio Darby