Vanessa “Nessa” has been competing for three years. She plays volleyball and recently started softball, after first joining Special Olympics to stay active and meet new people. Through the program, she’s grown more confident and motivated to step out of her comfort zone.Outside of sports, Nessa works as an assistant manager at Dollar General and takes pride in earning that role and buying her own vehicle after saving for years. She enjoys reading, hiking, and coloring, and loves spending time outdoors. Nessa admires her mom most for her strength and perseverance through life’s challenges.A fun fact about her is that she’s the youngest of fifteen kids! Nessa is excited to represent Virginia at the 2026 USA Games, where she looks forward to seeing all her hard work and patience pay off and to spending time with her teammates.