As a student at Rheems Elementary School years ago, Alyssa Hamilton noticed something that would soon become her passion.

"I was on the playground, and I saw some girls playing softball," recalled the Elizabethtown resident, who had been playing T-ball since she was very young. "I told my dad I wanted to be like them when I was older."

Alyssa, the daughter of Mike and Christie Hamilton, just returned from a trip to Italy where she played softball with an organization called Beyond Sports.

Currently a student at Lancaster Bible College, Alyssa graduated from Elizabethtown Area High School in 2020. In high school, she played outfield positions, including right and centerfield, and in college, she's playing centerfield and is also a pitcher.

Beyond Sports reached out to Alyssa's college coach and invited four members of the team to go on the trip. Alyssa was the only one who chose to go, noting that it was an expensive venture. She raised the thousands of dollars needed to go by selling subs and accepting donations from family members and friends. Her grandmother also sold soup to help her fund the trip.

Alyssa traveled to Italy with a group that totaled about 90 people, including Beyond Sports staff, the players and some family members. "We flew into Rome, and then we stayed there for a few days," she recalled. "We drove to Florence and visited Pisa." The group also spent time in Venice, Verona, Milan and Lake Como.

Alyssa played softball games against local teams during the trip and spent time off the field hanging out with other players, socializing and making friends.

"I was nervous going into the trip, because I didn't know anybody until I met them at the airport," noted Alyssa, who added that she had never been out of the country before this trip. "We became friends right away, and I really clicked with everyone. It was a blast, and I had a lot of fun."

Beyond Sports is a program created to bring access to sports to people around the world. Programs include lacrosse in Australia, soccer in Spain and volleyball in Italy, along with softball. "The overall goal is to get sports beyond the borders of America," Alyssa said.

She noted that playing softball has had a greater impact on her life than just time spent on the field.

"It's helped me grow as a person," she stated. "In my younger years, we weren't very good. It taught me about the failure aspects of life. You're not always going to win. Softball has given me the determination and the motivation to always strive to do better. It also introduced me to people from all different backgrounds, different schools, people I would never have met had I not played softball."

As she prepares to graduate college in 2024 with a degree in early childhood education, Alyssa said she hopes to continue playing the sport she loves. "I would love to coach," she said. "That's something I'm really passionate about."