Beatriz Hatz: Beyond the Villa

We're elite athletes. We're competing. We're winning medals. This isn't just a participation award.

I really want to make sure that the Paralympic movement grows. And if I can do something about it, I will. Just exposing this new world to these people is what I really want to do.

My fellow Islanders didn't really know about the Paralympics. It was really cool to see that the new friends I had made were so curious and excited about something so different.

Zach (Georgiou) was very interested in the prosthetics. He had so many questions, and I was like, 'You know what? Let me just go show you my blade.' Trinity (Tatum), she was like, 'Oh my gosh, I need to take a picture with your blade. That's so cool.' She was just so excited for me.

I'm definitely very grateful for this newfound platform because it allows me to educate more people about the Paralympics. What I want to do with my platform is bring everybody up with me while also staying true to myself. I hope to inspire the next generation of athletes by letting them know to take every loss with a grain of salt, but don't forget all the work you need to put in to win. ... If it were easy, everybody would do it.

It's a lot more pressure because we're at home (for LA28). You're representing USA. You're competing at the highest level. It's exciting. It's nerve-wracking. It's all the things, but I'll be there.

Hopes and dreams for LA28: I would love to bring home three medals – 100-meter, 200-meter and the long jump. I would love to medal in all three of those.