Growing up, I always tried to be one of the boys. I wanted to play any sport possible. I wasn’t scared to play tackle football in the backyard with the neighbor boys, I ran around right alongside them. My parents never really helped me pursue any sports, and being just a kid and not able to drive, I couldn’t sign myself up for anything. I began running cross country in seventh grade. It was really my first chance to get myself involved in something. I had never even heard of cross country before, until a book I read involved the main character being involved in the sport. When I began running, I never imagined that I’d still be running my senior year. Not only did I think I’d still be running, I never even considered the idea of running varsity. I believe that my six years of running has proven, at the very least, my commitment to things …show more content…
Being thrown into unbelievable amounts of situations, I’ve learned how to pick my battles, and which ones to throw behind me. It wasn’t easy to ignore cruel comments and taunting teenagers in the beginning. Kesha, singer and songwriter, set a whole new outlook though. Not only is she a role model to me for how strong and fearless she is, she’s also an inspiration to many other fans. Having someone who can relate to my pain I’ve endured made me feel not so alone. I’ve learned that people’s opinions of me don’t actually define me, and that it’s up to me to appraise and define myself. I never realized that she would be the person I quoted for the rest of my life. Every bad situation the first thing that comes to my mind is, “You can’t be a victim, you have to be a warrior.” I replay that in my mind until I realize that I can overcome any obstacle. I would watch interviews and listen to her lyrics for hours upon hours. I began to find hope that the situations would eventually subside and I would come out with my head held higher than what everyone would be hoping
My whole life, I always gyrated around sports, this athletic attribute carried all through high school. I spent my whole high school career running on the Track team. There I met my track coach Luis. I met him when I was a freshman, at that occasion I saw him as my coach and nothing more. Later on, I asked if I could work out with him after practice in the school’s weight room. My intention was to become faster and stronger. I wanted to achieve my goal of becoming the great athlete that I’ve been dreaming about ever since I was eight years old. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I wanted to transform myself into a better version of myself. I wanted the Erik of today to be better than the Erik of yesterday. From then on, it was all history. He took me under his wing as a student, but as his
My first week of school, everyone encouraged me to join a club or a team. Of course I did not want to, until I heard we had a track team, and even then I did not know if I wanted to pursue it. In my mind, debating if I should dedicate myself to track was a hard decision. I was about to not only give this sport my time but also nothing but
When I was entering into High School, I tried to join as many clubs as I can, since I wanted not only to be superior in grades, but also extracurricular activities. So as usual, I joined Key Club. At first volunteering at the events was fun, but as I went to more events, it felt as if it was a chore. I did not feel any passion; it was rather tiresome.
Growing up in my neighborhood was not hard or challenging at all, just because I live in an outer city area in NC which is more of a country setting where it was nothing but small businesses and fields. I am thankful to say I was blessed with great parents who raised me up in the church and both has great jobs and would have no problem getting whatever my siblings and I needed or wanted to have. My mom graduated college twice with both degrees from Southeastern Community College she was an LPN until I was around the age of twelve and then she went back for another degree and became an RN to get a better job and she currently is Unit Manager at Poplar Heights Nursing Center. For dad he did not attend college he did truck driving until I was around the age of five and then he owned his own construction job called, “Simple Fix”. He continued doing that for about four years and it was successful until workers started relocated so he stopped that job and now he currently is the supervisor over nuclear construction at Duke Power
Cross-country running, a sport that requires the fusing of body and mind, strives to maximize your physical ability by testing your mental tenacity. Everyday represents a new struggle to beat yesterday's maximum output, an issue of mind over matter. I have known the agony of this conflict since I joined the newly established cross-country team. As convincing as my morning doubts are, I do not heed them. Through pains and sprains and through adverse weather and unfavorable conditions, I run because I made up my mind three years ago to succeed.
Throughout my four years in high school I have been fortunate enough to fulfill many of my aspirations and my thirst for knowledge. One goal that I would like to achieve is to become an international attorney. I have aligned my involvement in specific academic and extra-curricular activities to aid me preparing for the long road between my present situation and the day I pass the bar exam. Through my high school activities I have learned three virtues that I have deemed necessary to achieve my goal, passion, self-discipline, and perseverance.
“What are your plans after high school?.”, This is a question that everyone is asked multiple times throughout the course of their lives. Sometimes it is just something that they themselves ponder in their own thoughts. What someone does after high school should be something that is not only interesting to that person, but will ultimately lead them into a career that they will loved and enjoy. A great career that is definitely worth considering is that of a paramedic. The job description of a paramedic is very broad and can have many affects on a person's life. But not only is this job greatly fulfilling to someone’s personal life, it is also very fulfilling to someone else’s life as well. It is a fast paced, adrenaline fueled job that requires more than the faint of heart. It requires a person who not only enjoys the thrill of the rush and a hard adrenaline pump, but is also content with
Of the more than twenty million Americans who are running today, most who start do so for the wrong reasons, with the wrong attitude, and tend to lose interest after a few weeks or months. Many quit. This is usually because they become concerned with superficial goals such as time and distance and never discover the more profound mental benefits that running offers. (Lilliefors 15)
Each game, my passion grew. Each team, new memories and lifelong friends were made. Sports sometimes make me feel disappointment and at loss; but it taught me to be resilient to a lot of things, like how to thrive under pressure and come out on top. Being the team captain of my high school’s football and lacrosse team showed me how having a big responsibility to bring a group together to work as one is compared to many situations in life. Currently playing varsity football, varsity lacrosse, and track I take great pride in the activities I do. Staying on top of my academics, being duel enrolled at Indian River State College, working three nights a week, and two different sport practices after school each day shaped my character to having a hard work
Athletics has made a difference in my life through its redefining of the word “success.” Before I got involved with track and cross country, success was measured by goals I set and achieved for myself that made me happy. Since then, I have realized that success is much more gratifying when it is dependent on making those around me proud. In track, success is when I have trained hard enough so that I am able to help my relay team win a race or break the school record. In cross country, success is when I have built up enough endurance to contribute to the team score and help my team move on to the state meet. This mentality has translated to my daily life, as I am constantly working hard to please those around me. At school, I always do my homework and get good grades so that my teachers do not have to focus extra energy on getting me to do my work. At work, I strive to go above and beyond my typical duties so that I can lessen the responsibilities of my co-workers. At home, I help out with chores without being asked so that my parents can have one less thing
Joining the High School Cross Country team was a huge risk for me because I am quite shy and didn’t have friends on the team. I was the fastest girl on the team, but very slow in comparison to other schools. I was disappointed, and although I gave it a good effort, I knew that I could try much harder. I didn’t quit that year or the next because I knew that people expected me to keep running and I hate giving up, but there were many times when I wanted to quit. However, I decided that if I was going to keep running, I might as well give it more than just a good effort, I would give it my best effort and see if I could shave five minutes off of my 5k time. I started to work much harder and learned to persevere when it was hard and I wanted to
“There’s always been those times when I needed a breather. When I might need a quick break from being the leader, ‘Cause I’m just human, you gotta feel that.”
Let’s flash back in time to before our college days. Back to then we had lunch trays filled with rubbery chicken nuggets, stale pizza, and bags of chocolate milk. A backpack stacked with Lisa Frank note books, flexi rulers, and color changing pencils. The times where we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive, but we did. Through all the trials and tribulations school helped build who I am today and shaped my future. From basic functions all the way to life-long lessons that helped shape my character.
The start of the 2002 track season found me concerned with how I would perform. After a disastrous bout with mononucleosis ended my freshmen track season, the fear of failure weighed heavily on my mind. I set a goal for myself in order to maintain focus and to push myself like nothing else would. My goal for my sophomore track season was to become a state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. I worked hard everyday at practice and went the extra mile, like running every Sunday, to be just that much closer to reaching my goal. The thought of standing highest on the podium in the center of the field, surrounded by hundreds of spectators, overcame my thoughts of complaining every time we had a hard workout. When I closed my eyes, I pictured myself waiting in anticipation as other competitors names were called out, one by one, until finally, the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker, "...and in first place, your 2002 100 meter hurdle champion, from Hotchkiss, Connie Dawson." It was visions like these that drove me to work harder everyday.
Time flies so fast. Looking back, my high school is just like a movie, a lot of things happened. High School is four years of growing up and probably a time in your life where you go through the most changes. In high school you are able to discover yourself and find out who you are as a person. Each year is special and unique in their own way. My journey through high school was a tough one, especially because I decided to not only focus on academic work but also to invest quality time in extra curriculum activities. I wanted more than just academic excellence; I wanted to be a leader, I wanted to add value to every aspect of my life, I wanted a rounded education and not just mere schooling. My success story is what I will like to share with you; how I really made it and how this defines my personality. My journey in High School was scary, exciting, and successful.