SOUMYA MANTHA - PERSONAL STATEMENT ________________________________________ India has a glorious, rich heritage with a plethora of cultures, lifestyles and traditions mixing on a daily basis. Such an upbringing has helped me see the beauty within each culture. I consider myself to be very fortunate as I belong in family that has established a special school for slow learners, and a non profitable hospital for the financially backward. Participation in the work here has enabled me to interact with people from various walks of life, making me a more informed and open individual. My high school days were the times when I perceived the attributes that go into making success. The comprehensive skills required to realize a project; the team spirit that overcomes all the envy and negative thoughts; the sports-man spirit of taking defeat; and finally, the exhilaration of victory. I was always competitive when it came to academic goals. Early in high school, I lead a team of four that qualified for the final level, amidst much competition at NCSC (National children’s science congr...
It’s the triumphs as well as the defeats, that I will remember most about my life when I look back in thirty years. If I can look back and say, “I didn’t think I could ever accomplish this, but I gave it my all.” Pursuing the next challenge along with being a well-rounded, compassionate person will allow me to consider my life a success in thirty years. Nothing in my life emulates this attitude towards what I will consider a success, in terms of pushing my limits, in thirty years, than my current pursuit of collegiate level sports.
As a student, I strive for excellence in my classes and dedicate in performing well in all my schoolwork and school activities. I always aim to perform my best in everything I do. Possessing a record of excellent conduct as a student throughout my school career has helped me develop as a person. By participating in school-related competitions such as ABSH Math Bowl/Math Olympics and
I have been a four year letter-winner in volleyball and basketball. Athletics have been a crucial part of developing my character and work ethic. In sports, you must work together with your team to reach your goals. Trust and communication skills are vital and are tested every day. The failure and setbacks I have faced through sports have helped me to believe in myself and have the self-confidence that it takes to be successful in athletics and in life. As a senior captain of the volleyball and basketball teams, my leadership has improved tremendously as high school has progressed. Being a leader holds me accountable and I aim to be a role model for younger teammates on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.
High school sports are approached with clashing opinions. Some of these opinions are positive, and supportive of athletics. “Athleticism, among many activities, offers teens a physical outlet to exert their troubles, anger, emotions, and other feelings” (Chen 1). This can be observed in nearly all of the football players in Friday Night Lights. This can also be noticed in the world today. “Athletics help high school students understand their own abilities and talents” (Chen 1). This piece of evidence is very accurate when describing high school athletes. Sports can make a high school student humble. As can be seen by the preceding information, high school athletics can have a positive impact on a student’s life.
...lways have to try your best and want to win. Sports also teach students teamwork skills. In order to succeed you need to have the ability work with others.
Although I wasn’t too good at basketball to begin with, I did have high hopes for our team. I believed my team and I could win conference this year, my last year at Glenside Middle School. We were a distinct group of kids from different cultures and ethnicities, the only thing we shared was a common goal.
In the classes, Coach provided the class with a safe and warm environment to learn, providing every scholar with an equal opportunity to succeed higher and higher above all society’s critics about students in New Orleans. We proved and continue to prove what people said were impossible, by our rapid growth. On the court other coaches look for skills, but not my coach. She looked for growth, she confidently believes in the idea of a no perfect team, there were always room for growth. Despite how many losses, the scores weren’t what mattered. Instead, it was about the growth and fight of never giving up until the buzzer went off at the end of every game. I was a part of a team that came from 0 wins from freshman year to having my team finally able to enter the playoff with just one more win to reach. My view of life began to change and evolved over time since
I decided that I wanted to play a sport, I chose volleyball. Most of my friends played the sport so it wasn't hard for me to adjust and make new friends. Becoming a student athlete was a big adjustment for me, I could no longer float through my classes but I need to excel. And that's exactly what I did. For the first time in my high school career I made not only honor roll, but principal’s honor roll. For the first time my mom was proud of my report card, that made me even more proud. From then on I knew I wanted nothing less than what I earned, good grades and a proud family. From my decision to chose to become a student athlete not only make me work harder but, be great at everything I put my mind to. I had motivation to stay successful, to stay eligible. Three years ago if you were to ask me where I thought I would be my senior year, I probably would have told you low level classes barely making it by. Now here I am today excelling in my education preparing to take the next step in my future, college. Even if we don’t understand why we go through them, we have to be willing to let our obstacles become out
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
During my four years I was a student of the International Baccalaureate program at my school, and I had to study even more than an average student to make sure that I did well in these rigorous courses. I knew that due to the excessive amount of work I had to manage my time well between games, practices and study time. By being in the IB program and athlete also expanded my work ethics and has taught me that hard work,effort and dedication pays off in the end.There were plenty of times when I was too tired to do my homework and I had to set time aside to make sure all my work was completed. Another life lesson that high school sports has taught me is that I should always lead by example because you never know who is watching you. During my senior year of basketball I was given the opportunity to be a senior captain, I’ve never had such a major role such as that before in my life. I was very nervous and unsure if I was the right person for that position because we had a very young team and a lot of underclassmen that needed someone to look up to. Being a captain taught me to be considerate, patient, motivating and open-minded. I was able to learn how to lead by example and help my
Being a student athlete not only entails motivation on the playing field but also in enhancing your education and learning skills such as leadership and communication. I have done extensive research on this topic and found many misconceptions that lead athletes to be the stereotypical jock. In today’s society many people have different views on athletic involvement enhancing academic development (Joseph). There are many reasons to believe why it does and does not matter. However, there has been research done that critically analyzes student athletes and non-student athletes. Some studies say that student athletes do not have the same competitive motivation in the classroom as they do on the playing field, while others state that being a student athlete helps promote better development in the classroom
Although this drive to always be better has become an integral part of my character, through my high school career it was not, and I derived my drive to succeed from other’s disbelief. When my track coach told me I was too short to be a triple jumper, overcoming his doubt became the driving force in my life. I toiled endlessly in
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.
Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful football coaches of all time, said, “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of will.” Although Lombardi was primarily speaking about success on the turf, he was also speaking about success in life. Aside from being a phenomenal leader on the field, Lombardi was a leader in all aspects of life and stands as a role model for many young student athletes. When student athletes apply this extraordinary will to their academics alongside athletics, the stellar character of these young adults is revealed. Unfortunately for these athletes, many people, especially educators, blame athletics for struggles within the classroom. A common controversy amongst parents, educators, coaches, and athletes is if education is severely affected by athletic participation. When the results of classroom performance aren’t proficient or greater, it is easy to blame sports because of their time consuming nature. This topic carries a lot of weight for kids ranging from middle school to graduate students because, for many, involvement in athletics is a crucial part of developing important life skills that cannot be attained through a classroom setting, and may be the student’s only method of social outreach. Sports serve as a sanctuary, an escape, a passion, and so much more to each individual involved. Athletics have the potential to negatively impact education, if you allow them to yet research shows just as many cases of sports having positive affects on education as cases of sports being detrimental towards education. The truth of the matter is that your education is your responsibility, and sports cannot be blamed for a lack of succes...