I am a juggling, crocheting, martial arts marathoner. I am uniquely me. I say this because, throughout my life, I have taken no small amount of pleasure in picking up random hobbies, activities and skills. For instance, when I was young, I taught myself to juggle for no specific reason. It's the thrill of the challenge, that's what drives me. A year later, sparked by an interest in knots, I taught myself to crochet. Again, for no reason other than I saw a challenge and never stopped until I achieved my objective. At one point, I became fascinated with the game of chess. I taught myself to play and have enjoyed the game ever since. A few years ago, I spotted a friend with the Rubik's cube. What a challenging puzzle! Within a month, I had taught
There are many things that have molded me into the person I am today such as being born into a family with four children. With three siblings, I have been forced to be able to work out problems from stealing each other’s toys to having to rush to the emergency room to get stiches because my brother chased me around the house and I tripped. My mother, father, brother, and two sisters were all born in Pennsylvania and I am the odd ball and I was born in Adrian, Michigan. From when I was a child I always loved being involved with sports because of my competitive nature. I grew up playing soccer and having success with that but then my love changed and I began playing lacrosse and football. I started playing lacrosse in middle school and played
Since beginning Penn Foster, it has been a challenge to balance out all my reasonability’s as an adult. From working 40 hours a week at my local Walmart, to volunteering a few hours of each day at my local SPCA. My life is full of chaos. I rarely get any “me” time and when I do I am trying to finish up my assignments. Working at Walmart is not really stressful, granted we are a very high volume store but all I really do is stock shelves, and assist customers when needed. The stressful part becomes before I actually make any money. My Walmart schedule is 1 pm till 10 pm. So bright and early, 8 am I am up on my way to the
Motivation is by being dedicated. I motivate myself by doing the things I love. Dedication will advance to motivation.
In both sports and academics, coaches and teachers commend me for my relentless effort and drive. However, I carry this effort in everything that I do. I have picked up many skills and talents through high school that may seem miniscule to others, but they required dedication and practice. I have taught myself to play the piano, and I also have learned origami and skateboarding. I even taught myself to juggle, and practiced enough until I was good enough to give lessons to others. Most would consider these hobbies, but I consider them passions. When I put my mind to goals or tasks, I strive to be the best. For example, when I began skateboarding, I had trouble learning how to kickflip. However, I practiced for hours alone in the garage, repeatedly listening to the loud crash of the skateboard hitting the concrete floor. I even rolled my ankle on two separate occasions, but these setbacks did not hold me down. I kept trying, until after a month, I finally landed a kickflip. I bring this persistence to whatever I put my mind to, and I know that I can use my drive to learn and succeed in engineering at the University of
Every person has something inside them that defines them as an individual. This uniqueness can take many forms and could be visible to the outside world or quietly hidden, deep inside. Passion for something specific is often the guiding factor in developing one’s uniqueness and often in ways that were not foreseen. My love of ice hockey has changed my life in ways that I could not have imagined and has shaped my personal growth. My ability to stop a hockey puck defined me; or so I thought!
From small stick figures, to cartoon characters, to more realistic anatomy and detailed work. This only happened because of my dedication and constant practice with a pencil and paper. Though I do not consider myself the best artist, I became proud of my growth and motivation that branched out to other aspects of my life. This habit of practicing led me to take challenging courses and pursue other passions, like music. Though music seems a little minor in my life, it runs through the family, and I could never be where I am without the practice time I put in both my passions. The small details I picked up from them have helped me immensely in school. From motivation to not give up and the extra effort to understand the material, I created a process of how to do things, and I found myself grateful for the times where I felt lost, and found my way back. Through art, I found my sense of self and the motivation to excel and challenge myself in everything I
Hot days are taking over Charlottesville and summer classes have finally started. As a result, dresses and sunglasses are taking over grounds and I can’t say I’m hating it! I ran into this adorable Fashionista and immediately loved her outfit; I could see myself in everything she was wearing and the little details in her outfit stood out as well.
I spent most of my high school career depressed and anxious about everything. I was lost alone and some days it was it was hard to get out of bed. I was happier with my friends that was only a temporary satisfaction. I found myself through Art: writing, poetry, or short stories Art help me express myself. My art screamed more than I could have ever said. Art give me the confidence in the person I convey through right. Being creative lowered my anxiety and maybe feel like I could be myself.
I have a very active lifestyle resulting in a wide variety of interests outside of the classroom. I have always had a deep life-long passion for sports. I represented my high schools varsity volleyball and basketball teams as well as partaking in an adult slow-pitch softball league throughout high school and into college. Other sports and activities I enjoy include Tae-kwon-do, soccer, fast-pitch softball, tennis, callisthenic and weighted workouts, running, hiking and biking.
I don’t sing, I can’t draw, and I definitely do not dance. Other than the ability to memorize useless things, I was blessed with the ability to play sports. Since I was six my life has revolved around sports. Throughout these eleven years of continuous ball, I have developed a highly competitive attitude, learned how to be a leader, and learned how to deal with adversity.
If I were to be anywhere in life, it would be on an animal conservancy. I find simplicity in the beauty that flourishes around us. I guess because my life has been anything but simple. Growing up I faced many obstacles, but they never seemed to stop me in my quest of self discovery. When I was little (around the age of 4), I was diagnosed with Leukemia. I spent 4 years of my childhood being treated with chemotherapy in order to battle my cancer. Even after remission, the battle still continues to keep my body healthy and my mind well. It was only years later when I was around the age of 15 that I lost my father to cancer. These specific events have shaped me as a human being, they are part of my human experience.
My quilt square symbolizes a big part of my life that has been going on for nine years. In 2008 my parents became foster parents. I was only eight years old at the time. It impacted my life majorly. Kids would come in and put of our home. Younger kids, kids my age, even older kids. The feeling of having to share my mom and dad at such a young age was difficult and fustrating. Sometimes i felt as if i didnt have them to talk to. It was like thought that i was going to lose them to the other kids would suddenly pop into my head making me feel lonely. When i look back on the many memories that have been made through out this journey make me realixe that my family made a impact on many of these kids. My parents ended up adopting three of the children
Reading and writing has always played a vital part in my life. From toddler to adult, pre-elementary to college, I’ve managed to sharpen both skills to my liking. However, even though it significantly helped, schooling was not what influenced me to continue developing those skills into talent. Many different things shaped and influenced my learning, and now reading and writing have become the safety net of my life. I know that even if I have nothing else in the future, I’ll still have my talent and knowledge. To ensure my success, I hope to further develop those skills so that I may fulfill my wishes.
I was afraid to turn around because in my mind there would be a peculiar stalker who had spent the last couple years of his life gathering detailed information of my personal life. I cautiously swiveled my head around.
Although I am only sixteen years old and in the eleventh grade of high school, many things have influenced me and caused me to be the person that I am today. I hope that these things will continue to help me be a better person and influence me as my life continues. Some of the things that have influenced me have been church, my family, my friends, and school.