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As I approached the diving board I could hear my heart pounding nervously in my chest. You see, I'd never been in a pool before and NEVER on an actual diving board. But, I knew how it was supposed to feel because I'd dreamt of doing this perfect jack-knife dive a hundred times. I was ready.
After giving the signal to my friend that I was ready, I emulously approached the steps and sprang from the board- a perfect but imperfect dive. Perfect because everyone poolside oohed & ahhed followed by loud applause. This applause continued until...I didn't surface as planned. I was supposed to curve my hands after entering the water so I would surface and it played out fine in my head. But, I was so excited that I had actually accomplished a near impossible
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I realized that I was the character and my time was about up. Just as I swallowed what I thought was my last drink of air and chlorinated water, I gave up and slowly fell toward the bottom of the pool. I could see my friend trying to gain the attention of the life-guard, I could even see the tears on my mother's face. All of a sudden, I was yanked up from the water and someone had laid me poolside and began CPR. I coughed up that awful tasting water and cried uncontrollably. Tears of relief and tears of …show more content…
I had a passion for people, service, justice, and politics, but still wasn't sure how I would incorporate these passions into a meaningful, fulfilling career. When I first got to college, I began volunteering at an after-school program targeted at at-risk youth. The goal of this program was to provide disadvantaged students with the resources necessary to excel academically, socially, and personally. This role allowed me to gain insight on some of the issues that are prevalent in our society and affecting our youth at an alarming rate. It led me to the realization that to break these generational trends, it is integral to get involved. I began looking more into the role of our government and what could be done on a federal level. I interned with a South Carolina Congressman and a South Carolina Mayor, as a way to gain insight on the inner workings of federal and local government. Inspired by these experiences, I continued on to becoming a member of South Carolina's Congressional Advisory Board. From this opportunity, I was able to analyze current issues in our society and conduct policy research. From there, I along with members of the board, drafted policy recommendations and lobbied to various members of our Congress to recommend solutions to better suit the needs of the people in our
I smiled to myself and decided that I would go join in. With that, I took a huge deep breath and jumped into the salty water. The water was cool and refreshing; I felt it slide through my hair making it sway in the water. I swam deeper and deeper into the deep blue water. Sunlight streamed through it, lighting up the water around me turning it to gold. I kicked harder and I felt my muscles surge with strength and I pushed further. My lunges began to burn for the need of oxygen, but I refused to go up. I repeatedly told myself just a little bit longer. Until I was unable to proceed anymore without more air in my lungs, I swam to the top of the water taking a huge breaths, filling my lungs with air. I could then taste the salty water as it ran down my face and dripped over my lips. Just then I thought, I will never forget this moment, this place, or the experiences I felt while visiting
Forty hands shot up pointing towards the bottom of the old twisty slide following the long dreadful whistle no one ever wants to hear. Two other lifeguards and I jumped up off the shaded break bench and rushed towards the scene with the heavy backboard and AED bag in hand. The routine save played like a movie through my head as I arrived. I stopped. I knew from there on out this wasn't going to be emotionally an easy save. It wasn't a child who swallowed too much water or an adult who got nervous because they forgot how to swim, it was a fellow lifeguard, a friend.
Throughout my adult life, my passion has been to help others. I have always been driven to make the world we live in a better place, even if it is just for that one person. My passion and drive have been the influencing factors in my personal history, my interest in Therapeutic Recreation and my academic and career goals.
I was raised to do my best to help others whenever I saw the opportunity, such as from acting like a personal chiropractor for my friends and family or raising $5,000 for charity. I found something that I really enjoyed; I was doing things for others that benefited them and not me. I knew what I enjoyed; the issue was finding a career that I could provide a service to others and enjoy. Considering many careers, from joining the military to becoming a psychiatrist, I decided to pursue Occupational Therapy.
33 feet up, looking down at the water, trying to determine if this trick will make or break a diver from the rest of his or her career is a heart pounding experience. He jumps, spins, flips, and then hurdles 62 miles per hour toward the unforgiving water head first. The loud splash the diver makes as he enters the water perfect. He disappears into the dark obis of the water for what feels like forever, as he mentally prepares himself for either applause or boos. He finally has no choice but to come up. The room is silent as his head breaks the surface of the water. Then before he has time to recollect what is going on the room busts into cheers and applause, he looks at the score board and sees his name move up from third to first place. The adrenaline rushing through a divers veins, the anticipation till he enters the water, all of this makes diving the best sport in the whole world and Britain definitely knows this.
Immediately, I angled my position and went for a dead sprint toward the water. I jumped off the cliff. I never felt anything like it; the trajectory had me flying through the air for longer than I expected. A surge of adrenaline pulsed through my body, bringing a new sense of life to me. The scorching heat went away as gravity pulled my body toward the water, bringing me a pleasant breeze through my fall. Then, I finally hit the water. I didn’t stick a solid landing, as I went head first into the water. I panicked and opened my eyes under the murky water, only to see nothing but dirt and sediments float around me. I kept sinking and saw a monstrous fish swim right in front of my face. At that very moment, my body went into overdrive, and I managed to project myself back up to the surface.
I have always put people before myself when it comes to my actions and to my feelings. I have always wanted to understand what other people are going through and how I can help that. I soon discovered that I also had a love for our country’s criminal justice system. I figured that if I can start out in the one place where individuals need the most help that I could make the greatest impact. My love for people, science, and justice turned out to help create not only the perfect major but the perfect career for me.
My passion for public service initiated in my third grade reading class. It was there that I volunteered for “Reading Together USA”, a program to help younger children learn to read. The joy and delight that I felt from witnessing my students’ progress was unprecedented to any feeling that I ever felt before, and I knew from that point forward that my life would be committed to serving the public. Although my forms (TRYING TO SAY WAYS LIKE 1st pre-med then law) of serving others may have changed, the trend of service has remained constant through high school, college, and even my career.
Volunteering made me find my career plan in sociology / Social Worker. With a college degree in one of these areas, I hope to impact my community in ways. First, with the knowledge from college, I hope to counsel with young people& adults. In today's society, there are so many negative things that influence adults & young people. I want to help them understand the importance of setting goals and striving to become great citizens. I also want to give them a sense of hope that with perseverance, they can become great role models for other adults &young people by
My career path was heavily influenced by my early life experience and began with my parents, immigrants from the Dominican Republic, who through example and lesson instilled a deep sense of justice and fairness and a commitment to community. They were always the one to speak up when they or others experienced injustice and eagerly taught my sibling and I the importance of active civic participation. I also saw and experienced what happens when public dollars are not carefully invested due to poor policy decisions. The public housing I lived in started off as new opportunity for all the families that moved in before the rapid disappearance of community services and any form of maintenance which was replaced by arson, gun violence, drug and gang-related activity. Our community was abandoned, left with limited resources and faulted for a situation, which was created, by failed public policy and simple apathy by government.
It was finally time to swim. I finally came up with a plan and decided to swim in the deep side of the pool even though I didn’t know how to swim. I knew it would work but I was also scared. As I walked to the swimming pool, everyone laughed at me again for wearing a speedo. I dived into the deep side of the pool and noticed everyone was staring at me in amazement. Then I swam up and hung onto the side of the pool. Everyone was shocked and puzzled. Even the girl I liked looked surprised.
I have worked on many political campaigns in my life and I have enjoyed the work but the Virginia Gubernatorial election was a turning point in my life. I was seventeen and this campaign was different, this time I had a lot of responsibility, I was in control of a portion of a city and I was determined to show people that I could make a difference. It was the knowledge that I could make a difference that showed me that I wanted to work in politics either running as a politician or campaigning for one. I will continue to gain experience by volunteering on political campaigns and I will gain knowledge by completing my Bachelor’s degree in political science.
I interned a cardiologist where I got to see the life of a physician as he went about his daily routine. I achieved getting my Certified Nursing Assistant license after assisting patients at a nursing home. I became a camp counselor for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, where I took care of a 10-year-old child during a summer camp. Through these experiences, I gained confidence in my character and purposefulness. Furthermore, I went on a mission trip to Kenya where I experienced life in a third world country. It was here where my eyes were opened to see a world that is in dire need of help. These people are malnourished, living in detrimental conditions without accessible health care. The experiences I had in Kenya reminded me to never take anything for granted. My engagement acting on all these opportunities fueled my perseverance to pursue my career in health
On my second dive, I yanked the w-shaped anchor from the sand, as if it was a trap door. After that, I propelled my way up to about four inches underneath the surface of the water. Suddenly I started to run out of breath, so I lobbed the 40-pound w-shaped anchor through the water towards the shore. When I reached the surface, I was gasping for air, trying to catch my breath, like a dog after a run on a hot
I know on the outside it may seem like much but, the amount of budgeting, planning, and overall handling of many different situations has helped me grow as an individual. I have been an active participant of both dance marathon and relay for life. Recent have been helping out the Red Cross with random community services events. Along with all that, I have held 4 different jobs down while at hope college and 2 political science internships (not all at the same time though). I am a double major in political science and psychology.