My greatest influences are my parents and my brother. My brother suffered from Guillain- Barre Syndrome when he was eight. He lived in the hospital on an artificial ventilation for 97 days and later he had to continue physical therapy for at least ten years as he was completely paralyzed. My parents and my brother devoted their few years completely for his treatment. Today, my brother is a successful engineer working in the bay area. I learned that with dedication, determination and diligence we can achieve our dream in life…
“Be formless, shapeless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow and it can crash. Be water my friend.” This quote from my childhood hero Bruce Lee has given me inspiration and motivation to adapt to changes in my life and to keep working.…
Walking into the locker room about to get ready to go to our last football game of the season. I could smell the sweaty equipment from the kids who never take their pads home. The Hempfield Spartans 7th grade team would be ending their season 0-7 if we didn’t win today. As I was changing into my pads my friend mike walked in the room. I said “you ready for tonight”. “Heck yeah” replied Mike.…
Have you ever had a reoccurring challenge in your life? The one that sticks out the most is my challenge to still get on and ride with my knee. Every time I ride it could be my last. I still get back on every time though.…
An example of my determination is me raising my average from an 82 in freshman year to a 93.4 in junior year. An example of me being adaptable is how I moved many times over the course of my life and dealing with hurricane sandy and was still a successful student. An example of me being hardworking because I am able to manage school and work.…
My mother, “Regina Hopkins,” has been a positive influence in my life. She has raised 6 kids all by herself as well as earned a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from a City College in Gainesville, Florida. My mother has been through pretty much everything a person can go through outside of war and was still able to be there and provide for all 6 of her kids. In high school, my mother wanted to play football and couldn't because she was a girl and back-in-the-day women were not allowed to play football with the guys. However, she remained strong by raising 6 kids and independently took care of all of us on her own. My mother has several qualities that I would love to develop. The first quality she has is balance; she certainly knows how to make…
A major theme in my life is improvement. I challenge myself to take risks and set high expectations for myself. For instance, I strive to run faster and for longer distances every couple of times I approach the treadmill belt. I am obstinate about my minimum distance, 2.2 miles, and my minimum speed, 6.8. A major component of improving myself is learning. Every new word is a miniscule enhancement of my massive English vocabulary pool, but it is still a step in the right direction. I enjoy becoming more knowledgeable in both domestic and international affairs. I wish I could have more time to pour into reading current event and health articles. I am particularly attached to drumming the latest scientific discovery or innovate biotechnology product…
Moving on is easy but what you leave behind is what makes it hard. Once you get to a certain age in your life you know you have to move on sometime. I know times are hard but you have to push yourself toward what you really want in life even if it means moving away from what you love.…
After all the ups and downs in my life none of those things stopped me in achieving my dreams in 2012 the year that I received my associates the most emotional moment in my life when I had walked and made my family proud of me. I know it doesn’t seem a lot to many people but to me was the beginning of a very successful life and making a difference in my life and many others. Not only I did this for myself but for my nephews (my brothers kids) to show them that it takes a lot of hard work to achieve for our dreams but anything is possible in life as long as we don’t give up, hopefully inspire them to go far in life. I want to make a change in my family’s lives and make things better for all of us.…
“WHOA WHOA WHOA THIS IS BALONEY MAN!” that is something I say whenever I am frustrated. People have always told me sometimes the best way to learn something is through failure. People value things they have accomplished differently. Often the people whom are naturally adept at things do not realize how much of a struggle it can be for others. Many times when people have told me that if you are going to fall, fall forward. Do not let your insecurities, doubts, and pride get in the way of improving yourself. In brief, there can always be a way to improve yourself.…
Throughout my life I have encountered many circumstances that have shaped me into the person I am today. I was born in Moroleon, Guanajuato, Mexico. I attended school in Mexico all the way to second grade. In the summer of 2006 I moved to Cumming, Georgia. It was the hardest thing to do because I left everything that I care the most about. We lived in a trailer which was not the nicest place and in the middle of the forest. I started school at the beginning of August. I had always loved school so I was so excited for the first day. I knew it was going to be hard because I would have to conquer so many obstacles on the way. At this time the only English I knew was probably counting from one to ten and some of the colors. My Father knew some…
Learning from mistakes is a key part of life. I myself have had to learn from my mistakes. Over the summer I cut my foot outside. I spent the whole night in the worst hospital, then I got 18 stitches in the bottom of my foot. It also set back my ability to play football. My mistake was going outside without shoes, now I wear my shoes all the time.…
Who am I? That has always been an essential question for as long as I can remember. I never really understood why we had to answer that question along the way, but I’m now a senior at SJPII and I still have no idea who I am. It really bothers me that for 16 years I still haven’t figured out who I am. Constantly going from class to class and making new friends I still can’t pin point who the “real” me is.…
Having never moved from the same house and street I can't say I've had my share of adapting into new environments for long periods of time, which could be my reason leading me to a change of surroundings during my schooling. Being unsure of my choice I took the chance to explore my options and review the decision I was coming too, I communicated with my parents and friends around me about the new choices I felt I needed in life such as a new environment in my education. With feeling particularly unhappy with the situations I was in at the High School I pursued an alternative route than a GED or drop out, which wasn't the path my friends or family wanted me to go down. I gave myself time to discuss with myself the different concerns and supporting…
Most teenagers do not have a clue about what they want to be when they grow up. Most young adults also do not know where their path is in life. Even some full-blown adults are still trying to figure out their purpose. I was lucky. I knew exactly where I belonged from about the time I was seven up until now, at the decently young age of nineteen. I do not see my path changing anytime soon; in fact, I know it will never change. But, I did not just wake up one day as a child and know what my path was, while that would be impressive. Defining moments in one’s life defines who they are. There were lots of things I experienced in my life that made me realize my purpose, my absolute passion. I had four of these defining moments in my short span of…