In the August before my sophomore year of high school, a challenge emerged. My dad had passed away. Of course you would read that and automatically think about how that would affect me in many ways. However no one, not even myself, was aware of the many challenges that went with this.…
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.…
My eyes snap open and the image of a room slowly focuses into my vision. I look around wondering where I am and become aware of a loud shrill noise. Then I remember, this is my place now, this is where I live and that clock needs to stop beeping. Slowly I get out of bed and look into the mirror asking myself the same question as I always do, "Why am I getting up, its not like there is anything for me to do." My room is nothing like I remember it from last night. Last night I had strewn the clothes I was wearing all about the room and sequentially thrashed it by everywhere looking form my pajamas that I somehow never seem to find. Now, my room is all clean. At least the clothes had provided some color to…
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…
Today was the day. The big day. My election for Lieutenant Governor of Division 2B for Key Club, an international service club, was today. Fear and anxiety pricked my skin in rapid movements emanating from every pore. I rehearsed my speech for the fifth time that day. Upon arrival at the Fairfax Library, I urged myself to remain calm. I quickly scouted out the other girls who were present; one girl was dressed professionally with a folder in her hand. I knew that was my competition. The girl spoke eloquently and genially, she radiated enthusiasm and a certain warmth that I did not have. With every question that was asked, she answered with a smooth smile and high-pitched tone that was dripping with sincerity. I bristled inside; I had just been slapped. I was shrouded in a cloud of anxiety and anxiousness. Suddenly, I was dragged from my reverie.…
Then my mom picked me up and rocked me to sleep. Her robe is soft and warm. It takes about 10 minutes for me to fall asleep. Then my dad comes over to pick me up out of my mom’s arms and I fall asleep in my dad’s arms. Next thing I know I see my dad walking down the hall to my room with me in his arms. From the way I see it, I’m dying.…
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.…
In sixth grade, I stood before a podium that stared back at my English class. This was not how I envisioned sharing my love for reading and writing; however, it was required. My palms felt sticky, and I just knew that the entire class could see my heart as it was about to hop from the walls that kept it safe. I prayed that I would not forget the lines as I recited The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. In sixth grade, reading, writing, and I started a relationship. Today, we have yet to break up.…
After my second year in high school, I made a decision that would turn out to be life changing. This decision wasn’t life changing in the way that getting married or going to college would be, but I really learned a lot about myself that summer. What I’m about to tell you is what happened when I switched from Marching Band to Football. I will explain to you why this switch was such a big deal to me and what I learned about myself from it. Switching from Marching Band to Football after my Sophomore year of high school changed the way I saw myself because I found I have a strong enough will to follow my heart despite controversy with others, I have a strong desire to be in control of my life, and I have an aggressive side that had not shown itself before.…
These imaginations were going on for sometime now, it was to a point that I would be afraid to get out of bed at night to use the bathroom because I believed it was a monster under the bed ready to grab me as soon as I stepped out the bed. One night I pulled a brave move, I jumped out the bed ran in my parents room with tears rolling down my fat cheeks. I told my mom there was a monster under my bed. She got up, took me to the bathroom and walked me back to bed. We looked under my bed and we saw no monsters there. My mom said, see, no monsters here, and then she put me to…
I've always prided myself on my ability to adapt. Being optimistic and working with the cards I've been dealt, has always been my strong point. When life throws something at you knowing how to adapt to it is your best option and it affects the way you look at life.…
The bed was pushed and made a loud noise, while i was sleeping at 3AM at midnight. I woke up terrifed and cried but acomplished to go back to sleep by 3:33AM. Next morning i heared my nieces say someone was making noises and grabbing their room's door knob. I was scared and to this day I am still scared wondering what made us so terrfied. I don't beleive in spirts or ghosts but I'm pretty confused if i should believe in it or not. All these creepy stuff happening just isnt a simple wind or maybe it was a dream type of thing, It something else that no one can see but feel.…
Growing up in Kokomo, Indiana there wasn’t much to the daily life in my hometown. I’d like to believe this is me telling the story of how through hard work and perseverance I could achieve my goal in high school. A goal that many told me was unachievable and stupid to pursue. What is this goal you wonder? My goal was to play Basketball at Kokomo High School.…
Football has always been a big part of my life. As a young boy I would day dream of making insane touchdowns, making tackles that would leave man stuck in the ground, and even winning the heisman trophy. In 7th grade I had begged my mother endlessly to sign me up for pee wee football because she would always worry about the risks of football. After finally getting her to sign me up, we went straight into the season. I chose to play running back because as a 12-year-old I was remarkably fast having timed 5.3 in the 40 yard-dash. After a few weeks in the season we approached the playoffs and found out our opponent for the first round of the playoffs were the jaguars who were undefeated. Our team didn’t have the best chemistry on…
Yet another Thanksgiving, and I was stuck in my uncle’s basement watching the Redskins face off the Dallas Cowboys. Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and various other famous athletes all grinned at me from their respective Wheaties boxes, seemingly mocking my pain. My uncle collected them and, for some reason, had decided the bright orange boxes would be a great decorative addition to the basement wall behind the television. I remember once, when I was younger, I was searching for a movie to watch and I accidentally brushed against a limited edition Michael Jordan box. The box began to teeter, and I immediately knew that I was doomed. All the boxes began to fall like dominos to the floor. My uncle, needless to say, was furious. Thus, it was seemingly fitting that the offended boxes, now realigned on the wall, would have the privilege to witness my torture by football.…