William Arthur Ward: The American College Man
To be honest, one would have to stretch in order to discover many similarities between my life, and the life of the American college administrator William Arthur Ward; a man who was born in 1921 and throughout his life became a champion for education and academia. However, William Arthur Ward has given me a very important gift; he has bestowed upon me a mantra which I have applied successfully throughout my experiences in the classroom, the Football and Lacrosse fields; as well as in my everyday life I don't know if Mr. Ward, a man noted for many famous quotations, had anything particular in mind when he said, "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records" but I'd like to think that he wasn't focusing on any specific discipline,
but life as a whole. I've applied his motto time and time again whenever I have been faced with obstacles, injuries or fierce competition. I personally feel that the quote could not be truer. When the situation at hand becomes difficult, when hope is fading and there are a thousand good reasons why people should back down, or quit; the true champions are the ones that are able to trudge threw the difficulties, and come out on top; often with miraculous achievements. Throughout my careers in the sports of football and lacrosse I have been in countless situations where the odds were stacked against me. I have participated in close games played in the rain, mud, snow or grueling summer heat. Injuries have piled up when I needed anything but something to slow me down; but whenever I have been down and out, I fall back on Mr. Ward's quote and realize that adverse situations aren't times to slow down, back off or quit. They are really just opportunities to achieve greatness. My academic career has seen it's share of difficult times, times when I just couldn't seem to "get" a subject, or times when the workload I was facing seem insurmountable, however, by simply recognizing the situation for what it was worth; a time when the common man would be giving up in despair, I told myself that I was better then that, and went on to lead a very successful four years in high school. I have had tremendous success by following Mr. Ward's philosophy; "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records". I hope I am able to achieve even greater results as I carry his mantra with me into college and beyond.
but life as a whole. I've applied his motto time and time again whenever I have been faced with obstacles, injuries or fierce competition. I personally feel that the quote could not be truer. When the situation at hand becomes difficult, when hope is fading and there are a thousand good reasons why people should back down, or quit; the true champions are the ones that are able to trudge threw the difficulties, and come out on top; often with miraculous achievements. Throughout my careers in the sports of football and lacrosse I have been in countless situations where the odds were stacked against me. I have participated in close games played in the rain, mud, snow or grueling summer heat. Injuries have piled up when I needed anything but something to slow me down; but whenever I have been down and out, I fall back on Mr. Ward's quote and realize that adverse situations aren't times to slow down, back off or quit. They are really just opportunities to achieve greatness. My academic career has seen it's share of difficult times, times when I just couldn't seem to "get" a subject, or times when the workload I was facing seem insurmountable, however, by simply recognizing the situation for what it was worth; a time when the common man would be giving up in despair, I told myself that I was better then that, and went on to lead a very successful four years in high school. I have had tremendous success by following Mr. Ward's philosophy; "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records". I hope I am able to achieve even greater results as I carry his mantra with me into college and beyond.