- 2011-2013 Highlights
Personal Statement
My goal in life is to be the best person I could be at whatever path I choose. I hope to always have integrity and aspire to conquer my dreams with peace of mind and humbleness. Fighting and succeeding through adversity developed my character and the person I am today. I choose to tell my story as one that has been so far challenging yet a story I share so that someone may hopefully find strength from it. At age four, I fought for my life as I suffered burns on about 70% of my body. It was a freak accident where a drain opener containing 98% sulfuric acid exploded and got on my grandmother and me. My burns started at my head, burning my hair and scalp, my ear was amputated and it spread from there. For the past ten years, I have spent most summer vacations and school months in the hospital. I needed radiation, skin grafts, tissue expanders and so many other procedures I lost track. I may have lost many battles but I feel I won the war, for I refused to be a victim. I have scars hid under clothing and lost an ear, but I did not lose hope. I had dreams and goals that were not going to get accomplished if I played the victim. I had to work harder to keep up when I missed school. We were told I was not going to be able to smile, to play sports, to have a “normal” life; I had to learn to walk again and move my body. I had a life I was just starting to live, goals and dreams, and the spirit inside of me was not going to give up.
My role as a scholar, athlete and human being was developed. My goals were success in academics, leadership, service, and character. My work ethic developed through the struggle to get physically and mentally strong after every set back in order to achieve my goals. Being a leader does not come from a title; a true leader demonstrates their leadership through daily actions, regardless of who is watching. My leadership roles have come from a deep source of integrity and sense of justice. I am a leader when I am on the playing field empowering, supporting and guiding my teammates toward a common goal. I never waiver from what I believe in. This is true leadership.
My academic career is the key to a higher education and successful future. I am determined to work hard to achieve my academic goals. My endurance has paid off in football. I have never been medically released to play tackle football. I was finally able to play my freshman year working tirelessly knowing I had a lot of catching up to do. Then after another set-back, which was another surgery over the summer, I came back and became a varsity starter thanks to my hard work. I went from not ever playing football to starting on the varsity team.
Service to others comes from the part of me that wants to give back because of the people that have given me so much love and support. It hasn’t been easy growing up trying to focus on the good things. There will always be a struggle someone is going through, and if I could make a difference from one small kind gesture, I know that it will make a difference to that person. I have always been told things happen for a reason, I am still waiting for that reason. I am often asked if I could go back in time what would I change. My first impulse is to say, I wish this never happened to me. But I hesitate, for a voice inside me wonders would I be proud of who I am today had I not persevered through adversity. Maybe the reason is explained through what someone once told me, “Never imagine what could have been, just know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, make it count”.
