Jack O'Hara '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Jack O'Hara, and I am a varsity high school hockey player. My entire life, I have grown up being surrounded by exceptional hockey players. With them, I have learned to love this sport, for there is no feeling I find more satisfying than developing yourself as a player and individual along the side of your friends and rivals. My mission in hockey is to play at the highest level that I am capable of.

Background 

I come from a family of five, each who remind me of the traits that make a great athlete. My brother reminds me to always be competitive. I see him as relentless when it comes to beating out the competition. He also has always challenged me or pushed me to find new heights on either the ice or in the class room. My sister reminds me to never give up when faced with adversity, as it can always be beaten with hard work and dedication. She manages to overcome her disadvantages in the classroom to reach where she is today. My mother reminds me that I will never have to do anything alone. Ever since I was in the second grade, she has had to play the role of two parents. She manages through the help of those who support her, which are our closest friends and family. Finally, my father, who had passed when I was in second grade, reminds me that must always have a dream or goal to reach new levels. He came from a low income family and managed to create wonderful lives for his family through hard work and dedication. The main reason he was able to do so was because he never lost sight of his dream. Before he passed he left me with an important message: "Just because something is ordinary, doesn't mean it cannot become extraordinary." My dream is to become an extraordinary hockey player, which I believe is possible through the right effort, dedication and guidance. 

Personal Achievements

I will begin by discussing my success in education. Throughout my first three years in high school, I have successfully maintained over a 4.0 GPA. Each year I challenge myself more by taking AP and honors classes. My success allowed me to attend NSLC entrepreneur camp; a business camp where you work with other students to learn and test your skills against others. I was elected leader of my group, and we won two out of the three competitions that occurred over the nine day period. I also have managed to maintain my grades while play hockey and managing the local rink's pro shop. 

I am also a champion dog shower. Yes that is…unique. My 8th grade year I convinced my mom to buy a puppy Rottweiler on the condition that I would train him with the assistance of a pro obedience dog trainer. With time, I had made remarkable progress with my dog even though I found it to be one of the most boring experiences of my life. The trainer and my mother secretly signed me up for the county fair dog show where I ended up winning and moved on to the state competition (which I also won). I decided to continue with my training and managed to win county and state the fallowing year as well as the title of Grand Champion. We most likely would have won this past year if my dog had not passed due to cancer. However, the entire experience has greatly developed my ability to both learn and teach. 

I have also had achievements in hockey as well. My freshman year we managed to win one championship in Chicago and our own State championship. During my junior year, I was the captain of our team and again won our Chicago tournament and our State championship. 

My personality

If I could describe my strengths, then I would use the word "consistent". That is the word my coach used to describe me. I always give the same intensity and effort which creates the sense that I reliable. The same go towards any challenge laid in front of me, especially in the class room. For weaknesses, I tend to be a perfectionist. I sometimes tend to beat myself up if I make a mistake in either hockey or school. However, I have began to treat those failures as learning experiences that help me further develop myself. 

My dream at the end of the day is to get to the next level no matter what cost.