Personal Statement
In the fourth grade, I found out that I had a talent for basketball. My father enrolled me in a recreational basketball league, and I continued to grow from there. In middle school, I was the only 7th grader to play for the 8th-grade team and became part of the starting five. The next year I lead my middle school team to an undefeated season and the schools first county championship in almost 5 years. Once entering high school, I achieved my longtime goal of playing varsity basketball as a freshman, but I had to overcome many obstacles during my season. The first game of the season I fractured both arms, and I was told I would be out for six weeks and that my season was practically over. I was determined to make a strong comeback, and during those six weeks, I worked on strengthening my legs and worked on making sure that I keep my body active. After coming back from my injury with only a couple games left in the regular season, I couldn't make such a significant impact on my team, but I was determined to help all I can considering that the team was going into the county tournament. I helped set up the gymnasium, and I made sure all the water bottles were filled when my teammates would come out of the game to rest. I went as hard as I could in practice to help myself get back into shape and to challenge my teammates in preparation of the tournament. We did not last long in the tournament, but it was a great test of my discipline, perseverance, and work ethic, all of which I gained from the season.
Another thing that influenced me to work as hard as I do is the importance of education in my family. Both my mother and father worked extremely hard to get a good college education, and they have always stressed the importance of getting a good college education on me. I have many passions, and my goal for high school is to maintain a 3.5 GPA while playing basketball, so more college options are available to me. Once in college, I hope to explore other interests, such as teaching and education, history, creative writing, and journalism. Teaching has always been something I love to do, and I often volunteer to help educate special needs children or children with lesser privileges. I think teaching requires patience, leadership, and perseverance, all of which I have had for the greater part of my life. I hope to explore all my passions in college and go to a university with a high-level basketball program and academic program so that after college I have all I need to succeed, and hopefully make a meaningful impact in the world.