William Gross '14 Recruiting Profile

Before my personal statement, I would like to address my 2k and 10k erg score. Because my club emphasizes the water over the erg, I have never prioritized my erging, but in the coming fall and spring season I plan to use the information I gleaned from my discussions and training sessions with a two time olympian to focus on improving my 2k time. As a sign of improvement, my 10k erg time (my most recent erg test, 1Oct13) is a 37:46.5. On a more personal note, I am a very serous student, with an aspiration to help people. Everything that I do in life, be it my role in the Civil Air Patrol, songleading in my youth group, or volunteering I do for the purpose of helping others. I have spent 5 years as a member of the Civil Air Patrol, Learning leadership tactics, gaining leadership experience, volunteering, learning to fly, and training the next generation of cadets to take over in my absence. I have learned volumes about dealing with people, paperwork, and the administrative side of the program as well because of the year I spent as the executive officer. I have also spent 3 years as an active part of my youth group on a local, regional, and North American level. Through my involvement I have served as a songleader and peer engager for teens with special needs. These experiences have taught me a great deal about social situations both for neurotypicical people but also for neuro-atypical people, which has been a real eye opener and has fueled my passion to create something to help people with learning differences and difficulties communicate more effectivley. Both of these extra curriculars I have roughly 550 loggable community service/volunteer hours, and countless more unlogged.