Jeremy Curden '20 Recruiting Profile

When I was born I had to have an 11 hour surgery for Jejunal Atresia. Jejunal Atresia is a birth defect where the intestine is not connected to the stomach. My case was even more complicated because my small intestine was also curled up like an orange peel, and was almost completely blocked.  The doctors were astonished that I wasn't a stillborn and told my parents to enjoy every moment with me as I would not make it past my first birthday. However, I did, and although I was supposed to spend the first six months of my life in the NICU, my rapid growth and development convinced the doctors to send me home with my parents only after three months. The doctors were quite impressed by how well I healed, and they saw my determination to live. That same determination continues to echo throughout my life. As I grew, I would look at my scars, and it would motivate me to continue to push through even when it seems too difficult. 

One of those difficult situations, was seeing how my parents struggled to take me places after my dad’s driver's license expired and he couldn’t get it renewed. Then he later lost his work permit which made money very scarce because he could not continue to work. This all happened because my parents are both immigrants, and are currently in legal proceedings to adjust their status to legal permanent residents. I knew the burden my parents were carrying, so to ease their pain, I either walked to and from school or I rode my bike weather conditions permitting. This helped me realize that all of these situations are challenges that I needed to overcome in order to be successful. Thus the spark that ignited my determination at my birth, continued to provide the fuel for me to never give up no matter what challenge lies before me. 

My high school experience also helped to develop my determination even more. I tried out for my school soccer team three times, and I didn't make it, but on my fourth try, I ended up making the team. To make the team, I had to commit to my personal growth and development, i.e. my skills. I couldn’t do it on my own, so I asked my friends to help. They all helped me to improve, and to become a better player. My father and my uncle also helped with my training, and helped me to stay focused. I also had to maintain my grades to play sports but staying determined with my academics proved to be a little more challenging. Some classes were easier than others to maintain my grades but I kept abreast with my school work, and made sure that my grades were good. In my academics, I find some classes easier because the work is more hands on, and that is how I prefer to work.  However, I still managed to maintain my grades, and that shows that I remained determined to grow, to learn, and to excel in all that I do.  

While in college, I want to study engineering in order to become a military weapons engineer. As I enter college, the same determination I had all throughout my high school, I intend to continue to show in order to excel. It’s like what I said before, even with all the challenges in my way, all I have to do is push through, and clear those obstacles so that someday I will be that weapons engineer I want to be so badly. It will take blood, sweat and tears or in other words, lots of hard work and dedication to possibly accomplish this dream of mine. One thing that I have always lived by and known is that dreams are always reachable; but it's what we do to try and get there that counts. I believe that if I believe in myself, and stay determined to learn, grow, and excel I can turn my dream into a reality. Maybe I can go even farther than my dream if I stay focused, even after I have attained the career I wanted by working harder than everyone else so that I could gain promotions.