Personal Statement
I am many things. I am a hero, a challenger, and one who will never back down. I keep my eyes open, my head up, my chin high, and my hopes higher. I am a multifaceted individual capable of excellence in any field. I am dynamic, and I have only begun to define what I am.
I am an athlete; a man who pierces through the dirt, the mud, the rain, the snow, the wind, and the pain; one who consistently outweighs the temporality of agony with the prospect of victory; one who grits his teeth, keeps his eyes on the prize, puts his head down and hammers. I can close in a sixty, breathe when there is no air, and move when my muscles are too weak to do the job themselves. I am a state champion. I let my times do the talking, but this is not who I am.
Perhaps these traits make me a musician; an artist in the field of the French horn; one who produces from his instrument a plethora of sweet, dulcet counter melodies or powerful, driving off-beats; one who has traveled the world, from England to Austria, sharing his skills in the keys of B flat and F. I have been received with tears of joy, and congratulated with a standing ovation. Yet, again this is not who I am.
Am I a scholar? A mathematician? An author? A scientist? Maybe I am a for runner in the fields of learning and academia; an achiever of A’s, the setter of chemistry curves, a natural learner; one who stays up late into the night studying for tomorrow’s exam. I don’t fear exhaustion, confusion, strife or struggle. I relentlessly pursue knowledge. I know how to find the derivative of a function, can identify every major bone in the human body, can effectively use repetition in my writing, and know when to change the overall tone of a paper. Alas, this is not who I am. It is merely what I have done, where I have been, and what I have seen.
I know what I am. I am a kid. I am nervous before each race. I have split notes, come in at the wrong time, and played out of tune. I have written poor essays, botched tests, and struggled with homework; but never have I allowed these fears and failures to define or control who I am. When the time comes, I shake the hand of the guy who out-kicked me, practice those measures, and pick up the text book. I admire, aspire, and persevere. I value humility, and I realize that my character is not defined by what I have done. It defines what I can do. This is who I am, and it has allowed me to do this much. Now the question is not “who am I and what have I done”, but rather, “who will I be and where will I go next?”