Rebecca Guillaume '19 Recruiting Profile

Everything that happens in life has an impact. While many things I have experienced throughout my years so far in high school have had an effect on who I have become, the biggest impact on my life has been track & field. I have learned so much, from how to work with a team, to being disciplined, and how to cope with failure. Track has served as a backbone to everything I do in my life. It has showed me the ways to persevere through all obstacles, to work through the pain even when you feel it’s the end and to be responsible for myself and my actions. It has changed my life, and also prepared me to live in the real world.

 I've been running track ever since middle school, then when I got to high school that's when I realized I wanted to run track professionally.  When I became a member on Atlantic track team I realized that it wasn’t just about having a good time. It was about learning more about yourself, and others; about learning discipline and hard work that not only benefited yourself, but others. That aspect on track is what got me hooked. It completely altered who I was, and for the better. My first year in high school, I was nervous about meeting new people, and how I was going to cope with being in a new place with so many unfamiliar faces. Track changed that. As soon as I stepped foot at my first practice, everyone was so welcoming and encouraging, that my worries soon vanished. I was part of the team and I was accepted. With that, I was able to hold my head up higher, knowing that I had all of them to stand behind me. By the first month, I had already experienced failure. And failure, I did not like. To get back up after being knocked down was the hardest part, but I had to. If I didn’t, it was even more of a failure. Success on the other hand, was a different story; it provided and sense of accomplishment that got me through to the next week.

           I learned that to fail was not such a bad thing. It taught me a lesson and showed me how and where to improve. I learned that without failure, I could not get better. It made me work harder towards my goals because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, my coach, my parents or my teammates. Being successful in what I did taught me that with hard work, I could get what I wanted; but only with hard work. Nothing came easy, and nothing does come easy. It’s the same in the society we live in. Without success and failure, life wouldn’t be what it is, no one would get anywhere and no one would have any motivation or ambition. I think track did a good job in showing me what it will be like out in the real world. In track, I learned how to make connections with others. The friends I made in track are people I will have connections with in the future. I made a family, but even more importantly I built a web of people that I will be able to use to my advantage in the future; along with the knowledge of how to make these connections.

           Track really did prepare me for the rest of my life. It taught me morals, motivation, sportsmanship and responsibility. I know that out in the real world, I have to work hard, because not everything will be handed to me. I have learned this through my coach and my sport. To get where I am today was a long and winding road, and it’s still not over. I believe that motivation is the key to getting through life, and I believe that I am motivated. Track prepared me for failure, for success, for disappointment. It showed me that even when I am successful, or even if I do fail, there is still tomorrow. I will still need to work hard, and I can’t just give up. To get anywhere, I learned that you need to keep your goals within site. I believe that I have to potential to be able to accomplish this without an issue. Without track, I may not have had to opportunity to learn these valuable life lessons.