Mariah Partee '19 Recruiting Profile

As I exhaustedly stood there awaiting the sound that would inflame my fears. Boom! My teammate ran closer to me piercing the cold air. “It's all or nothing, you got this Mariah,” I whispered. The thought of giving up appeared in my mind vividly. However, I was not the ordinary athlete. At night, as my family members began wandering to bed, I was just getting my second wind to finish my night with exercises. From that moment I began putting forth effort to earning a spot to compete at the IHSA State competition.

For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to combat my fear of performing in front of my peers. As a young teenager, being placed in front of my peers was challenging, but my aspiration to overcome the fear of being timid seemed to transpire. Though, I have always wondered how one can fulfill their curiosity and learn while progressing from their experiences. I have discovered that this phenomenon is yielded by overcoming adversity; hence, which granted me the desire to seek an interest in pursuing a career of being an Obstetrician Gynecologist. My peers at Westinghouse High School would utilize the descriptor “devoted” in comparison to my peers.

Throughout my tenure in high school I have transitioned from an easily misled adolescent to an individual with core values having obtainable long-term goals. I have been faced with many obstacles that would hinder me from progressing. My first year, I did not fathom the idea of engaging in school-wide organizations and/or sports. However, as time passed, I soon realized the importance of participating in extracurricular activities outside of the classroom. To my surprise, I found an interest in joining the track team. As a member of this team, I was introduced to a vast array of my peers with unique skill sets. This experience exposed me to students of similar interests who have encountered success though they were once a beginner. I learned the importance of goal setting and remaining persistent to the task at hand. While working as a team-player not only enabled me to interact with my peers, yet I gained the adequate communication skills needed to survive in any setting. I am grateful for this experience as it fostered an independent role that embodied a leader.

    While working toward earning my high school diploma and sustaining a position on the track team, I encountered many arduous situations. Some experiences did not have such severe consequences, yet they aided in learning about myself and what gives me self-fulfillment. While other individuals did not believe in me I knew I had to have faith in myself. Track has served as the initial impetus to my realization of overcoming adversity in many circumstances.

During my tenure, I immediately established personal goals that would allow me to engage myself inside and outside the classroom. These goals included: conducting research on OB GYN requirements, being in good standing with the school and keeping my worry to a minimum. In addition to my goals, I made sacrifices that other students did not make. Throughout my secondary career, I made it my mission to be devoted to my studies and track. To my friends, I became the girl who was on a quest for a greater good. Surprisingly, in the moments I wanted to give up, I somehow managed to find the energy to persevere.