Personal Essay: How Adversity Has Changed My Life

Much of my personal growth and my ability to overcome adversity, stems from the concepts of body image and self-control. Ballet gives me fond memories of friendship, developing physical strength and mental discipline, but also reminds me of the pressure of having the perfect figure. Today, I understand how this pressure has influenced my tendency to be a perfectionist in many aspects of my life. Though that resulted in my strong work ethic and persistence, the control I took in terms of my physical health became too extreme. However, rather than allowing an unhealthy food-body-mind relationship take over my life, I made a choice to change. Speaking with health professionals at the University of Chicago about adjusting my lifestyle motivated me to not give up on myself. …show more content…
Swimming empowered me. And with endurance, perseverance, and dedication to teamwork, I was chosen as captain my senior year. I encouraged the women of my team to push themselves, to stay healthy and nourish their bodies, and to be courageous and confident in their own skin. Moving on to the University of Illinois, I wanted to continue this body positivity through my studies, and integrate my compassion for others through my career choice. Human Nutrition and my Modern Greek Studies classes have prepared me to effectively apply my scientific knowledge in a multitude of settings, and communicate with an ethnically diverse population. My work experiences, volunteering, and observations of clinical settings have prepared me to meet the demands of an advanced degree in