Personal Narrative: My Life As A Collegiate Athlete

At the age of five, my mother and I left my threatening, drug-addicted, alcoholic father. From then on, I rarely saw him. When I did, he was on drugs and barely functioning. My friends lived with similar circumstances, and expectations were low for us. At this time, the only thing preventing me from completely giving in to my environment was athletics. Halfway through high school, and after visiting my father while incarcerated, I promised myself I would never become like him. I would escape the same environment that enabled his behavior. I was able to earn better grades and eventually receive a full scholarship to play college football. Although it is challenging, being a collegiate athlete is a rewarding experience. A routine day consists of going to 5 a.m. workouts, a veterinary internship, class, meetings, practice and then finally going home to begin studying, in addition to watching films to prepare for the upcoming game. This schedule has allowed me to develop effective time management. Athletics has taught me how to overcome adversity — from rehabbing an injury to concentrating on studying after a tough loss. I formed a strong …show more content…
Ironically, the most important lesson I have learned is that there is more to life than sports. Throughout my adolescence, athletics seemed like the only way to make it out of the environment I grew up in. Athletics has given me the opportunity to pursue a career in veterinary medicine — something I always had an interest in, but never thought I would be able to do. I also became a leader to my teammates who grew up in a similar environment as mine. As I excelled on both the field and in the classroom, I showed my teammates that there are more routes to success than professional sports. I was given the pleasure to watch how each of them had changed from the first day they arrived. This taught me to never judge or give up on