Sophomore slump

As a quiet middle school student, I never imagined that I would grow to be who I am today, but with my drive, I have learned that anything is possible. Throughout my experiences in high school, I have learned the importance of communication, leadership, and service. Today, I embody all the qualities of a well-rounded individual with my involvement in varsity athletics, academics, social skills, and community involvement. As a strong athlete going into high school athletics, I had high…

unnecessary, I still tried to asset myself among my teammates. Up to the end of sophomore year, I saw my need to be a leader as advantageous; being a leader meant respect from peers. I often imagine high school as a giant extended metaphor; each year represents a portion of a vast ocean. Freshmen year was the tumultuous waves during a storm; it was stress-filled and contained unsuspected challenges. By the time sophomore year came around, the waves had quelled and the waves that were hurled my…

Just last year I was driving up to LHU for the Summer Bridge program and I remember being extremely nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. I remember being assigned to a “Peer Mentor” whose job was to guide me throughout my freshman year and push me to be my best. I remember going to every workshop that was held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. because I knew if I didn’t there may be a possibility that I could miss out on some important information that would one day be helpful. I remember…

"Good better best, never let it rest, 'till your good is better and your better is best." These simple words were spoken to me by my high school band director Cheldon Williams on the first day of my high school experience. This, followed by my experience of marching band and my eventual learning of piano sparked a period of introspective thought, and mental growth, that transcended to where I am today. Never in my life did I think my hard work and dedication inspired by Mr. Williams words would…

has been one of my true passions since I was a little kid. My freshman year I was the youngest player on the Varsity team. I didn’t play much, but I knew it would be a learning experience so I accepting riding the bench the entire year. Then my sophomore year rolls around and I was a cocky kid who thought he was untouchable on the baseball field. I didn’t take my offseason workouts seriously, and practice seriously. New kids came who were honestly much better than me, so when tryouts came I was…

Playing field hockey is my passion and an activity that I love to do. I will always love the sport and it will always be a part of who I am. I like to do many things that involve that sport of field hockey. For example, I like to do summer camps, winter clubs, play for my school team in the fall, and do tournaments with my club team in the spring. Speaking of playing field hockey all the time I am currently playing for my indoor club for the third year in a row. When I first started I was not…

"Runners on your mark! Get Ready!" BANG! Freshman year track and field for me was hard and frustrating, at some times, but I really enjoyed it especially my last race before my season ended it. I was a distant runner in track doing the one mile and two mile but i did not really enjoy the two mile as much as I did in the one mile. To me the one mile felt like the perfect event for me and I would always be excited to run it. On the day of my last race day, I was feeling nervous but determined to…

The fall of sophomore year I decided to join the high school swim team. I knew it would be a lot of hard work to stay on the team but was willing to put in the extra effort. Since I was new to competitive swimming I started off swimming in the “easiest” events. These included the 50 meter and the 100 meter freestyle. Eventually I became a substitute swimmer that would go in whatever event needed another Hobart representative. This led to me being in the 200 meter more than anything else. Most…

It was the first padded practice my junior year, the sun was blazing angrily and the Earth was its punching bag. This was my first practice back from a torn shoulder. This injury happened because my refusal to listen to my physician. I had previously injured my shoulder, but my fear of letting my coaches down and looking weak in front of my teammates led me to play through this injury. This erroneous decision worsened my torn labrum; to the point that I had to lose five months of my junior year…

Butterflies filled my stomach and my palms started sweating. This was the moment I had been waiting for since third grade. “I must be next… right?” I thought to myself. I looked down at my outfit: tacky dress shirt, obligatory tie, creased khakis, and boat shoes. I put in the work, I dressed the part—there’s only one piece missing. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is our Hillsborough High School varsity lacrosse team,” announced the coach. Cheers and applause poured out from the crowd, but it left…