In english for the reflections unit we worked on our common app college essays. This was an amazing opportunity as distance learning was already a handful it was nice for us to have time in class to make our college essays. I had a hard time at first writing my essay but with the help of the book we read in class and Mr. Greco I was able to write an essay I was proud of.
Growing up, I was chubby and slow. I played sports, but I was usually stuck playing the boring “big guy” positions. The first time I ever watched water polo, I was a 5’6” 180 pound middle-schooler watching my older brother’s game. His coach asked me, “why aren’t you playing water polo?”. I replied, “because I hate swimming”. When he responded “so do I, but I love water polo”, I realized that just because I dislike one aspect of the sport does not mean that I wouldn’t learn to love the rest of it. I was not the athletic type, but when I got in the pool my weight didn’t matter, my height didn’t matter, and my little insecurities about myself got washed away.
I was bigger, slower, and less experienced than the other players, but I learned to use my size to my advantage and began to feel like a natural athlete in the water. From the very start, I knew that water polo was going to change my life for the better. Going into the much more competitive world of club water polo, I realized I would have to become stronger and faster.
In order to become a stronger athlete, I spent the summer going into my junior year dieting and training as I lost nearly 40 pounds and became more confident in myself. I started seeing results and was chosen to compete on one of the top teams in the nation in the Olympic Development Program’s National Tournament. I made a change in my life that summer. For once in my life I realized my true potential and I committed to becoming a stronger athlete and to growing both in the pool and out.
As I improved as an athlete, I took that new found confidence into other parts of my life, primarily academics. Eager to meet new people and expand my horizons, I joined Freestyle Academy at the start of my junior year. I instantly loved the collaboration, creativity, and freedom that this art program allowed me to experience. I felt at home in the small, intimate classes and I loved the opportunity to choose what I wanted to learn about. I cherished every moment of it.
When my film class was assigned a documentary project, I decided to make mine about mountain biking, a topic that I was unfamiliar with but wanted to learn more about. Unlike years in the past, my class had a major obstacle in the middle of our documentary production — Covid-19. Throughout the entirety of my film’s production, not only did I learn a lot about mountain biking, but I also learned how to creatively use my networking skills to finish a project in the face of obstacles.
During my first year at Freestyle, I learned that sports and art have far more in common than just risk-taking and discipline. In order to succeed in both, I needed to collaborate, be creative, and feel passionate about what I am doing. At Freestyle, I collaborate with my classmates to see their perspectives on my art; in water polo, I collaborate with my teammates to improve chemistry and so that each player’s unique skills work together to be a better team. In water polo, I have to be creative with my style of playing in order to be the best player that I can be; with art, I have to be creative so I can fully express my vision and create unique, meaningful pieces that make me proud.
Through my natural love for water polo, I learned that my potential is far greater than I ever thought when I was growing up. During the summer going into my junior year, I realized that through hard work and by applying myself, I can grow and constantly improve myself both as an athlete and as a person. This realization was just the start of me understanding my potential. I hope that during these next four years, I can grow even more and become the person I was meant to be.
This I Believe Essay
In english we also worked on our this I believe essay. This assignment is meant for us to talk about a certain rule or outlook on life that we believe in. I sincerely believe in being original and being yourself. I wrote my this I believe essay on how people have to be true to themselves.
Don’t be a follower be an original
When I was in middle school I was a follower, I would follow what everyone said and what I was told to do, I was not myself, I acted the way I did because I wanted to be popular. I wasn’t nearly as confident back then as I am today, when I was in middle school I was overweight and not the smartest. I wasn’t happy with myself but as years passed, I matured. I finally started to commit to the passions I thoroughly enjoyed and I learned about myself. I started to lose weight and get better grades as my confidence rose through the roof. In middle school, I would only do things if my friends were doing it but as I started to mature and grow I started doing things for myself rather than following my friends. I started playing water polo, I enrolled in freestyle, and I met new and interesting people. As things changed and I took the giant step into becoming an original, I started to become happier. Every decision I’ve made since then has only made my life better and better. I’m glad that instead of being a follower I’m an original. I believe in originality, I don’t think people should act “fake” due to external factors just to look better on the outside. If you are true to yourself you will be happier and live a more enjoyable life. Everyone is different and that should be celebrated, being different is what makes us original, it’s what makes life interesting, it’s what gives us a reason to live life. The decisions you make no matter how big or how small can change your life, when you make a decision, do it for yourself, you have to follow your gut and act on it. The day I switched from a follower to an original is the day my life changed.
Reflection: In my This I Believe essay I received help on my story and grammatical errors. I fixed up the grammatical errors to make my essay flow and send my intended message clearly. I was also told that I should be more descriptive in my narrative and have a stronger explanation. I used more detail in my narrative by mentioning the specific decisions I made and how those decisions impacted my life. I explained how those decisions and that change from being a follower to being an