Introduction to personal essay

The personal essay was a great way for me to learn how to effectively express myself in a short word count. I feel that I was able to represent my values as a person and who I have become through my writing in this essay. I am using this essay for my Common Application to college and it was a really great way for me to be able to learn and recognize more things about myself and who I am becoming.

Personal Essay

One of my swimmers was missing. I had been working with him all summer, but as I prepared the six and under boys to go to the pool for their race, he wasn’t there. I found Logan, crawled up into his mom’s arms, sobbing because he didn’t want to get in the pool to swim his race. There were almost 1,000 people at the meet, which was not an environment Logan wanted to be in, let alone race in. As his mom prepared to drag him down the stairs to the pool deck, I could feel the tension. I began to talk to Logan and slowly encouraged and convinced him he would be okay. I offered Logan my help and support in the water to make him feel more comfortable. Although if I walked alongside him, he would be disqualified from his race. I felt that it was more impactful if Logan could finish the race with help, instead of feeling uncomfortable and scared. He reluctantly agreed, and that day, Logan swam his race. My motivation was for Logan to experience the joy of participation. I didn’t care if he finished the race; I wanted him to know that he could. I came by this opinion honestly as I had the very same experience when I first learned to swim.

During my first swim lessons, we went through the same routine. Coach Stephanie would stand in the water, waiting, and encouraging me as I screamed bloody murder. I would sit on the pool deck, wearing my hot pink inner tube, refusing to touch the water. As easy as it would have been for Coach Stephanie to give up on me right there, she didn’t. She listened to me and adjusted her teaching in response to my anxiety. Stephanie patiently worked with me, and I eventually found the confidence in myself to put my face underwater. I loved the satisfaction that I felt as I improved as a swimmer.  

I joined the swim team, eventually becoming a coach myself. I was determined to be a mentor to kids just as Stephanie was to me. As a coach, I know what it means to help a young swimmer discover their courage. My work has reinforced how important collaboration, confidence, and leadership is. Stephanie’s guidance became my blueprint. The lessons I learned from her encouragement and training set me on a successful path in which I could do the same for Logan. I have developed patience and perseverance, as well as learning to be more assertive and finding the courage to follow my instincts. I learned very quickly that to be a mentor to someone else, I had to develop self-confidence. 

Just before my junior year, I was accepted to Freestyle Academy an arts and technology program, offered in my high school district. Freestyle bases most of its learning experiences on collaboration. I often utilize the skills that I learned through coaching as a student in my Freestyle classes. I have formed close relationships with my teachers and have discovered how powerful collaborative learning can be. I take every opportunity to work with different Freestyle peers on projects and assignments because it serves as a challenge to me.  In my mind, success is about trying different things, taking risks, and most of all, learning to recover from failure. Each time I can effectively work with someone whose concept requires me to adjust my approach, I consider that a success. I know that my ability as a creative problem-solver at Freestyle is thanks to the collaborative skills that I learned from mentoring and coaching. As I gain more self-confidence, I hope I can help others find their courage to take risks. Many of my most satisfying experiences are the result of fearlessness.