I can throw a baseball through an invisible rectangle. Well, most of the time. Pitching has stuck with me not only because of its difficulty, but also how the position tackles failure. During a game when I was 12 years old, I walked several batters and hated it. Failing never sat right with me, and it stemmed from expectations in the classroom. Progressing through school, I created strict criteria of what dictated my worth; failure meant weakness, and incompetence. My parents' jobs as physicians heightened this feeling with each failure. Comparing my shortcomings to their success reinforced my perceived inadequacy. I nervously approached the dugout, expecting disapproving glares. Surprisingly, I found the opposite: encouragement from teammates and the same, encouraging look from coaches as when I’d struck out a hitter. I learned that day that it was growth from failure that dictated success, despite my frustration. This paradigm of success remolded my self-worth. My misses had served a purpose: not as defeat, but as growth. This profited an enhanced focus and grit on whatever effort I had at hand, knowing success was a strike away. I soon began working with a private pitching coach to enhance my pitching abilities. While these sessions yielded double-digit strikeout performances, there were days where my performances didn’t feel adequate. I’d throw 6 strikes for every 10 pitches, causing me frustration. It wasn’t until my pitching coach informed me that this was near the average of semi-professional pitchers that I realized my failures were normal. My comfortability with failure eventually led to creativity, as I began experimenting with pitch grips and drills to achieve consistency. Over time, the rush I felt when creating a new exercise carried over to conceptualizing school projects and lesson plans for group meetings I led. My position throws me curveballs each time I step on the field. But, the growth from each experience is worthy of being a victory. Pitching acclimated me with failure, enabling my skill of pitching to unlock a creativity and work ethic that I implement into every endeavor. I plan to incorporate sports into my approach for the future through my pursuit of a Human Biology Major at the University of California, San Diego, and continue my studies at medical school. I then plan to specialize in Sports Medicine and continue researching biomechanics in sports like baseball to optimize performance. With a people-first priority for my care and a determined mind from meticulously perfecting the same pitching motion, I am certain that wherever I go, failure will not scare me —especially considering I can pitch a baseball.

Sophocles. Antigone. translated by Richard Emil Braun, New York, New York, Oxford University Press, 1973, pp. 60–63. Lines 1193—1259. KREON: Old man, all of you shoot at me like archers at a bull's-eye. No, this fortune-telling isn't new to me. You and your kind, for a long time now, have been selling me out and trying to deliver me. Make money! Deal in silvered gold from Sardis, get gold from India: that's what you want. But bury that man, no! No, not if the eagles rip him for food, not if they carry him to the throne of Zeus! I'm not afraid even of that. I won't let you bury him. I know full well no man has the power to pollute gods. But you, my dear Teiresias, old as you are, listen: It's you wonderfully clever people that fall hardest in disgrace when you hide ugly ideas in pretty speeches in order to make money. TEIRESIAS: Doesn't anyone know, won't anyone consider... KREON: Consider what? What universal truth are you going to proclaim? T: ...how much more valuable than money good advice is? K: Or how much worse losing your judgment is? T: And that is what's wrong with you. You are a sick man. K: I don't choose to return the insult. You're supposed to be a prophet. T: But you're doing just that. You say my prophecies are lies. K: Yes, and I say so because you love cash, all of you, prophetic profiteers. ... T: And tyrants love to have their own way regardless of right and wrong. K: Do you know who you're talking to? We're your rulers. T: I know you are. It's thanks to me that you saved the state and rule now. K: Thanks to your skill as a prophet. But as a man, you don't care about right or wrong. T: And you are forcing me to tell you things I know and would prefer to leave undisturbed. K: Go ahead, disturb them, tell me. But don't expect to benefit by it. T: I don't expect that you will. K: Just understand: I'm not for sale. I have principles. T: Very well. Now you understand this: Few courses of the racing sun remain before you lose a child of your own loins and give him back, a corpse, exchange for corpses. You have dishonored a living soul with exile in the tomb, hurling a member of this upper world below. You are detaining here, moreover, a dead body, unsanctified, and so unholy, a subject of the nether gods. The matter is out of your hands and those of the gods above. A crime of violence is being done and you are commanding it. Therefore, relentless destroyers pursue you, Furies of death and deity; they lie in wait for you now to catch you in the midst of your crimes. Consider that, and see if I've been bribed. The time is near. Weeping of women and men will be heard in your house. All the enemy nations will be aroused, all whose altars are stinking and corrupted with the torn fragments the dogs, wild beasts, and birds bring. Readers often enjoy reading stories that give insight into the societal and religious states of ancient societies. In the case of Sophocles' "Antigone", the play is presented to audiences amidst the emergence of early democracy while tyrants tuled regions of modern-day Greece. Observing an abuse of power in such control over several areas around himself, Sophocles seeks to comment on the character of power-mongering leaders. In the playscript, "Antigone", Sophocles uses dialogue and other authorial features to reveal to audiences the danger of elevating one's status above the divine and the rest of society, warning that such a character can bring a nation to ruin and, instead, embracing society through democracy causes greater achievement and a state that thrives. Sophocles features dialogue between Kreon, the king of Thebes, and Teiresias, a prophet, to expose the danger of tyrannical behavior towards the gods. After being asked to evaluate his error in judgment when sentencing Antigone to death for the burial of her brother, Polynices, Kreon claims his elevated role in society causes him to "hide ugly ideas in pretty speeches / in order to make money" (Sophocles 1208-1209). Teiresias' obligations as a prophet demanded extreme attention and devotion to the gods, as typical prophetic visions dictated actions for nations to abide by. Yet, Sophocles' characterization of Kreon, who seemingly disregards these messages, arguing that Teiresias is "losing [his] judgment" (1215), evokes confusion and frustration in the audience when considering that the desires of Kreon have overruled those of a mediator between the gods and mankind, simply because of his own ego. This perspective is accentuated by Sophocles when including an ironic function to his dialogue: addressing Teiresias' desires to bury Polynices, Kreon claims he "knows [s] full well no man has th power to pollute gods" (1205). Audiences are likely to be skeptical of his reasoning: choosing not to bury an individual directly opposed to established law, intertwined with divine authority. Denying one's access to the underwould would have been deemed immoral and irresponsible in ancient Greek societies, allowing for Sophocles to characterize Kreon as one who refuses introspection and always believes his own way, even above what was customary for the gods. This moment enables audiences to connect such a dangerous character of a state's ruler to those around them in societies that had not moved away from tyrannical rule, emphasizing how an elevation of status with no desire to self-reflect could lead to a rule that potentially causes harm to society. Kreon's charactrerization as a tyrant above others is also obversed in Teiresias' response and prophecy. Telling of Kreon's violent crimes (1249), Teiresias seems to dethrone Kreon's perceived control when stating the consequences of his actions are "out of [his] hands and [in] those of the gods alone" (1248). The contrast between Kreon's role as king and the lack of control over his fate resonates with audiences, as Sophocles subtly conveys man's inferiority to the divine. However, Teiresias reminds Kreon that his poor display of control was what created this situation in the first place, explaining that "[he is] commanding" such chaos between the sentenced Antigone and his son, Haimon (1249). The connotation of the word "commanding", normally implying control and authority, is juxtaposed by Sophocles with the lack of control displayed by Kreon in maintaining sound principles that are tied to the gods. This is used in Teiresias' response to criticize his distorted abuse of power, which contributes to violence. This not only reveals the true intentions of Kreon - one with selfish command rather than rooted in the guidance of the gods - but clarifies the societal implications: such rulers who cannot reflect on themselves will command in a way that will stir strife and chaos. This idea is strongly complemented by Teiresias' prophetic vision, including "weeping of women and men", arousal of "enemy nations", and "altars" that are "stinking and corrupted" (1256-1259), indicating a disapproval from the gods. These unsettling images are certainly what no audience member desires for their nation, yet they each reveal how Kreon's nation - and any nation with such a tyrannical ruler - will be afflicted: a people who are overwhelmed with grief and war from other nations, and ignorance from the divine. In conclusion, Sophocles uses a variety of literary devices within the dialogue of Kreon and Teiresias in "Antigone" to characterize Kreon as egotistical and exclusive to his own mindset. In doing so, he warns audiences of the drawbacks that societies under the rule of tyrants will face and encourages the consideration of a democratic government to prevent chaos and maintain sound principles that encourage societal well-being and a devotion to both the divine and the success of mankind. As several nations consider new leadership, especially in countries where power has been a threat to others, perhaps a democratic system of government may be more suitable for committing societies to the benefit of human welfare.