The goal for my future is to run my own electricity business. I want to be a solid provider for my future family, but I also want to make a positive impact on our small community. I want to provide services to those in need, and I want to donate as much as I can to local school athletic programs. To set myself up for success, I plan to major in Business Administration and Leadership adding a focus in coaching and sports management. I am nearly complete with a 2-year electricity program at our local trade school. Trying to absorb all the information while working professionally and neatly have been my focus. I understand to help the community, I need to offer fair, reliable service that benefits everyone. I watch my father and am amazed how he has impacted students and student athletes while he was a high school teacher and coach. Many make an effort to see him in a crowd and still view him as a positive impact on their lives. Now, he is running a recreation program serving ages 4 to 85. When I think of my future impact on other people, I can only hope I can give to my community what he has. I have followed his love of sports and continually help with sports camps and clinics for little league baseball, basketball, and football. I cherish my time teaching the next generation of athletes. My future plans are to continue offering my time and knowledge to camps and clinics. I also enjoy refereeing basketball and umpiring baseball. I intend to continue completing these jobs through college and upon graduation hoping to run as a crew with my dad. I don't want to be the person on a power trip; I want to be the person supporting athletes' growth and understanding of rules while helping to them to maintain composure in the face of adversity. Now that I am 18, I will also begin volunteering with my dad as part of Virgina Department of Wildlife Resources. We will offer hunters education training to ensure safe, vital knowledge and skills. For conservation management and safety, I want to pour what I have learned since I was 4 years old into others. From tree-stand to firearm safety, I am prepared to begin my training to later train others. Another community impact I am working toward is a center where sports equipment can be donated and shared with others in need. Rather than "donating" to places such as Goodwill where someone must still purchase, I would like to run a non-profit center where gear is reused by someone who can get more life out of the items. Truly, this is still in the planning stages, but it is a future I see as a benefit for the community. A business degree will assist in my personal electricity business as well as running a future non-profit where I can still pursue my passions for sports, outdoor recreation responsibilities, and contributing the community who has given to me.

The start to my goal began when visiting my local trade school for a class field trip in middle school. Hearing that almost all trades are in deep need of workers; my career decision was final - I would pursue an advanced studies diploma to satisfy a route to college, and I would pursue a trade. I have nearly completed the two-year electricity program and wish to open my own business in this field. I could never make my dream come true without learning how to create and maintain a stable business. The best way I can think to learn the necessities is to attend college while receiving a degree in business management and leadership. While in my trade school, I have worked my hardest to take in every bit of information so that my future business will operate on the standards that I will demand. This year, I have strengthened my skills and was the SkillsUSA district champion, and I while I assisted with wiring the house our technical school auctions off, I was also chosen to complete the panel box wiring due to the accuracy and neatness of my work which impressed our instructor. With my strong work ethic, my desire to help the community, and my demand for work beyond expectations, I feel I will be an appropriate person to run their own business. Learning the foundations is a small part of what needs to be done to create something that will thrive forever, not just fall apart at the first sign of struggle. There needs to be a drive that motivates the decisions being made. My drive will be my family. As I am getting to the point of my life where my family will come into play, my goals are shifting to be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle for myself and those I will be supporting. I want to create a life where I can give my family what they need and give back to the community what it has provided me. My business will be one of the few that will survive and become successful because my goals in life will be unattainable if the business were to fail. My dreams revolve around this business being able to provide for my family and that gives me all of the drive that I need to learn what is needed to make it successful. Being successful to me is having all of my goals and dreams come true. Not just one or a few things going right but everything that I want is satiated. I will not stop striving to be successful, as a businessperson and as a family man, until I can provide for my family and help others when needed while being a reliable and helpful member in society.

Just being an everyday worker and completing a job will not satisfy my goals in life. The start to my goal began when visiting my local trade school for a class field trip in middle school. Hearing that almost all trades are in deep need of workers; my career decision was final - I would pursue an advanced studies diploma to satisfy a route to college, and I would pursue a trade. I have nearly completed the two-year electricity program and wish to open my own business in this field. I could never make my dream come true without learning how to create and maintain a stable business. The best way I can think to learn the necessities is to attend college while receiving a degree in business management and leadership. While in my trade school, I have worked my hardest to take in every bit of information so that my future business will operate on the standards that I will demand. This year, I have strengthened my skills and was the SkillsUSA district champion, and I while I assisted with wiring the house our technical school auctions off, I was also chosen to complete the panel box wiring due to the accuracy and neatness of my work which impressed our instructor. With my strong work ethic, my desire to help the community, and my demand for work beyond expectations, I feel I will be an appropriate person to run their own business. Learning the foundations is a small part of what needs to be done to create something that will thrive forever, not just fall apart at the first sign of struggle. There needs to be a drive that motivates the decisions being made. My drive will be my family. As I am getting to the point of my life where my family will come into play, my goals are shifting to be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle for myself and those I will be supporting. I want to create a life where I can give my family what they need and give back to the community what it has provided me. My business will be one of the few that will survive and become successful because my goals in life will be unattainable if the business were to fail. My dreams revolve around this business being able to provide for my family and that gives me all of the drive that I need to learn what is needed to make it successful. Being successful to me is having all of my goals and dreams come true. Not just one or a few things going right but everything that I want is satiated. I will not stop striving to be successful, as a businessperson and as a family man, until I can provide for my family and help others when needed while being a reliable and helpful member in society.

Little Eyes - Watching and Learning Umpires and referees have left an impression on me which guides how I conduct myself as a player and when I officiate. As I began sports with little eyes, wide open looking up to high school athletes and adults, I knew they were doing their best to help us while running the court with us or covered in dirt standing behind and crouched with me at home plate. As a young athlete, I recognized I didn't agree with every call made, but I could always control how I reacted. I learned to shake hands with umps at home plate, ask their name, and commit to doing my best to protect them from wild pitches and foul balls. I gained knowledge of the right way to approach questions or conflicting opinions which helped to develop my communication, leadership skills, and confidence. I knew early in sports that I too wanted to officiate - I wanted to teach little league players how to dribble rather than carry a ball down the court; I wanted to stand behind home plate talking to the catcher about where I see the pitch so the pitcher and catcher can adjust rather than become frustrated for not getting a call. I have no desire to be an official on a power-trip. I want to be the official that players, coaches, and parents hope will be running their games. I have been officiating little league basketball for three years and little league baseball for two years. I've also served as the official scorebook and pitch count for tournaments to include a VA Cal Ripken State Baseball Tournament. In these roles, I have encountered upset players and angry fans, but I have been able to speak level-headed to keep situations in control. My favorite memory so far came when I was the referee for a seven- and eight-year-old game. In this age group, score isn't kept so it does not matter who wins or loses but what develops the young kid's skills the best. So, while my actual title of the games would be referee, I act more like a coach because that is what helps the kids to get better. My first day working one of these games, I was able to see my favorite basketball player. He was not in the NBA but just a young athlete who enjoyed the game. He was one of the smallest kids on the floor and his name was Larry. Every time Little Larry would score, he would run back down the court dancing and screaming his head off. Seeing a young kid play the game just to have fun made me the happiest I have been while being an official. For the rest of the season, I did my best to get scheduled to officiate on the days that Larry would play just to see my favorite little league basketball player. For my future involvement with officiating, I plan to advance this summer in baseball to Babe Ruth with a goal of running as a duo with my dad who coached for two decades and now officiates. Perhaps I can convince my dad to be a high school basketball officiating crew as well once I am out of college. I can only hope as I continue as a referee and umpire that I can influence some "little eyes" to see me as approachable and helpful inspiring them to one day grab a whistle and run the court or put on pads, a facemask, and get covered in dirt.