“The Man who says he can, and the man who says he cannot.. Are both correct” - Confucius Over the last few years, I began to realize that I was not living up to my full potential. I was holding myself back from accomplishing my goals, even in two things that have always been important to me: boxing and singing. Even though it wasn’t easy I’ve grown into both, and it helped me figure out that I am responsible for how my life turns out. At the beginning of my period of personal growth, important things didn’t matter to me. It didn’t matter what I ate, and I thought I could just stay fit without effort. I felt tired, depressed, insecure, and I gained weight. That summer in 2020, I was so ashamed of myself that I got into the pool with a jacket on. It was a wake up call, and I began to look for a way up. I researched self-help videos, and I was inspired by my favorite athlete Charles Oliveria. People called him a quitter, but he came back and won the lightweight belt. I wanted to come back, so I signed up for my local boxing gym in June 2020. It was hard work. I had to do a full workout, all before I even hopped the ring. At the end of the first session I was ready to rest and be done, but I had a realization that nobody was going to do this for me. So I went back, again and again and again. One year later, in June 2021, I was much faster. My defense had vastly improved, and my coach didn’t hit me with the pads as much. I felt great sparring with my teammates in the ring. I spent two hours a day at the gym practicing boxing skills and spent another hour outside the gym on other training. It was almost a surprise to notice that I had lost a good deal of weight. I felt confident and I started to feel more in control of my life. I started branching out more, getting a part-time job at my local grocery store, and then really getting into my high school choir. Singing was always an important part of my life, and when I was younger I was a sound engineer in my church. However when high school started, singing felt too much like public speaking and I let it go. I wasn’t happy when I was placed in Latin Voices, my high school’s choir, on the first day of my Junior Year. I started off nervous, but like my passion for boxing, I found that putting in time made my passion for singing come back. I learned how to sight read and I enjoyed singing in small groups with my classmates. My newfound confidence, which started with boxing, was helping me in Choir. At the end of the school year, my teacher even asked me to be the section leader for my upcoming Senior year. At the beginning of my senior year, I recruited six new members and now I am singing a solo in the winter concert. Now that I’m wrapping up my fall semester of Senior year I can look back and recognize how much my mind frame matters. I’m happy with the changes I made in my life, and happy that I was the one to make them. Looking forward, I feel like if I tell myself that I can do something, I will be able to accomplish it. I’m proud of myself.

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Dylan Green and I am a seventeen-year-old senior at Washington Latin PCS in Washington DC. I have not always been as passionate about school as I should have been. In my junior year of high school, I began to find myself when I discovered jiu-jitsu and boxing. I have always been very introverted however, last year I believe my layers began to start peeling off. I joined my school choir and the wrestling team. My parents have been divorced since I was small however; they seemed to co-parent well. My dad would get me to school a few days out of the week and my mom would do the rest. I live with my mom and my brother who is away in college. My brother has always known what he wanted to do in life and he would make things look so easy. My mom does her best to support both of us while having a demanding career. Things were starting to look up for me last year up until December 11, 2022. I was tuned into my jiu-jitsu and boxing when, at approximately 9:00 am on Sunday, December 11, I called my dad’s phone to ask him to come by the house to help me hang my punching and speed bag so that I could get more practice. What's Next I am now entering a new chapter in my life where I get to enjoy the luxuries of freedom. However, this also means that everything is on me. For example, if I stopped going to class no one is going to call my mom and tell her about my attendance. With that said, I am going to college to major in computer science. I chose this because I have always enjoyed video games. One thing that bothers me when I am playing video games is when developers do not fix simple things in a game that would make the experience more enjoyable, especially when the players are asking for an update. This is why I want to pursue a career in video game development. I also want to continue my martial arts journey. While my wrestling team won a state championship this year, I feel there are so many more aspects of wrestling that I have not come across yet. For example, college wrestlers are mentally tough, focused, and unafraid. These are skills that I want to further develop in college, especially when I have the chance to participate in college programs and clubs. Looking forward, I feel like if I tell myself that I can do something, I will be able to accomplish it. I’m proud of myself for being the source of my confidence and I am excited to continue this journey in college.

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Dylan Green and I am a seventeen-year-old senior at Washington Latin PCS in Washington DC. I have not always been as passionate about school as I should have been. In my junior year of high school, I began to find myself when I discovered jiu jitsu and boxing. I have always been very introverted however, last year I believe my layers began to start peeling off. I joined my school choir and the wrestling team. My parents have been divorced since I was small however; they seemed to co-parent well. My dad would get me to school a few days out of the week and my mom would do the rest. I live with my mom and my brother who is away in college. My brother has always known what he wanted to do in life and he would make things look so easy. My mom does her best to support the both of us while having a demanding career. Things were starting to look up for me last year up until December 11, 2022. I was really tuned into my jiu jitsu and boxing when, approximately 9:00 am on Sunday December 11, I called my dad’s phone to ask him to come by the house to help me hang my punching and speed bag so that I could get more practice. My dad’s friend answered his phone and notified me that he had passed away that morning. I immediately hung up and called my mom who was already on the scene with the paramedics. It was at this point that I began to lose interest in jiu jitsu and boxing. This is until my brother came home from college and said,“I know dad has passed away but, we have to keep pushing and moving forward.” Those words spoke to me. Although I miss my dad a lot, I know that he would want the best for my brother and me., He would not want me to be sad and depressed. As I type this essay, I am in the midst of overcoming this recent obstacle. I am also trying to believe that good things can happen in December because December has always been a challenging time for my family. My grandmother passed away six years ago on December 9, 2016. My mom’s first-born son passed away before I was born on December 10, 1994. And now my dad on December 11, 2022. One of the readings that is recited before departing our church service states, “may we always remember those who have gone before us. May we always be inspired by their vision and valor. May their lives continually remind us that service is more important than success, that people are more important than possession, and that principle is more important power. May whatever we do be shaped by honesty, competence and commitment. May our children and our children’s children carry forth with pride the history and tradition and to the creator of all of us, we dedicate our lives to make this world better and more beautiful.” As My mom has always said, “life is what you make it.” With my eyes on the future, I am determined to make my life count. I know I will overcome life challenges with my faith and the support of my family, friends, teachers and community .

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Dylan Green and I am a seventeen-year-old senior at Washington Latin PCS in Washington DC. I have not always been as passionate about school as I should have been. In my junior year of high school, I began to find myself when I discovered jiu jitsu and boxing. I have always been very introverted however, last year I believe my layers began to start peeling off. I joined my school choir and the wrestling team. My parents have been divorced since I was small however; they seemed to co-parent well. My dad would get me to school a few days out of the week and my mom would do the rest. I live with my mom and my brother who is away in college. My brother has always known what he wanted to do in life and he would make things look so easy. My mom does her best to support the both of us while having a demanding career. Things were starting to look up for me last year up until December 11, 2022. I was really tuned into my jiu jitsu and boxing when, approximately 9:00 am on Sunday December 11, I called my dad’s phone to ask him to come by the house to help me hang my punching and speed bag so that I could get more practice. My dad’s friend answered his phone and notified me that he had passed away that morning. I immediately hung up and called my mom who was already on the scene with the paramedics. It was at this point that I began to lose interest in jiu jitsu and boxing. This is until my brother came home from college and said,“I know dad has passed away but, we have to keep pushing and moving forward.” Those words spoke to me. Although I miss my dad a lot, I know that he would want the best for my brother and me., He would not want me to be sad and depressed. As I type this essay, I am in the midst of overcoming this recent obstacle. I am also trying to believe that good things can happen in December because December has always been a challenging time for my family. My grandmother passed away six years ago on December 9, 2016. My mom’s first-born son passed away before I was born on December 10, 1994. And now my dad on December 11, 2022. One of the readings that is recited before departing our church service states, “may we always remember those who have gone before us. May we always be inspired by their vision and valor. May their lives continually remind us that service is more important than success, that people are more important than possession, and that principle is more important power. May whatever we do be shaped by honesty, competence and commitment. May our children and our children’s children carry forth with pride the history and tradition and to the creator of all of us, we dedicate our lives to make this world better and more beautiful.” As My mom has always said, “life is what you make it.” With my eyes on the future, I am determined to make my life count. I know I will overcome life challenges with my faith and the support of my family, friends, teachers and community .