Anywhere can be a place to train, if an athlete is truly committed to their sport. Last week, I was on vacation on a tropical island with no gym, so I ran daily on the beach. As a football player, both cardio and strength are vital to my training, both on and off season. When I am not training at school or in my local gym, I participate in several community training groups. This allows me to train with other athletes and coaches who are not on my team, learning new techniques and skills from others who are also focused on their sport. It might be cliche to say, but football is my life. I began playing in eighth grade, and as soon as I put my pads on for the first time, I knew that I had found my sport. Football has taught me so many things, both on and off the field. As center, my entire team depends on me to be timely, read the play, and get the snap right so the quarterback can make a play. If our timing is off, the play fails. Football has taught me responsibility, dependability, teamwork, leadership, time management and determination. It has taught me to work hard even when no one is watching, because what I do off the field impacts my performance on the field. This persistence and work ethic will carry over into my future endeavors. This fall, I will be attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where I will be pursuing my dream of studying civil engineering with a minor in quantum computing. I will be continuing to play the sport I love, as I have been recruited to play for the Rensselaer Engineers. Civil engineering keeps our communities functioning. When they do their job well, infrastructure works, and society keeps moving. Poor civil engineering, however, causes disruptions to travel, work, infrastructure and daily living. In football, the offensive line often doesn't often get recognition or acknowledgement, unless they do not block correctly. As a civil engineer I will continue to do the quiet work to support those around me, much like I do on the field to help our team. I am so thankful for all of the lessons I have learned through my participation in high school sports, and I am excited to take those lessons into college, both on and off the field.

Adversity comes in many forms, and everyone, especially athletes, learn how to deal with some kind of adversity during their lifetime. For an athlete with a disability, adversity is just part of the game. For me, my challenge has been learning to manage type 1 diabetes as a football player. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a permanent, life-long diagnosis with no cure, at nine years old. I had to learn how to give myself daily insulin injections and manage my blood sugar to keep myself alive. When I was first diagnosed, I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to have to explain that I was different. On the field, there were frustrating days that my sugar would drop low and I would have to leave the field to eat immediately. Or days that my sugar would be high and I would feel sluggish and sick. There were days I felt betrayed by my own body, and frustrated that I had to work so hard to keep my blood sugar in range, while everyone else got to go on every day without thinking about a chronic disease. But over time, I realized that I was not different - I was the same as every other kid, but just had to wear my pancreas on my hip instead of inside my body. Instead of being embarrassed, I learned how to take care of myself, and along with support from my parents, have not let diabetes stop me from anything. I learned how to eat healthy and train appropriately. I probably have more knowledge about nutrition than most medical professionals. While there are some hard days, when my sugar drops and I feel physically ill, or when technology fails and I become frustrated – but overall, I have overcome and use diabetes as a strength instead of a weakness. Through this experience, I learned how to transform adversity into motivation. My dedication paid off, as I was nominated for Second Team All-Metro two years in a row and earned recognition as the second-best center in my county. I was also invited to compete in the Cure All Stars game. These achievements represent more than athletic success; they reflect the perseverance and work ethic developed over time. Dealing with a chronic illness is sometimes challenging, but learning through this process has shaped my character. It taught me how to face setbacks with determination; a lesson I will carry with me into college and beyond. I know now that when faced with adversity, whether temporary or permanent, I can overcome any setback with hard work, determination, prayer and family support. I will be playing D3 football at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this fall, studying civil engineering and quantum computing. My diabetes will be along for the ride and I look forward to the challenge!

Adversity comes in many forms, and everyone, especially athletes, learn how to deal with some kind of adversity during their lifetime. For an athlete with a disability, adversity is just part of the game. For me, my challenge has been learning to manage type 1 diabetes as a football player. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a permanent, life-long diagnosis with no cure, at nine years old. I had to learn how to give myself daily insulin injections and manage my blood sugar to keep myself alive. When I was first diagnosed, I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to have to explain that I was different. On the field, there were frustrating days that my sugar would drop low and I would have to leave the field to eat immediately. Or days that my sugar would be high and I would feel sluggish and sick. There were days I felt betrayed by my own body, and frustrated that I had to work so hard to keep my blood sugar in range, while everyone else got to go on every day without thinking about a chronic disease. But over time, I realized that I was not different - I was the same as every other kid, but just had to wear my pancreas on my hip instead of inside my body. Instead of being embarrassed, I learned how to take care of myself, and along with support from my parents, have not let diabetes stop me from anything. I learned how to eat healthy and train appropriately. I probably have more knowledge about nutrition than most medical professionals. While there are some hard days, when my sugar drops and I feel physically ill, or when technology fails and I become frustrated – but overall, I have overcome and use diabetes as a strength instead of a weakness. Through this experience, I learned how to transform adversity into motivation. My dedication paid off, as I was nominated for Second Team All-Metro two years in a row and earned recognition as the second-best center in my county. I was also invited to compete in the Cure All Stars game. These achievements represent more than athletic success; they reflect the perseverance and work ethic developed over time. Dealing with a chronic illness is sometimes challenging, but learning through this process has shaped my character. It taught me how to face setbacks with determination; a lesson I will carry with me into college and beyond. I know now that when faced with adversity, whether temporary or permanent, I can overcome any setback with hard work, determination, prayer and family support. I will be playing D3 football at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this fall, studying civil engineering and quantum computing. My diabetes will be along for the ride.

When I began to think about how to reply to this prompt, I had a difficult time thinking of an angle. I considered writing about telling kids I was a robot when they would ask me about the glucose monitor on my arm, or about having to leave the football field to eat a snack because my sugar was dropping quickly and diabetes doesn’t care that it’s a playoff game. I thought about writing about being embarrassed when my insulin pump beeped during a calculus exam, worried that I was distracting others in the silent room. I thought of several examples of how diabetes got in the way of daily life. But while each of these examples happened, they happened and life went on. Living with type 1 diabetes means constant monitoring, constant questioning, constant explaining. I read somewhere that type 1 diabetics make hundreds of decisions more each day than a non type 1 individual. I am in no way downplaying the impact of type 1 on my daily life. However, I think the manner in which my experience with diabetes has most shaped me can be summed up into one word: Resilience. I have learned that I can get through anything, and achieve any goal, by being resilient. Since my diagnosis at age 9, I have been on a competitive swim team, I have been the boys’ gymnastics state vault champion two years in a row for level 4 vault, I have been awarded the Disney Dreamer and Doer award; I have played 4 years of varsity football, being named Second Team All Metro Center two years in a row. I have been a part of the Fellowship for Christian Athletes, Best Buddies and Spike Ball clubs. I have been inducted into the National Honor Society and National Science Honor Society. I have worked part time all four years of high school, and completed two internships too. And through it all, diabetes has come along for the ride, like a program running in the background of a computer. This fall, I will continue to achieve my goals while I move 3,000 miles away from my family to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study civil engineering and quantum computing. I will play football for the RPI Engineers. I will work, join clubs, participate in events and internships. Type 1 diabetes will be there, always along for the ride - but while diabetes may sometimes slow me down, it wll never stop me from achieving my goals. I thank my experience with T1D for teaching me resiliency, because this is a skill that will get me far in college and beyond.