I am Haitian-American. My grandparents left LaValle de Jacmel, Haiti, in 1968 and moved to Evanston, Illinois, seeking a better life. They came from a rural mountainous farming area in southern Haiti. In Evanston, they found a community of other recently arrived Haitian families, many of which they knew from home. My grandfather is determined and focused. When he commits to something, he sees it through. An educated man, he worked hard at difficult jobs to support his family. My grandmother is a generous person. She always prepares elaborate Sunday dinners—rice, peas, chicken, griot, and legumes. She always cooked with love. At 80 years old, she still leads church efforts to support the Haitian community and recent migrants. Her strength comes from her deep faith and belief in hard work. They both prioritize education, telling stories of long walks in the mountains everyday to reach school, because it was that important. From my grandfather, I learned to love soccer. He would share stories of watching Haiti in the World Cup and taught me to love Brazil’s national team as Haiti's other team. I dreamed of playing soccer professionally—seeing my family name on a jersey, playing in large stadiums, and hearing the crowd cheer me on. I soon realized that achieving this dream required huge amount of effort and dedication. That’s when I understood what my grandparents had been teaching me: no goal is impossible. Inspired by them, I decided to take control of my future and meet the challenge head-on. To do this, I created a monthly list titled "Jon's Plan for World Domination." At the start of every month, I would write down a list of rules, goals, and tasks to improve myself. This list helped me break down my long term plans into smaller, manageable goals, whether it was perfecting a soccer technique or cleaning my room. Each month, I signed the list as a personal commitment to doing my best. I faced numerous setbacks—broken ankles, dislocated toes, and a severely sprained MCL. After each injury, I was able to bounce back because I had discipline and work ethic. I knew my ancestors' strength ran through my veins, and I could accomplish anything. Every Sunday, Papa and I would talk about my progress, and then I had to tell him a good joke. Despite being serious, he always enjoyed a his kompa music and a joke, reminding me to keep family first. From my grandmother, I learned about leadership and service. As captain of my school soccer team, I understood that my role wasn’t just about playing well but also supporting my teammates. One of my teammates, a talented player, struggled both academically and on the field. I felt responsible to help him, so I approached him as a friend. He opened up about his father’s illness, which caused him to struggle academically and on the field. This taught me the importance of seeing the whole person, not just another player. I encouraged him to focus on his potential, both on the field and in school. We decided to meet once a week for tutoring to help improve his grades. His academic performance improved, and then his game did too. This experience taught me that leadership isn’t just about being in charge. It’s about understanding, helping, and lifting others when they need a little help. In the end, I owe much to my grandparents for what they instilled in me. I learned discipline, leadership, and service. They showed me that with hard work and a focus on helping others, no goal is out of reach.

I always had dreams of playing professional soccer, playing in some of the biggest stadiums in the world, my family name on the back of a professional jersey, and thousands of fans chanting my name. As a kid, I always thought it would just happen to me. Even without the money to hire private coaches or play for the top teams in the wealthier suburbs of Chicago, I believed. This was until I realized the almost insane amount of work required to even get a shot at this dream. I decided that day to take control of my future and rise to the challenge. To do this, I created a monthly list titled "Jon's Plan for World Domination"—this list not only helped me reach for my goals as a soccer player but also transformed me as a person. At the start of every month, I would write down a list of rules, goals, and tasks I thought would make me a better player and person. This strategy allowed me to take a huge goal and break it down into more manageable, smaller goals. The list ranged from perfecting a soccer technique to cleaning my room. Each month, I signed the list and promised myself to do my very best to stick to it, no matter what happened in the upcoming month. Throughout this process, I faced many setbacks—breaking both my ankles, dislocating my toes, and severely spraining my MCL. Academically, I struggled with dyslexia. Each time, I was able to get through it because I had proven to myself that I had the discipline and work ethic to bounce back. I knew deep down that my response to these challenges would define me as a person and a player. I stayed focused and was able to return to the sport I love while continuing to work hard, making honor role and being captain of my school team. By embarking on this personal journey, I discovered that my worth isn’t solely based on how I perform on the pitch. It’s the effort and discipline I’ve learned and applied to everything I do. I also became more confident on and off the field, knowing that the skills of discipline, goal-setting, and perseverance would help me no matter where life takes me. In the end, my dream of being a professional soccer player means much more to me than just an athletic achievement. It has been a way for me to develop myself as a person—someone who understands the value of discipline, perseverance, goal-setting, and self-confidence. While I may not know exactly where this path will lead, I am proud of the skills I have learned and certain that they will help me wherever I go. The struggles I have overcome have shown me how to be strong and determined, and I now understand that success is not just the destination you reach, but also the personal growth you experience along the way.

I always had dreams of playing professional soccer, playing in some of the biggest stadiums in the world, my family name on the back of a professional jersey, and thousands of fans chanting my name. As a kid, I always thought it would just happen to me. This was until I realized the almost insane amount of work required to even get a shot at this dream. I decided that day to take control of my future and rise to the challenge. To do this, I created a monthly list titled "Jon's Plan for World Domination. This list not only helped me reach my goals as a soccer player but also transformed me as a person. At the start of every month, I would write down a list of rules, goals, and tasks I thought would make me a better player and person. This strategy allowed me to take a huge goal and break it down into more manageable, smaller goals. The list ranged from perfecting a soccer technique to cleaning my room. Each month, I signed the list and promised myself to do my very best to stick to it, no matter what happened in the upcoming month. Throughout this process, I faced many setbacks—breaking both my ankles, dislocating my toes, and severely spraining my MCL. Each time, I was able to get through it because I had proven to myself that I had the discipline and work ethic to bounce back. I knew deep down that my response to these challenges would define me as a person and a player. I stayed focused and was able to return to the sport I love while continuing to work hard. By embarking on this personal journey, I improved myself as a player and was able to become a key player in all the teams I play for. I was even able to captain my school team to a 2nd place finish in the state tournament. the discovered that my worth isn’t solely based on how I perform on the soccer pitch. It’s the effort and discipline I’ve learned and applied to everything I do. I also became more confident on and off the field, knowing that the skills of discipline, goal-setting, and perseverance would help me no matter where life takes me. In the end, my dream of being a professional soccer player means much more to me than just an athletic achievement. It has been a way for me to develop myself as a person—someone who understands the value of discipline, perseverance, goal-setting, and self-confidence. While I may not know exactly where this path will lead, I am proud of the skills I have learned and certain that they will help me wherever I go. The struggles I have overcome have shown me how to be strong and determined, and I now understand that success is not just the destination you reach, but also the personal growth you experience along the way. I am currently in the process of choosing a college to play soccer. I am grateful for how far this journey has taken me and I am exited to see where I will go next.

I always had dreams of playing professional soccer, playing in some of the biggest stadiums in the world, my family name on the back of a professional jersey, and thousands of fans chanting my name. As a kid, I always thought it would just happen to me. This was until I realized the almost insane amount of work required to even get a shot at this dream. I decided that day to take control of my future and rise to the challenge. To do this, I created a monthly list titled "Jon's Plan for World Domination. This list not only helped me reach my goals as a soccer player but also transformed me as a person. At the start of every month, I would write down a list of rules, goals, and tasks I thought would make me a better player and person. This strategy allowed me to take a huge goal and break it down into more manageable, smaller goals. The list ranged from perfecting a soccer technique to cleaning my room. Each month, I signed the list and promised myself to do my very best to stick to it, no matter what happened in the upcoming month. Throughout this process, I faced many setbacks—breaking both my ankles, dislocating my toes, and severely spraining my MCL. Each time, I was able to get through it because I had proven to myself that I had the discipline and work ethic to bounce back. I knew deep down that my response to these challenges would define me as a person and a player. I stayed focused and was able to return to the sport I love while continuing to work hard. By embarking on this personal journey, I improved myself as a player and was able to become a key player in all the teams I play for. I was even able to captain my school team to a 2nd place finish in the state tournament. the discovered that my worth isn’t solely based on how I perform on the soccer pitch. It’s the effort and discipline I’ve learned and applied to everything I do. I also became more confident on and off the field, knowing that the skills of discipline, goal-setting, and perseverance would help me no matter where life takes me. In the end, my dream of being a professional soccer player means much more to me than just an athletic achievement. It has been a way for me to develop myself as a person—someone who understands the value of discipline, perseverance, goal-setting, and self-confidence. While I may not know exactly where this path will lead, I am proud of the skills I have learned and certain that they will help me wherever I go. The struggles I have overcome have shown me how to be strong and determined, and I now understand that success is not just the destination you reach, but also the personal growth you experience along the way.

I always had dreams of playing professional soccer, playing in some of the biggest stadiums in the world, my family name on the back of a professional jersey, and thousands of fans chanting my name. As a kid, I always thought it would just happen to me. This was until I realized the almost insane amount of work required to even get a shot at this dream. I decided that day to take control of my future and rise to the challenge. To do this, I created a monthly list titled "Jon's Plan for World Domination. This list not only helped me reach my goals as a soccer player but also transformed me as a person. At the start of every month, I would write down a list of rules, goals, and tasks I thought would make me a better player and person. This strategy allowed me to take a huge goal and break it down into more manageable, smaller goals. The list ranged from perfecting a soccer technique to cleaning my room. Each month, I signed the list and promised myself to do my very best to stick to it, no matter what happened in the upcoming month. Throughout this process, I faced many setbacks—breaking both my ankles, dislocating my toes, and severely spraining my MCL. Each time, I was able to get through it because I had proven to myself that I had the discipline and work ethic to bounce back. I knew deep down that my response to these challenges would define me as a person and a player. I stayed focused and was able to return to the sport I love while continuing to work hard. By embarking on this personal journey, I improved myself as a player and was able to become a key player in all the teams I play for. I was even able to captain my school team to a 2nd place finish in the state tournament. the discovered that my worth isn’t solely based on how I perform on the soccer pitch. It’s the effort and discipline I’ve learned and applied to everything I do. I also became more confident on and off the field, knowing that the skills of discipline, goal-setting, and perseverance would help me no matter where life takes me. In the end, my dream of being a professional soccer player means much more to me than just an athletic achievement. It has been a way for me to develop myself as a person—someone who understands the value of discipline, perseverance, goal-setting, and self-confidence. While I may not know exactly where this path will lead, I am proud of the skills I have learned and certain that they will help me wherever I go. The struggles I have overcome have shown me how to be strong and determined, and I now understand that success is not just the destination you reach, but also the personal growth you experience along the way.

Although I am young, I am not unmotivated. In my life, I have been blessed with a mother who was willing to sacrifice a lot for the benefit of my education and activities. Whether it be a sacrifice to her paycheck to send me to a private school that offered better programs than our neighborhood school or her driving 5 hours to visit a college with me, her actions have inspired me. Seeing my mother’s passion to get me the best opportunities in her power motivates me to make the most of what I am given. These lessons from my mother give me a great appreciation for perseverance, hard work, and the importance of creating opportunities for oneself, no matter the obstacles. I know how hard it was to raise me alone and it taught me that everyone has their struggles in this life. To overcome these struggles we need support and passion. The love and passion my mother showed in the fight for my education reminds me to make the most of the opportunities I've been so fortunate to receive. She always taught me that through hard work and genuine love for what you do, you can make a good life for yourself no matter the setbacks. These lessons shaped my perspective on life and success. Being a part of my age group, I know that it often looks like the future is dull, but through the ideals of my mother, I hold onto faith. Sometimes, when you take a look at the world, it seems flawed almost beyond repair. It is easy to fall into that mindset when we look at things like the housing market, violence in our communities, or the cost of living right now. However, giving up on the world has no chance of fixing it. I believe to help ourselves and the world heal, we have to work harder and work together. Growing up in a single parent household wasn't always easy but it imbued my values of persistence, gratitude and the importance of supporting others. My mothers example taught me to face my adversity head-on and her unwavering belief in my potential. I am looking forward to the opportunities to use my talents and experiences to make a positive impact on the world I live in. I will use the resilience my mother taught me, I am passionate about helping and inspire others to learn and grow from the lessons I learned just as I will learn from their lessons.