Would you rather have more than ten leg surgeries or amputation? I never thought about this question until two years ago when I participated in a patient study. When I read this question, I was taken aback. I did not realize that it was typical to have so many surgeries or that amputation was an option. I was born with Congenital Short Femur, which means that my left leg is growing faster than my right. I had eleven surgeries so far. My first surgery was in kindergarten and most recent was January 2023. It was hard to have a childhood while constantly recovering from surgery. Each surgery impaired my ability to walk for months at a time. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. Mr. Lane was one of my first business teachers as a freshman in high school. In his class, I learned about the business world in sports. Because of his class, I am going to major in Sport Industry at Ohio State University. I always loved sports, but did not know how I could have a job in sports that wasn't an athlete. His class opened my eyes to all the possibilities. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. I am grateful for everything that Mr. Lane has done for me throughout my high school career. He gave me a good recommendation for college and for the precollege program I took over the summer at Ohio State University. I am very grateful for all the recommendations that he wrote. I was admitted to every college where I applied because of his recommendation. The precollege program at Ohio State University confirmed that I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them. Without Mr. Lane's influence and encouragement, I may not be where I am today.

Throughout my childhood, I had over ten leg surgeries that has impaired my ability to walk for months at a time. I was born with congenital short femur and it took many surgeries to finally correct it. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor at Lehigh Valley Martial Arts in Trexlertown, PA. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them. This scholarship will help me achieve my future goals. It will help me pay for college so I don't have as much college debt after I graduate. I want to be able to help other kids in the hospital by having their favorite athlete visit them. This scholarship will help me get my degree so that I can brighten up kids' days in the future.

Throughout my childhood, I had over ten leg surgeries that has impaired my ability to walk for months at a time. I was born with congenital short femur and it took many surgeries to finally correct it. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor at Lehigh Valley Martial Arts in Trexlertown, PA. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them. This scholarship will help me achieve my future goals. It will help me pay for college so I don't have as much college debt after I graduate. I want to be able to help other kids in the hospital by having their favorite athlete visit them. This scholarship will help me get my degree so that I can brighten up kids' days in the future.

Would you rather have more than ten leg surgeries or amputation? I never thought about this question until two years ago when I participated in a patient study. When I read this question, I was taken aback. I did not realize that it was typical to have so many surgeries or that amputation was an option. I was born with Congenital Short Femur, which means that my left leg is growing faster than my right. I had eleven surgeries so far. My first surgery was in kindergarten and most recent was January 2023. It was hard to have a childhood while constantly recovering from surgery. After each surgery, I couldn't walk for as short as four months to as long as one year. I had to use crutches or a wheelchair. It was a challenge because I could not run around outside or play sports like most kids. During that time, I learned humility because my parents had to help me get dressed, walk to the bathroom, and bring me food, school supplies, etc. When they were unavailable, I had to problem solve and find solutions on my own. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them.

Would you rather have more than ten leg surgeries or amputation? I never thought about this question until two years ago when I participated in a patient study. When I read this question, I was taken aback. I did not realize that it was typical to have so many surgeries or that amputation was an option. I was born with Congenital Short Femur, which means that my left leg is growing faster than my right. I had eleven surgeries so far. My first surgery was in kindergarten and most recent was January 2023. It was hard to have a childhood while constantly recovering from surgery. After each surgery, I couldn't walk for as short as four months to as long as one year. I had to use crutches or a wheelchair. It was a challenge because I could not run around outside or play sports like most kids. During that time, I learned humility because my parents had to help me get dressed, walk to the bathroom, and bring me food, school supplies, etc. When they were unavailable, I had to problem solve and find solutions on my own. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them.

Throughout my childhood, I had over ten leg surgeries that has impaired my ability to walk for months at a time. I was born with congenital short femur and it took many surgeries to finally correct it. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor at Lehigh Valley Martial Arts in Trexlertown, PA. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them. This scholarship will help me achieve my future goals. It will help me pay for college so I don't have as much college debt after I graduate. I want to be able to help other kids in the hospital by having their favorite athlete visit them. This scholarship will help me get my degree so that I can brighten up kids' days in the future.

Throughout my childhood, I had over ten leg surgeries that has impaired my ability to walk for months at a time. I was born with congenital short femur and it took many surgeries to finally correct it. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. Since I was not able to play sports, I had to find different ways to be involved. That led me to apply to Ohio State University to pursue sports as my career. I know what it's like to have a disability. I know how much I wanted to play sports when I couldn't. So I want to help others be part of sports even if they have a disability.

Throughout my childhood, I had over ten leg surgeries that has impaired my ability to walk for months at a time. I was born with congenital short femur and it took many surgeries to finally correct it. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor at Lehigh Valley Martial Arts in Trexlertown, PA. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them. This scholarship will help me achieve my future goals. It will help me pay for college so I don't have as much college debt after I graduate. I want to be able to help other kids in the hospital by having their favorite athlete visit them. This scholarship will help me get my degree so that I can brighten up kids' days in the future.

Would you rather have more than ten leg surgeries or amputation? I never thought about this question until two years ago when I participated in a patient study. When I read this question, I was taken aback. I did not realize that it was typical to have so many surgeries or that amputation was an option. I was born with Congenital Short Femur, which means that my left leg is growing faster than my right. I had eleven surgeries so far. My first surgery was in kindergarten and most recent was January 2023. It was hard to have a childhood while constantly recovering from surgery. After each surgery, I couldn't walk for as short as four months to as long as one year. I had to use crutches or a wheelchair. It was a challenge because I could not run around outside or play sports like most kids. During that time, I learned humility because my parents had to help me get dressed, walk to the bathroom, and bring me food, school supplies, etc. When they were unavailable, I had to problem solve and find solutions on my own. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them.

Throughout my childhood, I had over ten leg surgeries that has impaired my ability to walk for months at a time. I was born with congenital short femur and it took many surgeries to finally correct it. It was hard to watch my friends have fun playing outside when I could not. That is probably why I love sports so much. I could not play sports a lot, so I had to find different ways to be involved. That is why I want a career in sport industry. It is a way to be an important part of a sports team without being an athlete. Without all of the leg surgeries I have had, I probably would not be who I am today. My dream job is working for a professional soccer or football team. I want to be able to help the team succeed even if I am only a small part of it. My Precollege program I took over this past summer at Ohio State University showed me that I want to do ticket sales or front office work for a sports team. I have been doing Kung Fu for about 13 years, and I am now a Second Degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor at Lehigh Valley Martial Arts in Trexlertown, PA. At age 13, I was one of the youngest students to become an Assistant Instructor within our school. I help teach the younger kids to learn Kung Fu and it has helped me learn the moves better myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to lead, teach others, and have self-discipline to know that if I fail, I can learn from it. Kung Fu taught me values I can use in the work place and I look for those values in a career. Kung Fu taught me humility and being compassionate towards others. I want to work for a sports team that has everyone work together and where your ideas are heard. Leaders should encourage a culture of inclusion and charity work. For example, I would have loved for a sports team to visit me when I was in the hospital. It can really change some person's life by being there for them. Columbus is a huge city with many opportunities for jobs, recreation, and more. I chose to attend Ohio State University because of all the professional sports teams and potential jobs in the area. After visiting some of the sports teams in the Precollege program, I could see myself working for those teams. They seemed to have the same values I do.

Would you rather have more than 10 leg surgeries or amputation? I never thought about this question until a year and a half ago during a check-up at the doctor. While I was waiting in the waiting room to be called back, a nurse came in to talk with the receptionist, and I heard her talking about me. I looked up from my phone to see the receptionist point over to me. The nurse walked over to my mom and me. “Would you participate in a patient study about your experience with Congenital Short Femur?” the nurse asked. I was born with Congenital Short Femur, which means that my left leg is growing faster than my right. I have had eleven surgeries to try and fix it. My first surgery was when I was in Kindergarten and my most recent surgery was in January 2023. During those 12 years, it was hard to have a childhood when I was constantly recovering from surgery. When I healed enough to go outside and play sports with my friends, I appreciated it more. After hearing about the patient study survey, I agreed to do it because I know that people usually get a reward. The nurse handed tablets to my mom and me for us to answer questions. One of the first questions talked about having over ten leg surgeries or getting your leg amputated. When I read the question, I was taken aback. I did not realize that it was typical to have so many surgeries or that amputation was an option. Would that have been better than having all of my surgeries?  Or were multiple surgeries the better option? I began thinking about all of the challenges that I faced throughout my life. After each one of my surgeries, I could not walk for as short as four months to as long as one year. I had to use crutches or a wheelchair. It was a challenge because I could not run around outside or play sports like most kids. It was hard just getting up from my bed or the couch and going to the bathroom. I felt helpless. During that time, I learned humility because my parents had to help me with a lot of things. They had to help me get dressed, walk to the bathroom, and bring me food, school supplies, etc. When my parents could not help me with those things, I had to figure out how to do them on my own. It was hard to use crutches and carry items, so I had to put them in my pockets, hold them against the crutches, or just hop and grab the items without using crutches. My situation taught me to problem-solve and find solutions on my own. At each doctor visit, I saw that there were other people with my same condition. But they had a bigger difference in their leg lengths than I did. For some of them, amputation was the only option. Even though I felt bad for myself, I felt compassion for them. I realized that I was better off than most people there. I learned to be grateful for what I have and not to wish for a different outcome than the one that happened. For each of the questions in the survey that talked about amputation versus multiple surgeries, I chose surgeries every time. All the challenges I faced made me who I am today. All my surgeries taught me life skills that I will use for the rest of my life.

I had 11 leg and hip surgeries so far because I was born with one leg longer than the other. Kung Fu means perseverance and flexibility to me. I am a 2nd degree Black Belt Assistant Instructor in Kung Fu. Kung Fu helped me persevere and get more flexible after each of those surgeries. When I had my previous leg surgeries, everyone was so compassionate toward me. I hope I can do the same when some kids are having tough times in classes. Even if I had a bad day in school, I will leave that behind me and do my best. I want to inspire my students to persevere through tough times. I am still shy, but I gained more confidence. I have more confidence in school to raise my hand and ask questions. Helping with Kung Fu classes also improves my material. Before I became a Black Sash, Black Sashes would come into my class to help. We looked up to them and wanted to be as good as they were. Now, I try to do my best to inspire the next group of students coming up through the ranks. Black sashes helped me prepare for my 1st and 2nd degree Black Sash tests. I like doing private lessons to help other students get ready for their goal of Black Sash. Kung Fu has taught me how to persevere through school and life.