During high school, my parents wanted me to take classes that would apply to the real world. I was curious about business and how the economy worked around me. For that reason, my high school endorsement is business. During my freshman year, I took an introduction to business class. This class gave me the foundation I needed to become more successful in all my business classes. This class introduced me to the business organization called DECA. This business organization prepares you for the business environment. Students learn how to do role-playing for specific business events. In my second year, I took Business Information Management. This class gave me the opportunity to be certified in several Microsoft management programs, such as Word and PowerPoint. It took several years of business classes for me to find out that I have a passion for it. During my third year, I took Sports Marketing and Advertising. I soon realized that I had a genuine interest in majoring in business in college. I found a more specific degree that I was interested in. When I took my sports marketing class, I loved every aspect of the curriculum. In that class, students were assigned a video project where students had to design a digital contest centered around team spirit. Students voted on their favorite video project. I have always found a love for participating and watching sports. When I discovered that there were job opportunities related to sports and entertainment, I knew that would be an excellent job for me. My goal is to be a marketer or public relations for NFL or MLB teams. I am a massive fan of football and baseball and would want to pursue that goal. I was finally excited about business for my senior year, which is, Security and Investments. This class has enlightened me. It has shown me the importance of investing money at a young age and the impact it can have on my retirement. In this class, we participated in the DECA Stock Market Game. This was a three-month-long competition, where my group had to put in orders, bonds, and trades of stocks. The goal of the game was to try to beat the S&P 500. During this process, I learned that the market fluctuates dues to the media, political influence, and Corona Virus influences. We would have to look up stocks we wanted to purchase or short. We had to create a diverse portfolio, which included a treasury bond. At the completion of the game, we had to write out a 10-page analysis of what we learned and how we could improve. This class also focuses on real-life knowledge about 401K, savings accounts, credit cards, and investments. As I move forward towards my next chapter in life, I feel these electives have given me the groundwork needed to pursue a degree in business. I know that my time at Clements High School has prepared me for college. These classes have given me the inspiration to move forward in my business degree.

I hadn’t realized yet that I was only guaranteed three minutes left on the mat. I was in Las Vegas, hearing the crowd roar as the time ticked away in my second round. This was my last tournament of the season, the AAU Nationals for Taekwondo. I reminded myself that I wanted to win, to bring home a gold medal. I had trained for this moment all year. However, the time trickled down to the last second, and my opponent scored. I had put up a good fight, but my competition season was over. I had won third place in the Olympic sparring division. Others might think losing was a negative outcome, but I disagree. In 2019 I went to Nationals, and I was point gapped in sparring. This means that the opponent scored 20 more points than me. Scoring can be tricky since your kick has to connect to a sensor. This time I scored 20 plus points total and that was my goal this year. When receiving a medal and feeling accomplished from my goal I would call this competition season successful. Looking back over the years, I have taken away many valuable lessons from taekwondo, most notably the qualities of respect, dedication, and leadership.

You are seated in a crowded room; it's quiet for only a second until you hear the children's yelling replying to their master. Then the waiting comes to an end, and the testing begins, not just any testing, a first-degree black belt testing. My vision for this photograph was to capture the athletes through their most challenging moment of taekwondo. The Fort Bend Martial Arts black belt testing is an intense 3-hour workout to show the athlete's skills and discipline. Going through the program and receiving my black belt was one of the hardest things I have done in high school. I wanted to portray the strength and adrenaline you have during the testing, which has molded me into a hard worker throughout high school. I also participated in numerous sports growing up, such as soccer, dance, cross country, and track. It has shaped me into the woman I am today by molding me into a leader. My dream for the future is to capture more moments like this. I am stronger mentally and physically since I was a part of this sport for eight years. I want to become a sports photographer to capture the emotions of all athletes. I plan to major in business, using these skills to help my company grow and succeed.

One could say sticking to a sport is a major time commitment. Taekwondo is no exception. Since 5th grade, I have been involved in this year-round program. It was not always easy to attend class. However, being a dedicated and responsible athlete means showing up to class and work 100 percent. Even though taekwondo is an individual sport, my teammates help me want to be a better athlete. I want to work harder. During our competitive season, I would add private lessons to my taekwondo schedule. That dedication has helped me win one gold medal, three silver medals, and two bronze medals at AAU Taekwondo Nationals. I have learned that dedication brings rewards. The most valuable lesson I have learned from taekwondo is leadership. Throughout my training, I have led classes in stretches and drills, served as coach, and captain during our In-School Olympics. Last summer, I was chosen to be a captain for my country, Cameroon. As a leader, I had to be a positive role model, assist my team emotionally, and provide a safe environment. We participated in events to collect points these were: timed running, timed taekwondo drills, forms, and sparring. As a leader, I helped them improve on their forms and coached during their sparring matches. With earning my black belt this year. I am excited to be awarded this honor as I have trained for many years. Respect, dedication, and leadership now color not only my athletic endeavors but also have influenced my education and my personal life. I have learned to be a better person, and I highly value how these attributes have shaped me into the woman I am today. I know that they will also influence my future and the person I want to become in later life.

An essential element of martial arts is respect. We are taught some basic etiquette that I use in my everyday life. For example, when responding to a Master, we say “Yes Sir,” showing respect to authority. In forms and sparring, one always respects Masters and referees. Win or lose; competitors are expected to shake their competitor’s hand along with their coaches’ hand. Compared to other sports, one is held to a higher expectation of being respectful. Fighters are not supposed to complain to referees, even if they disagree with a penalty, since that would be viewed as talking back. This same mindset has carried over in the classroom and when working with others. It has fostered a feeling of mutual respect. One could say sticking to a sport is a major time commitment. From the time I started taekwondo in 5th grade to now, I have been involved in this year-round program. It was not always easy to attend class. However, being a dedicated and responsible athlete means showing up to class and being prepared to give 100 percent. What makes me enjoy the sport is the atmosphere. My teammates help me want to be a better athlete. That feeling gives me the desire to work even harder. During our competitive season, I would add private lessons, committing five days of training. That dedication has helped me win one gold medal, three silver medals, and two bronze medals at AAU Taekwondo Nationals. I have learned that dedication brings rewards.