My name is Liam, I am a High School Senior at Old Town High School. I was born in and raised in Maine. I live with my parents and my dog, Coco. I am happy to be accepted to mechanical engineering at the University of Maine in Orono. My primary reason for choosing engineering is my desire to help people. I have a dream of making designs and products to aid human beings. I admire many leaders in my life, especially my teachers and coaches. I have learned to be disciplined, and they have prompted me to be a hard worker. I was chosen as a Freshman for a citizenship award, showing leadership. I am involved in the NHS, I work part time, I maintain the highest honors at school, I play varsity Hockey and Baseball. A great leader, to me, leads with integrity and passion. I will share about my passion and drive for personal change that I think will describe my overall determination, not only as a person but as a future leader. My freshman year of high school was a time of new things. As it was 2021, my town, like many others, was still dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, my life and school had changed a lot at such a young age. The isolation of the pandemic took sports from me. This hindered my health very drastically. I put on a lot of weight and knew something needed to change, but I was scared to try, and quite frankly, discouraged. The motivation finally hit me when my school held baseball tryouts in March. I was so excited to play baseball. The thought of playing for the team made me so happy. I endured the two nights of intense tryouts, but to no avail. I was cut. This crushed me, I spent the rest of the night and the coming weeks destroyed. I realized this was the motivation to make the change I needed. I immediately promised myself that next year would be different; I would make the team. So that week, I decided to turn my life around. I changed my eating habits by supplying my body with the right foods and nutrients that I needed to lose weight. Along with this, I started weightlifting. I knew that if I wanted to see change, I would have to persevere through everything to achieve my goal. Month by month, I started to notice changes. Not only in my body but in my attitude. I became a happier and healthier person. While on this journey of self-discovery, I figured out who I was and what I was capable of both physically and mentally. I became a member of the local gym and stuck to my goal of being stronger and more physically fit. I lost over 100 pounds, and my attitude and outlook on life became more positive. The following year, baseball tryouts came, and I was as nervous as ever. The coaches were impressed with my efforts, which landed me a spot as a third baseman on the team. This journey showed me many things, like that giving up would be the easy choice. That failure can lead to success if you have the mindset to face the challenge. I know now that when future obstacles come my way, I will be able to overcome them to succeed in life. I now sit here three years later, the most fit I have ever been. I feel happy and confident in the person I have become.