Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. This is the motto that the United States Marine Corps lives by and that I follow closely. This motto and lifestyle came from my close friend and mentor, who is a retired Vietnam Veteran. Growing up I was always very shy and reserved. I had a speech impediment, making me not want to speak in front of others. I was also always the smallest kid in all of my classes, and it did not help that I was a little chubby. All of this culminated to me being a victim of bullying. The bullying got so severe in middle school that I needed to seek medical assistance due to getting violently sick each morning, knowing I had to go to school. It was at this time that I met Terry. He is small like me and served in combat, with the USMC, in Vietnam. He also went through hard times growing up and understood what I was going through. One of the first things he taught me was to improvise, adapt, and overcome. We regularly work out together and discuss life, which improved my confidence, strength, and appearance. I went from being a shy and bullied kid in middle school, to a confident young man walking into high school. Once in high school, I immediately challenged myself and joined the Debate Team and Youth and Government Team. In my Freshman year, I was forced to present part of my team’s argument in front of an auditorium full of people, because one of our team members could not make the trip to Springfield. I knew the material but did not have time to prepare because it was assigned to me at the last minute. I knew that I had to immediately act, by improvising what I was going to say, adapt to my new role as a speaker and not a note taker, and I had to overcome my fear of public speaking. With my new found confidence I was able to deliver an incredible presentation, bringing my team one point away from moving on to the next level. I continue to work hard, overcoming obstacles that get in my way. I am not the best at taking standardized tests, but I can guarantee that I will work harder in college than anyone else, overcoming this obstacle. I currently belong to several clubs in high school and have even started my own. My cumulative GPA is currently 3.725 and I will be taking demanding classes my senior year, pushing myself, instead of coasting through like several of my friends. Through all of my high school accomplishments thus far, I have proven that I can work hard at a collegiate level and will always find a way to improvise, adapt, and overcome any challenge that I will face.