Before golf, the only sport I had known and loved was dance. I knew dance was something I wanted to continue to do in high school, but unfortunately I broke my ankle before tryouts. At the time, I thought it was the end of the world, but it opened my eyes to golf, something I learned to love very quickly. Golf is a sport that not only taught me how to hit a ball or which club to use, but the importance of patience and resilience. In golf, many challenges are faced, from difficult courses to the unpredictable weather. It can be easy to get frustrated when things don’t go your way, but you have to keep going I joined the golf team my senior year, and since I had never played before, I was nervous, but also excited to be trying something different. I made the varsity team and I was able to play in many meets. This allowed me to bond with my teammates, and people from other schools. I also enjoyed watching my own growth throughout the season. After each meet, I would compare my score to the first time I played, and I was happy to see how I improved. Learning how to play was a challenge for me, but I learned how to be patient with my growth. I knew I wouldn’t be able to change my performance overnight, so I worked hard to improve. I worked hard during all of our practices and took all the advice received from both my coaches and teammates. I took advantage of the time outside of our practices by working on different skills. As we reached the end of the season, I noticed that my overall score improved significantly from the first time that I played. On the first day, I barely knew which club to use so my knowledge of the game also improved. I also learned how to balance my golf, both meets and practices, with my school work because my grades and schoolwork are important to me. I received the Senior Scholar Athlete Award for maintaining a grade point average greater than a 3.5 while also playing in varsity meets. Throughout the season, I tried to enjoy every moment of playing and spending time with my teammates. I received the Character Athlete of the Year Award for my positive attitude, being open minded to trying new things, and being a team player. The lessons I have learned through golf will be able to help me as I transition into college. I am excited, but also nervous for the change that will come. Change can be scary, but I will have to be patient and know that things will fall into place as time goes on. Because I learned how to balance golf with school, it will help me when I have to balance work, school and any other activities that I will participate in during college. I am extremely proud of my growth and awards, the lessons I learned, and the risk I took to try something new.

When I was 4 years old, my grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes. Because she had been undiagnosed for so long, the disease had progressed, and she had to have two of her toes amputated. I witnessed firsthand her struggle with the disease and the decline of her health. I also witnessed the impact on my parents who cared for her and had to run, and ultimately close, her business of 49 years. My grandmother’s journey taught me perseverance and resilience. My family lived 1 ½ hours away from her so we saw her about every month. However, those first couple of years after her diagnosis we spent so much more time together when my parents were caring for her and tending to her business. It seems odd to say, but because of her disease we had more time together. After my grandmother’s surgery, she had difficulty walking, which led to a further decline in her health. She was told she had to go on dialysis. After suffering for many years with surgery, neuropathy and multiple insulin shots daily, she decided she did not want to do this. That decision was devastating for the rest of us, but she was at peace. We began to visit more often, and my parents began making funeral arrangements. Then suddenly, she changed her mind. She would have a fistula put in and have dialysis. As a kid, I didn’t really know what all this meant, just that she was having another surgery. Because of her choice to have dialysis we got to spend an additional 8 months with her. We made so many more great memories: playing bingo on Sundays, going out to dinner, watching Hallmark movies, and spending time at her farm. She was even able to visit when we baked Christmas cookies. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for medical treatment, and for that I am forever grateful. Because of her struggle, I saw how much of an impact modern medicine can have on the quality of life. My goal is to attend college and become a physical therapist. I have a passion for helping others and feel that I can make a difference in the lives of those affected by chronic illnesses like diabetes. To prepare for this, I have shadowed multiple physical therapists in both school and clinical settings to experience what it is like working in each, and have seen the impact that they have on their patients. I will be volunteering at a local hospital this summer to gain more experience to prepare for my education, in addition to my work schedule. In fall, I will be attending the University of Iowa. I chose Iowa because they have a world-renowned teaching hospital located directly on campus. This will give me the opportunity to start helping patients as early as my freshman year. I want to help them improve their quality of life by getting involved with them as early as possible to improve their mobility, and overcome the obstacles that they are facing. I believe my grandmother would have benefited from this by learning to walk with numbness in her feet and legs, and without all her toes. My grandmother passed away on April 9, 2018, when I was 11, and I miss her every day. I am grateful for the extra time I had with her and for her resiliency. Because of that, I will always have those memories.

From a young age I had always loved dancing. I loved the idea of jumping, spinning, and learning new skills. When I was young I would watch the older girls dance and I knew that I wanted to be like them. I started with classes and recitals to learn some of the basics. I saw some of the girls at the studio start to join competition teams so I decided to join one through my school. I knew that this team would help prepare me for when I got to high school and wanted to try out for the high school team. I had done youth clinics with the high school dancers and I loved the feeling of performing in front of a crowd. Having those dreams of being on the high school team seemed so crazy until it was a reality. During 8th grade, I broke my ankle right before the dance team tryouts. I had to try out in an orthopedic boot, but I pushed through because I was so excited to be trying out. I made the team and got to have fun experiences of performing at school events, competitions, and even hosting a youth clinic like the one I attended when I was younger. It was exciting to see all of the girls who had the same dream that I had of being on the high school dance team. We also won State my freshman year and Nationals my sophomore year. After tryouts for my junior year, the pain in my ankle continued, and I was told that I had a stress fracture. The season had already started, but my doctor advised that I should no longer continue. I realized that my time as a dancer had to come to an end when I had to leave the team. I was devastated because I loved dancing and I loved all of the friends I had made and the experiences I had. My senior year I decided to try out for the golf team, even though I had never played golf before. I was nervous, but also excited to be trying something different. I made the varsity team and I was able to play in many meets. This allowed me to bond with my teammates, and people from other schools. I also enjoyed watching my own growth throughout the season. After each meet, I would compare my score to the first time I played, and I was happy to see how I improved. I worked hard during all of our practices and took all the advice received from both my coaches and teammates. I took advantage of the time outside of our practices by working on different skills. As we reached the end of the season, I noticed that my overall score improved significantly from the first time that I played. On the first day, I barely knew which club to use so my knowledge of the game also improved. I received the Senior Scholar Athlete Award for maintaining a grade point average greater than a 3.5 while also playing in varsity meets. Throughout the season, I tried to enjoy every moment of playing and spending time with my teammates. I received the Character Athlete of the Year Award for my positive attitude, being open minded to trying new things, and being a team player. I knew it would be challenging knowing that it was both my first and last year, but it was a great experience. I am extremely proud of my growth, awards, and that I took the risk to try something new.