My future self is going to strive for perfection, as well as build the self-confidence to lead his team into whatever situation they may face in the field.

Sports played a key role in creating who I have become. Every sport I played had its highs and lows. And after I reminisce on all my memories, hitting home runs and sending other kids to the bench after striking them out back in my Little League prime. It is now time I plan for my future, whatever that may be. But to explain where I came from, I had to face two hardships. Receiving surgery and I was unable to participate in anything involving the use of my injured shoulder. Sidelined for 4 months, I was attending physical therapy and grinding to be able to at least play baseball. And while my aspirations to play in the upcoming baseball season that year came true, COVID had struck and ripped my baseball season away. At the time, I was quite big already, being about 190 lbs. And the lockdown due to the pandemic wasn’t going to help with my weight loss any more than injury did, and once the mandate to stay at home was lifted, I weighed around 220 lbs… I was also not in the greatest spot mentally due to this massive weight gain and I was beginning to form depression. Playing basketball felt like a chore and I was losing love for a game that I had enjoyed my entire life… But then I decided to keep pushing to get better and lose more weight, and after this sophomore year, I dropped down to about 180 lbs. And then my junior year flew by playing basketball and baseball slimming down even more, and this all leads to who I am now. After the misery and hardship I had endured, in my senior year, I am now weighing 150 lbs and have lost a great amount of body fat. Feeling a lot better about myself I continued to play basketball, and although knowing I’m not the best, I still enjoyed playing the sport more than I did the year before, accepting the duty of a role-player. At the moment I’m writing this essay we are heading into the Regional quarterfinal round of playoffs and we are expecting to make this run last quite a while longer. As for baseball, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to begin my final season, but I do know that after it all ends, I will be attending an All-Star Game I was selected to take part in early June. As a senior, I don't have much time to make an impact anymore. But I’m gonna make it worthwhile and strive to leave a mark in the school’s history… As you can tell, sports were a huge part of my life. And I don’t want to abandon the activities either, so I decided to become a physical therapist, wanting to help others in a similar situation I was, in years ago. I don’t want anyone to face the same grief I had to endure, so I concluded that aiding the person would be the best option for me. I’d prefer to work in the sports scene as a trainer, as I could not just give up my dream of being on the field, whether that be on the baseball diamond, the basketball court, and so on. Athletes suffering through injury is something I could relate to, and I know what is required to bounce back. That’s why I would want to pursue a degree in an athletics-related field.