I never considered myself bold or forward. Ever since I was a
child, I was more of a follower than a leader. I wasn't active in
leadership positions but instead liked to blend in with the crowd.
For years, I was just drifting through life, self-absorbed and
with no ambitions. I didn’t know what I wanted in life until
I met Jeff, a special-education kid.
When I started my first day of P.E. in high school, the teacher
offered the class an opportunity to receive an automatic "A" for
assisting special education kids in exercise. I immediately waved
my hand in the air and volunteered to help, thinking that the class
was going to be an easy GPA booster. That day, I was assigned
to help Jeff train for the Special Olympics he was competing in
later that year.
The first few weeks of helping Jeff were very frustrating and
challenging. His speech impediment hindered our communication,
and his physical disabilities impaired his abilities to play sports. It
took him five times longer to run a lap and twenty more attempts
to hit a tennis ball than the rest of his peers. Yet surprisingly, I
found myself cheering him up whenever he felt discouraged.
As weeks went by, I looked forward to helping Jeff. If Jeff
didn't improve his time in running laps or hitting a tennis ball with
his racquet in one try I would be disappointed. So we practiced for
hours everyday after school until he showed signs of improvement.
By the time the Special Olympics came around, he was well prepared
for the competitions and ended up winning several medals.
Of all the adventures in my life, this experience gave me the
most personal satisfaction. Watching him gain confidence in himself
reminded me of the difference I can make in someone's life. Ever
since then, I spurred myself into action and became involved in
helping the community because I realized my passion is helping others.
Seventy years from now, I want to be able to reflect back on my
life and have the satisfaction of knowing that I have left a lasting
impression on many people, like Jeff. I want to be able to lend a
helping hand to anyone who needs it. I want to be remembered
as somebody who was there to lift people up when they fell.
At the moment, my aspiration is to become a doctor. A
surgeon, pharmacist, dentist or radiologist? I’m still not sure.
But one thing is for sure. Helping others fascinates me
and the medical profession revolves heavily around helping others.
So wdidwid? Cause I have a desire to lend a hand,
a curiosity for the unknown, and a drive to do what needs to be
done.
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