Kevin Wang
Arts & Architecture 10
DIS 1F
My Fire
My first time in the swimming pool was a pivotal moment. The first time I raced against a friend became a monumental cornerstone. It seems cliché, but for as long as I can remember, I have been driven by an inexplicable motivation to compete, and surpass the playing field. In everything I do, I have always sought out the most efficient and effective means to accomplish my goals.
At the start of high school, I joined the water polo and swim team. At 5’ 7”, 140 pounds, I was at a physical disadvantage to some of the more naturally athletic and built swimmers and water polo players. Yet, for 4 straight years I persisted in the sport, learning technique, the aerodynamics of water with the body, and stuck with a sport that seemed to reject me for my physical capacity. I swam the 500 yard event, the longest distance in high school that racked my mental and physical perseverance. Despite this, I always looked to my opponents on either side of me and motivated myself knowing that I was mentally stronger, if not physically.
In college, I became lost in an environment of higher standards, innovation, academic ability, and competition. I declared my major as molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, then considered one of the hardest majors available in the College of Letters and Science. I did not even know if I liked the subjects emphasized in MCDB, yet I dove headfirst into the major because of its competitive atmosphere. Among my peers are high school salutatorians and valedictorians, but rather than gaze upwards at my competition, I self-taught myself the most effective means of studying, memorizing, and understanding complex concepts, and every quarter my effort pays off.
Unfortunately, my personality comes with the side-effect of making me a sore and bitter loser whenever the results do not come out the way I anticipated. It does, however, shape who I am and rationalize the actions I sometimes may take to accomplish my goals. Whenever I look forward into future projects or endeavors, I do not see it for the time, effort, or pain that I will need to sacrifice and accept, but rather I envision the triumph and sensation of excelling the standard.
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