Abstract:
A year prior to when I was born my dad was suppose
to get a vasectomy but didn’t. Mistakenly I was conceived. My mom had a few
complications while pregnant with me. A few months before my due date, my mom
went to the hospital because she was experiencing pain in her stomach. She
thought something was wrong with me. She had her appendix removed. Furthermore,
I was a breach baby and my mom chose to have me on January 6th, 1992.
I am the youngest of all my siblings. My brother Kyle is four years older than
me. Kyle didn’t graduate high school but he got his GED. This year he attended
college for massage therapy and then dropped out of college. Currently he’s
living on his own and trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. My
sister Lindsay is twelve years older than me. Lindsay was the first one in our
family to go to college. She has a very successful career, is happily married,
and has a beautiful daughter Scarlette. My mom said I acted like every other
baby. When I turned two I finally learned how to walk, I learned slower than
other babies. Also, when it came to talking you couldn’t really make out what I
was saying until I was about 5. My mom and I are really close. When I’m having a
bad day I just talk to her about it or vent out on her. I’m a daddy’s girl big
time. Ever since I was little we got into the tradition that every night we eat
ice cream and then rub each other’s feet. A lot of people think it’s nasty, but
it feels good. I get a most of my traits from my dad, but I get told I look like
my mom. Our family is really crazy and loud too. So we usually don’t bring
people over until they are ready for the whole package. Unlike most families we
like to joke around, we always eat dinner together every night, we say how we
feel (tell the truth) and are really open. Anyone who has been in the Leckner
home knows what to expect. My mom is a wonderful cook and always makes way too
much and she’s a perfectionist when it comes down to it. Plus she has a green
thumb and loves working outside. My dad is really loud, blasts ACDC music, and
loves his baseball team the White Sox. My brother doesn’t fit in too much. He’s
more on the quiet side and laid back. My childhood was full of fun memories.
When I was three, my mom took me to preschool. On
the first day my mom dropped me off and I didn’t want to let go or even stay
there. I cried my eyes out and begged my mom to stay. She finally calmed me down
and pulled me over to a little girl playing with some toys all alone. I sat down
and started to play with her. When I turned around my mom was gone. That girl
became my best friend, Courtney. The next day of preschool my mom walked me out
to the bus and waited with me. The bus pulled up and she opened the door and I
just saw this old woman who looked like a witch behind the wheel. I was so
scared; I told my mom there was no way I was getting on that bus. I started to
cry and my mom didn’t want to make a scene, so she told the bus driver I’m not
getting on the bus today. Eventually, I got over my fear of my bus driver and
finally got on the bus. Throughout my childhood I didn’t really hang out or play
with my siblings due to the age difference and I was the annoying little sister.
On the other hand, I was too busy playing with my huge collection of Barbie
dolls.
When I started elementary school I was nervous too.
I met even more people. I took a speech and reading class all through elementary
school to help me with talking and reading. In second grade, my best friend
Courtney moved away. This made me really sad, but in third grade I met my other
best friend, Danielle. Third grade was horrible though, I found out I had Mrs.
Jimenez. My brother had her prior to me and always complained how horrible she
was. So practically every day I cried in that class and tried to go to the nurse
saying I didn’t feel good. I was like a regular at the nurse at this time. Most
of my teachers knew I was very emotional and tried to calm me down a lot. Now
looking back Mrs. Jimenez wasn’t a bad teacher, I was just afraid of her and
what my brother said. The summer before fifth grade my brother and I spent most
of our time outside and riding our bikes. It was our last day of summer before
school started and we wanted to ride to Taste Freeze for ice cream one last
time. On our way back home I was riding down the hill by the cemetery behind my
brother. My bike started to shake because I was going too fast, so I started to
slow down a bit. I pressed the breaks with my hand lightly and it didn’t work.
All of a sudden it worked and I flew over the handle bars and hit the sidewalk.
I yelled ahead to my brother as blood was gushing out of my mouth. He came back
quickly to help, he then saw how bad I looked and ran to the nearest house for
help. They called the ambulance and my mom to come. I was taken to the hospital
and they noticed I was missing my permanent tooth in the front of my mouth. I
fractured my jaw and had it wired for about three months, was missing a tooth,
and got stitches inside my lip and on my chin. Fifth grade was very memorable.
The following year, my parents decided after I finished 6th grade we
were moving to Lowell, Indiana. I was not happy at all leaving my friends and
having to meet new friends.
In middle school I joined track and did hurdles.
Track helped me to make friends and enhance my abilities with hurdles. When I
started high school, my freshman year I did track but the remaining years I
didn’t. In track I went to sections my first year for the 300m hurdles. I was
really excited about my accomplishment, because only the selected players got to
go. The coach wasn’t the best, which is why I decided to quit. My junior year I
got a job at Burger King with my friends. Also, that year I was diagnosed with
Bell’s palsy. Bell’s palsy definitely turned my life around. It was a huge eye
opener and it changed who I am today. Today I still have Bell’s palsy but not as
noticeable. Everyday tasks and self confident changed due to it. I practiced
facial expressions and my mom gave me face massages to help build up the muscle.
Friends and family were by my side through the whole process which pushed me to
believe I would get better. The doctors still don’t know what caused the Bell’s
palsy today. My senior year was my hardest year of them all. On the other hand,
it was still a great year too. I did cadet teaching that year, and worked with
third graders. I was trying to go for the academic honors diploma, which I
didn’t get due to my first semester grade for pre calculus. I was so excited to
graduate and get out of the house. On the other hand, my parents weren’t excited
about their last child to leave the nest.
Moving into Manchester was a huge change. Remaking
friends and focusing on studies all at the same time. Changing the way I live
and what I do in my spare time was the hardest part. Only living here for three
weeks, it feels like a second home to me. I decided to choose Manchester College
because it’s a small school and I would still be in my comfort zone. Also, I
want to major in Elementary Education and they have a really good program.
I am very close to my family and whenever I’m free on a weekend I go home and spend time with them. Since my sister lives in Illinois, I don’t see her as much as I would like. We are really close; as I was growing up she was my role model and still is today. Also, when my sister comes out or we go to see her, I love playing with my niece. Currently, I still work at Burger King in Lowell, Indiana. I work on weekends when I come home from college or on breaks. I’ve become really close with the managers and employees and regular customers. My best friends and I work at Burger King together and they called us the three stooges. In conclusion, I can’t wait to further my education and become a teacher.