About Me

 Abstract

                Ever since my entrance into this world I have had a lot of experiences, both god and bad. Through sports I have been on both the winning side and the losing side and have learned to cope with both of the. There have been a lot of people that have influenced me in my life and who have shaped me to be the person I am today. Family has been the main one with my siblings and parents, but also certain teachers and coaches over the years. Through school I have learned to never give up and face the challenges that you will meet. In your life there will be many times when you will be faced with adversity and your character will be shaped by what you do with that adversity, whether you back down from it or face it and become stronger in the future.

            From the beginning people knew I was going to be great from my record breaking birth. When I was born I weighed fourteen pounds and nine ounces, which is still currently a record at Kosciusko Community, where I was born, and Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospitals, which is where I was transported right after my birth. I am sure that my parents were not expecting something as large as me, but they have told me many times they would not trade me for the world.

            I have always been very involved in sports since I was a child. Sports have taught me how to be a good sportsman and also how to overcome challenges that I will face whether in sports or life in general. My parents always preached to me to never sacrifice my integrity for winning. I have always kept that in my mind and have learned through the years of playing sports that it is a great lesson.

           My childhood is filled with many great memories and experiences that have shaped me to who I am today. I grew up with two siblings in the household with me. I have one brother that is twenty-four years old and one sister that is twenty-two years old. I always loved having my brother around because he was always there for me whenever I needed to talk to anyone or if I had questions about something he always made sure he tool time out of his schedule to tend to me. Through many ways he has influenced my life. Probably the most noticeable and important to my peers would be in sports. Growing up I always looked up to him as my role model and most of the time would mimic what he would do. When he became a catcher in baseball I decided I wanted to follow in his foot steps and became a catcher also. The other sport that I participated in was football, where I also followed in his foot steps while becoming an offensive lineman just like he did. He has basically been my second father to me by teaching me things I needed to know while growing up and becoming an adult today. I also like having a sister because she was like a second mom and always took care of me. My brother and I would always bribe her into doing out chores when we did not fell like doing them. She was always there to look after my brother and me if we needed help. My brother and sister mean a lot to me and I am very thankful that I was lucky enough to have great siblings like them.

           My father’s name is Gregory and he is forty-four. We just call him Greg though and his nickname in our town is “Spanky.” He works for the Nappanee Street Department. Since he is out and about every day in the town he knows a lot of people throughout the town. I have been lucky enough the past three summers to have a job working with my dad in the city and he has taught me a lot about communicating with people and how to work with the diversity of people. My dad has been the biggest influence in my life. He has always coached me in sports since I was four. Whether it be in football, basketball, or baseball he has always found a way to coach me and I am very thankful for that. When he was young he played sports also so he knows what it is like to be competitive and knows the work ethic you have to put into sports to keep up with your competition. Many people might say that my father was too hard on me in sports but I strongly believe that if it was not for him I would not be where I am today and not as successful.

           My mother’s name is Lisa and she is forty-three. She works at Utilimaster as an Inventory Control Clerk. I have always been known as a “mommy’s boy” but that is because she has always looked out for me and made sure I made the best decisions. I respect my mom a lot because since my brother was four he has been playing sports and when I started playing sports she has always supported us and would go out of her way to make sure we got the support needed to play sports. She has also been there behind my dad through all those years of coaching, no matter whether he came home unhappy because of a lost or joyful because of a win, she has always been right by his side. I love both my parents very much and have been blessed with two of the greatest people in the world. One thing that makes them the greatest is that between all the years of playing many different sports I have always had at least one of them at every game of mine to support me and be there to congratulate me after the game.

          School has always been a fun place for me to go to every day and have fun while still learning and gaining knowledge. I have always been a mediocre student and teachers have always enjoyed me being in their classrooms. Growing up I realized that I was not the smartest kid but I made sure that I still applied myself in school and tried to make school fun and enjoyable. I had many teachers that have influenced me in my life and that is a lot of the reason why I have chosen to major in Elementary Education.

         There have been many ups and downs in my life growing up until this point. The one that has probably had the most influence on me and that has made me grow as a person took place my junior year in high school. I have always loved playing football and it was a real passion that I had. Football has also had a very rich tradition at my high school so many people cared about the football program and took great interest in it. During that year we managed to only go 3-6 during the regular season, which was a disappointment to everyone. The miraculous thing about this story is we ended up winning six straight games and winning the State Championship. The importance of this is how many teams at my high school that had tried to accomplish the same thing, six to be exact that were runner-ups, and we were the ones to win the prestigious trophy. We were the only team in state history to lose six games and still win the championship. The struggles, hard times, and defeats I faced during that year taught me a lot about myself. I learned that through all the turmoil and pressure that was put on me and my team, I was able to still have the love for the game and continue to play with all of my heart and give it my all every play. Not once did I want to give up or quit, knowing for if I did then my team and I may never have won the State Championship. The friendships that I created and the memories of that year will always be with me throughout my life. When hard times face me in the classroom, now I think back to that season and think about the struggles I went through and that pushes me to face challenges and overcome them.

           Making my college choice was very difficult for me during my senior year. Not only did I have to find a school that I liked, but it also had to fit my interest for football and my major that I wanted to pursue. Luckily for me I was able to find that in Manchester College and I am glad I made that choice. The staff is amazing, football was a blast, and the students and education program are great. It turned out to be the perfect choice for me to further continue my education and to start pursuing my career as a teacher. The Education Department has been very helpful and is willing to help me toward my goals that I wish to achieve.

           Throughout my life I have had many great memories and experiences that have helped developed the person that I have become today. As I continue through college I hope to create many new memories. I have developed great communication skills while being involved in sports and through jobs over the years. There have been many times where I have just wanted to quit or give up but I have learned over the years that failing will only make you stronger in the future.