Saturday, March 1, 2014

The 2004 Me

As I was rummaging through my "Documents" folder on my computer - purging through old files - I came across the BIO I had to write about myself to share with the Mason Society, who had graciously awarded me with an educational savings bond. It is always eye opening to go back to my old ME and read about my hopes, my dreams, my successes, and my aspirations.

I was 17 years old and wrote this in 2004:

"I have been involved in many different activities and a variety of sports that I feel I have a lot of experience to offer.  Learning from my past, and moving on, was always the motto that kept me going.  Since the beginning of ninth grade, the first year of my high school career, I have been able to maintain not only straight A’s but also a 3.97 GPA.  With that GPA, I feel that my future is wide open, and I have set myself up for success.  Earning A’s was always easy for me; I guess I could say that it came naturally.  Don’t get my wrong, I had to work for it, but it was fun, and easy work.  My freshman year I took all honors courses, knowing that they would keep me challenged.  Honors English, and honors Band were always my favorite subjects.  And because of my outstanding flute accomplishments in the band, I was hired to conduct private lessons for a younger student.  Throughout that year I dedicated the majority of my time to the Village Green Retirement Center.  For National Junior Honors Society we were required 10 hours of community service.  Not only did I volunteer on a regular basis at the retirement center but I also contributed 40 hours of work to my church.  For my 9th grade project I chose to serve others.  Therefore, I enlarged, printed, and even copied bulletins for all four of our church’s services.  As the year went on I began to volunteer at my old elementary school, Enterprise Elementary.  My friend Leslie and I would walk there after school to help out some of the teachers.  As you can tell, I loved staying active, and I loved knowing that there was something for me to do after school instead of coming home to watch TV for hours.  I was very productive with my time, and I liked to get things done.  The sport that I had a passion for was swimming.  As people are well aware of, swimming is not offered in Junior High, therefore, I got the privilege to head over to Federal Way High School everyday after school to participate on their swim team.  That year I was very successful.  I was able to meet so many different people that went to the school.  I completed the season with a Varsity letter and with the recognition of only being 3 seconds away from the district’s times.  When swimming ended for the High School, I just headed back over to my year round swimming practices at the King County Aquatics Center.  I was very dedicated to swimming, and still am.  This year, as a junior at Todd Beamer, I was not only Captain of the team, but made it to districts in two different events.  I guess after practicing for two years on Federal Way High School’s swim team, it paid off.  Throughout my sophomore year at Federal Way High School I discovered I had a love for gymnastics.  So, this year was my second year participating on a Varsity gymnastics team.  And as well as participating, I lettered once again as the team’s captain.  At the end of the year’s ninth grade banquet I received some very special awards.  I received not only the 2001 Principal’s awards, but also the 2001 Academic Award.  Since Illahee Junior High School, I have been able to observe and participate in two different High Schools.  Last year I attended Federal Way High School, and it was the best year, academic wise.  I was able to pass Honors World English with an A, while still keeping up my everyday activities, such as sports, and piano lessons.  That is also the same year I became involved with Camp Thunderbird.  I enjoy pleasing others, and helping them out once in a while, therefore I decided to spend a lot of time at camp.  Over the past two years I have been blessed to be a High School leader at Camp Thunderbird, and not just once, but five different times. That is where I love to share my heart, my personality, and the love I have for fifth graders. Besides being able to attend five weeks as a leader, I also have been able to attend six training weekends, to share my knowledge and experience with those upcoming leaders.  I am truly blessed to be so involved.  Overall, I have received a certificate that states I have dedicated more then 600 hours of community service there, at Camp Thunderbird.  Among my camp experience at Thunderbird I have also been a leader and counselor in training for the past two summers at Camp Gilead.  Gilead was a camp I grew up in as a child, and I always knew I wanted to work there someday.  During the summers of 2002 and 2003 I spent 20 weeks of service and training, all voluntarily.  And this summer, I was hired to be a counselor at Camp Barachah.  I will be working with the day campers there.  Just recently, in November of 2003 I performed in Federal Way’s “Annie” play, held at my church, St.Luke’s Lutheran.  I spent months practicing and preparing to be an orphan in our city play.  “Annie” is the third play I have been in through our city.  I enjoy acting very much and hope to continue in my future.  This year I have taken English AP, which has prepared me for the AP exam.  I also am enjoying my family psychology class; for that is the area of study I am most interested in.  As well as being active in my High School and my community I am also very active in my church and my youth group.  I have been part of my youth group for the past 5 years.  I help lead Bible Studies, and periodically I will help our youth pastor out by tagging along on a junior high retreat, for they need guidance just as much as we do.  Church is a place where I have always felt accepted, for the people there are so encouraging.  My relationship with Christ is most important, and I put Him first before all that I do.  In 9th grade I joined the youth ensemble at church, and was able to enjoy 3 long years of singing with them.  Singing is something other people have always thought I was good at, but it is not something I would like to pursue professionally.  Singing is one of the many things I enjoy doing on the side of school.  As a junior at Todd Beamer I am able to see where I am going with my future.  In less then two years I will be out on my own.  I am hoping to be accepted at Biola University, Linfield University, Willamette University, or Seattle Pacific University.  I have a passion to attend a semi small school with a Christian background, which will keep me headed towards the Lord.  I plan to study psychology and become either a Christian psychologist, or a mental health counselor.  I hope to earn my Master’s, and go on studying from there.  For, I really don’t know what my future holds, but I only hope for the best."

Christian psychologist or a mental health counselor? Well...I came close to my dream by earning my Masters in school counseling. Man...life was easier back then and I remember thinking at the time that life was horrible and difficult. It is always relative, but what I would give to go back to the 2004's "life is hard" mantra.

Too funny. 
Boy was I cool in 2004.....


No comments:

Post a Comment