Introduction:

When I first came to ACLC, I was a lost 6th grader trying to find a place where I could explore my academic interest. Not only did I achieve this throughout my 7 years at ACLC but I also grew through my weaknesses. I learned it's okay to not be good at something as long as you continue growing that weakness. I used to be unorganized, but at ACLC I learned how to write everything down in a planner and how to organize my time with my teachers. ACLC has also allowed me to explore my interest outside of the classroom. I was able to do an independent study when I had to travel for long periods of time with soccer. ACLC was a big part of helping me grow as an individual and team player.

Personal Qualities, Work Habits, And Attitudes:

At a young age, I learned how to be responsible and use my time wisely. A lot of people in life are extremely smart and hard-working but if you are unorganized and stressed your skills won’t matter. Being responsible to me meant taking ownership of my academics and extracurriculars. I signed up for all the advanced classes I could take, I would take college classes, and made sure I had a schedule in place so that I would never miss any assignments. I also took responsibility when I made a mistake and would own up to it. People who don’t own up to their mistakes will never learn and get better in life.

Another trait I believe I possess is “Career Know-How”. When I knew that I wanted to become a surgeon I took it upon myself to find out every possible way that I could get involved in the medical field. I interned at Urgent Cares, shadowed surgeons, had lunches with surgeons to see the path they chose, and am applying to schools based on my career path. I believe that if you have a passion the only way to truly act on it is to find every way you can get involved in that passion and make use of your love of a particular career. This is something that I have done and it has reassured me even more how much I want to become a surgeon.

Lastly, I am definitely a Sociable person. I go out of my comfort zone when speaking with people and I make sure that others who are more introverted have an opportunity to speak their mind. I like to include people in conversations, as many people have great thoughts they are just afraid to speak their mind. I also love networking and building connections with people so that I can further my interests and others. This is how I was able to get some of the internships that I had. By being a friendly, humorous, and outgoing person towards others.

New Basics:

Throughout my journey of middle school and high school at ACLC, I have learned many new basic concepts that have helped me in so many aspects. I have always been a very logical person, who loves math and science. Math has been my favorite subject since I was in elementary school. For fun I would do math problems with my dad almost every night. Having teachers at ACLC who challenged me to be the best I can in STEM has really helped me further this interest and take it out into the real world.

I also am a competitive athlete. I have been playing soccer since I was 6 years old and have learned many key skills in soccer that have helped me become a better and stronger person in the real world. I learned how to be a team player, be competitive and work hard for the thing you want in life. I have also developed a proper diet that is perfect for an athlete. In order to be the best athlete possible, you need to have the best nutrition you possibly can so that you can maximize your effort on the playing field and become your best self.

Thinking and reasoning skills:

I am someone who likes to have an action plan in place before taking on new things in life. I like to know how I am going to accomplish anything and the steps in which I need to take to achieve my goals. It is very hard to achieve anything in life if you just go with the flow and don’t have many different plans just in case something you're doing doesn’t go to plan right away. I usually also predict where something could go wrong and try to find an alternative so I am prepared far in advance.

Most people when they try anything out for the first time fail, that's just how humans are. It’s the people that can reflect on how and when a mistake was made that will succeed. Knowing what went wrong and changing that next time is the key difference between the people who can achieve greatness in the end and the people who give up and dwell on their failures. Just doing this throughout high school has helped me so much in every aspect, from always pushing myself in soccer to getting the grades I work really hard for in school and always striving to be better.

Interpersonal abilities:

Throughout all of high school, I have been a leader in my community. From leading a bevi at school to just being good friends and helping learners. As a leader, you can put the needs of others before yourself and try to lift others up. I encourage learners to try new extracurriculars and on my free periods I even help out younger learners with any work they seem to be having trouble with. I have also been a leader in my community by founding a nonprofit where I donate undergarments to local homeless shelters and domestic violence organizations. Throughout this process, I learned how to be a team member in society and work hard no matter how hard the obstacle is.

Ever since I was little I have been a soccer player, so I had to learn how to be a part of the team and always be there for one and another. In life, you may not understand many things but if you have others there to support you, you will be able to get through it. I have also started study groups in many of my college classes as a way to work together with my peers and make sure that no one in my classes was left behind.

Technology:

Coming into ACLC I was never the person to come to for technology. I didn’t use it often and when I did I was clueless as to how most of it worked. However, throughout my time here I have learned that technology is such a valuable tool in many people's success. Whether it's researching for a class to building a 3D model for physics or whether it's just learning how to use your resources to your advantage, technology is a lifesaver. I have learned that you don’t need to be an expert in any of that, you just need to use the tools that are most beneficial to you. I have learned how to properly use computers to complete and go above and beyond in assignments.

Conclusion:

Thank you so much to all of ACLC for helping me mature and find me. I learned how to be a critical thinker, how to work with others, and how to use the resources I am given to my advantage. My friends at ACLC have also helped me grow and allowed me to enjoy my time at ACLC when things were pretty rough. I have loved my experience at ACLC and couldn't thank you enough for helping me overcome many obstacles in my life and helping me become a person I am proud of.

My teammates and I have realized how important it is to be there for one another before a game. YOu can see here that before every game we go around in a circle and motivate one another and get ready for our game!!