Personal Narrative

My favorite memory happened at the beginning of the year, Songfest. It was a way I could make new friends while being super competitive. I loved how into it every freshman that participated got and how hard we all worked. Attending practices was enjoyable and the actual event was even better. Everyone wore their dorm colors and sang their dorm chants. Although my dorm, Longstreet Means, placed second, it was still my favorite memory.

I used to be able to run so fast I could fly. Racing through the woods behind my house I was untouchable, unbeatable; I imagined I was a graceful as a fox and as fast as a deer racing over bushes, logs, and ditches. Running served as an escape from the perfect student, perfect manners persona I adopted in the classroom allowing me to break out of my shy shell and go from being ¨the teacher’s pet¨ to ¨the fast girl.¨ My love of running-- as well as my parents-- drove me to play soccer; I ditched my goody two shoes for cleats and never looked back. I could chase down any opponent and outrun any defender, through sports I completely let my boundaries down.

In addition to everything that happened prior to my high school years, my freshman year was one, if not, my most memorable when it comes to sports. Track may have been my only sport in high school but I took a great deal or pride and passion in what I was doing and the team I was on, felt like another family. We had a track meet in Eudora, Kansas, and I was on the four by one team relay, which is four people that each run a 100 meter dash and pass off a baton. I was the anchor of the team and we were in first place in the event. When I got the

year. I made All State third place my freshman year, running the 800 relay, but I did not make it

Junior year of high school was by far the most strenuous year of school I have completed.Though it was an arduous,stressful time it is also one of the best school years so far. One of the greatest accomplishments of that year was passing the AP Calculus exam. That test meant more to me than just a number on a screen. It signified that I can do whatever I set my mind to. As cliché as that sounds it is very true. To see hard work pay off makes every struggle worth it.

I had gradually slowed my pace, the last girl on our team was slowly catching up to me. I had told myself I was at least going to be in front of her but my legs would not listen instead they got heavier. She was now in front of me, and telling me to catch up to her, of course I was trying to catch up to her but my legs just could not go any faster. I was insulting, bashing, making fun of myself for not going any faster, and for having a limp in my running. I wanted to walk but I didn't especially when I got to the part where everyone was cheering, they motivated me to keep going they were right before the long hill. I was telling myself I had made it this far, I just couldn't stop not I know I had to walk up the hill to be able to continue my race. I got to the top of the hill and decided to run down it. That it had become a nightmare. Limping fast, it hurt, feeling heavy going down the very steep hill. I felt the force of gravity trying to take me down. I was down. I was done going down the hill and I started to hear everyone cheering so I slowed down even more to be able to get more energy to be able to go faster infront of everyone when I turned to get out of the woods everyone was hollering and cheering us down especially the limping decorah girl. Their was a girl behind me from a different school but she was giving her fullest now to the finish line. The finish line

We were fighting the pain to make it to the last two races of the season, Regionals and States. Regionals was a very emotional race for us. The previous year we were defeated by Parkersburg and was unable to attend states. We had ruined the streak for the girls varsity of PHS to make it to states. We were devastated. This race was different than the others. This race determined who ran in states. We knew we had to give it our all. At the start line, Coach wrote a “1” on our leg to keep in mind the one year we didn’t make it to states. We knew that staying home this year was not an option. We raced hard with everything we had. As everyone finished we had this feeling of defeat. We cried and just put ourselves down. We were not confident in our performances. Coach Martin and P. Sines knew it was a close race. However they had more information than we did. They knew the results. They watched us cry as a team and continue to believe we didn’t make top three. This was the moment I will never forget. “Coming in third place is…..PRESTON HIGH SCOOOOOOL” announced the official. No longer were we crying sad tears. We were crying tears of

I was not an intentionally bigoted twelve-year-old. I was raised in an affluent suburban community where the vast majority of people are white. The 100% white private nursery school which I attended was chosen by my parents largely due to its proximity to our home. My public elementary school was about 70% white as it was populated with students who resided nearby. Finally, the private middle school which I attended, located almost an hour from my home, provided me with exposure to the most diverse student body of my youth as it was comprised of about 65% Caucasian children. What each of these formative academic experiences shared in common was both that their student bodies were disproportionately Caucasian, as well as that their senior administrators

At some point i was ready to give up, i didn't want to show up to practice anymore. But when i saw Tiara run at the track meet, winning third place out of the 100 girls running the same event i was amazed. I knew i wanted to be just like her someday, she was the fastest on the team and many colleges wanted her, she was the perfect example. So i practiced with her even out of season we would be the only two practicing in the hallways after school. I knew that i couldn't be as fast as her by the next day, i knew it took time. When outdoor track rolled around coach told me that i’d make a great 400m runner and i told her that i couldn't do it but she made me do it anyway, as a relay team we won first place and i was able to pass the girl right next to me. My heart beating was the only thing i heard while i was running and my teammates cheering me on. That was one of my most proud moments because i thought that i couldn't do it but i did it and i did a pretty good job.

I could not even pay attention in class. My stomach twirled rapidly and I tried not to eat too much. I kept my muscles warm and listened to gospel music all day. I remember the meet like yesterday. Twenty minutes before my last race, my coach approached me with words that I could never forget. “Mariah this is the moment you’ve been waiting on all season. You just qualified for state in 300 hurdles, so I know you are excited, but do not lose that momentum. You still have the 4 by 4 meter relay. So remember everyone who steps on that starting line is very talented, but the best will be the person who fights the hardest to cross the finish line. So go all out or go home. Pump those arms and lift those

In San Francisco, about a year after my mother died, when I was nine or ten years old and going to the second new school since moving in with my father, I had a desperate crush on a girl named Lisa. She was a year older than me, in the next grade level up (our classrooms were combined). She was pretty, Asian, was popular with a group of friends that would surround her during recesses.

I was able to run at the State cross-country championship when I was a freshman. That experience shaped me into the person and runner I am today. Running in such an intense race as a freshman pushed me to reach to my maximum potential. I felt I had more then what I was putting out on the table. The summer of my sophomore year I ran everyday, I wanted to get my 5k time down. With hard work and dedication I was able to shave seven minutes off of my 5k in my four years of high school. Running taught me that no one is going to hand me anything, if I want something I need to work for it myself. I was able to jump over so many mental barriers and realize everything I need is within me. Running is a metaphor for life and I’ve been so blessed to have

It seemed like the weekend would never come. It did, and now she had to scramble to get preparations ready for Ray’s arrival this morning and Fiona and Emily’s for lunch.

As I laid in bed, semi-awake my stomach in knots, heart erratically beating I was a bundle of nerves. Sleep was elusive for me the night before as it always is for a significant event. That day was a massive event. I was leaving to go on a trip with friends during spring break holiday. After weeks of planning, the day was finally here. I had a mental checklist of everything I needed. I called all my friends to see if they were ready and as excited as I was. The group consisted of; Karla, an assertive divorcee, Mish my tall, lanky cousin, Alan a quiet, sensitive man, Anthony a typical introvert and Juan a young, adventurous guy. Mish, Alan, and Juan decided that preparation was not something of importance to them. They were waiting for Karla

My favorite time of the year was winding down to a close, it was the last meet of my Junior track season. We loaded up the bus on a Thursday, the last day of school and headed toward Bismarck. I had never attended the State track meet and I was more nervous than I’ve ever been before.