Personal Narrative: Shoot For The Moon

Most people are all grown up when they finally figure out what they want to do with their life. I was 4. I realized what I wanted to be when I attended my very first Rodeo. Even though it was so long ago I can remember that day like it was yesturday. That day got me on the path to my future.

Throughout our lives, we make choices and decisions that change our lives and others in positive and/or negative ways. It is these decisions that determine how we will be remembered, our legacy. When I graduate high school, I want to be remembered by the qualities that define me as a person and the good I’ve done for others. Throughout the years, I’ve been often been described by my family and friends as bold, confident, outgoing, and hardworking. Not only are these characteristics important to me, but they are important to my family, as they want to leave a legacy in the name of our family. The qualities I have exhibited are the same qualities past family members have shown and are remembered for. Through always putting out my best effort when it comes to work and school, I have shown my dedication and discipline. Through doing what I can to help others, I have displayed my commitment to world peace, the betterment of the world as a whole, and the yearning to make a difference in someone’s life other than my

Over my years of school, one big influence on me has always been sports. Ever since a young age, I have always enjoyed playing and watching sports. In my four years in high school, I have fell in love with the sport of lacrosse.

I woke up and took one bite out of my pop tart but that one bite was all I could eat. My legs were shaking, and my heart was pounding. My dad told me, “It is a true honor to even make it this far so go out there and have some fun.” Once I heard this statement, I knew I was ready to go. I arrived at school and boarded the bus. The car ride was an hour and fifteen minutes of hearing the squeaking of the wheel on the bus. My teammates were getting their heads ready for the big game.

As the years come along one after another people have come in and out of my life, but at the end of the day it all comes down to what I did?, what will I do?, and what can I do? Sometimes you will ask yourself if what you do is even valuable and sometimes it might seem like it doesn’t, but truly deep down it is and will always be. Throughout this journey, I have faced many obstacles and will still need to face many more as the years come. However, one thing I won’t regret is making

After the the first shot I took my mind went blank. The adrenaline that flowed throughout my body, the feelings of rush, excitement, and success all in one combination of emotions. These were the feelings I had no idea excited until after that moment. Although I had a slight ache in my shoulder due to the force of the 12 gauge shotgun pushing against my shoulder. I was at a lost of words my only reactions was to run, run as fast as I could to get to the dying turkey. Once there the turkey was not fully dead yet It was still flopping around and blood camp oozing out splattering me. Looking at the suffering bird I places my boot on it head to the ground, then grabbed the turkey's body pulling it so its

I think that my family realized that I had crossed the threshold between childhoods when I began to form my own opinions. This first took hold when I took part in poverty stimulation at my local shelter. I was giving a character and a story behind the card I was given; the story made me become emotionally attached to this name I had been assigned and the family in which I came from. The experience made me question the prejudice of the society I was living in. How many times had I avoided eye contact with the people on the side of the road begging for money? I began a long journey of soul searching and questioning the beliefs my parents had raised me on. My thoughts were continually brought back to a book by C.S Lewis, it was called Out of the Silent Planet; a character named Weston believed that individual human lives don’t matter, they must be sacrificed to save mankind.

There I was on the block next to the High Bar. It was about 5:00 at night when my coach told me to do a Kip. As I got up on the bar my nose filled with the smell of chalk. I started to swing, and as I came out of my half turn I looked good. Everything seemed fine but as I came to the part of the Kip where I have to pull my legs up to the bar, I slammed my shins into the bar. My momentum was stopped and I dropped on to the mat, missing the Kip. I felt like I had let down my coach and I had let down myself too. That day I experienced failure. That failure made me want my Kip even more so I worked harder and had support from my teammates.

It was a typical Sunday morning, I ate breakfast with my family and got ready for church. The morning went on with a drag, than 5 o’clock hit. Once 5 o’clock hit my mother started yelling at my sister and me to get our stuff packed and into the car. We had only a few hours before my final summer of upward bound started. Since I started my senior year I’d been remembering many moments of my past and been reflecting on them. Therefore as I began to pack, it didn’t seem strange to me as I started to flash back to what had gotten me into Upward Bound in the first place.

As we enter the next phase of our life we must be serious about achieving our goals but at the same time not take ourselves too seriously. We must continue to tread forward and work on creating our best future but never forget our past. We must use our new knowledge to teach others but never stop being a student. And finally understand that although the world can be tough we must always keep the ability to empathize with others to create a better place.

During my high school career, and continuing into my naval career, I have always had a desire to succeed. In high school, I applied myself to become valedictorian, and in the Navy, I have worked hard to become my A-school honorman. This desire to succeed is what initially attracted me to the Naval Academy. Those who enter are regarded as the Navy's finest, and because of the high standards that such a training demands, I hope to be shaped into a sailor that will bring pride to his branch and his country.

I go through everyday wondering whether or not life is a test: a test of effort, truth, and figuring out whom you really are. I am here today to tell and remind you what your goals are, but to also see if you accomplished them, to see if you passed the exam. I wish I could see you before writing this letter, seeing how my future unfolds. In reality, my decisions make you the person you are today. Therefore, I have made the decisions of creating plans to accomplish my goals of making honors and AP classes, getting out of my shell, and being somebody.

Over the years, I have strived to learn and experience as much as possible. My extracurriculars and activities have given me the ability to grow as a person. I have become a better public speaker, which was achieved through my engineering capstone class where my partners and I were tasked with presenting in front of multiple crowds, of different

I make it my duty today, in these short minutes, to disrupt briefly the illusion of our daydreams and to focus our attentions on the reality of the path ahead. As I intend my personal tale to illustrate, the unfolding of life is barely linear, and the trail to the top of our mountains of success is never unobstructed.

I have given a great deal of thought to the next leg of my academic and career journey. As I reflect on the road I've taken to get this far, I realize that I have not only learned a lot there were many late night papers, team projects and plenty of reading I have also grown a great deal on a personal level. I think that the best part of reaching this juncture is the realization that I set a goal and achieved it. It is a good feeling of personal triumph. I know that once my degree is officially completed and conferred it will be an accomplishment that can never be taken away.