Personal Narrative: The Alluring Mead Valley

Me, Ava, Korryn, Ali, Olyvia, Bailey, and Sophie were on the way to valley fair. The loud and crowded car ride was filled with music, laughter and Sophie screaming! We got some drinks and snacks along the way and played pranks on the people that our nanny Bailey went to highschool with. About 2 hours later we were there and waiting in line to get wristbands. When we finally got our wristbands we walked in the gates of Valley Fair.

Humans are animals. Even as developed, personalized, and intelligent as we are, we share a deep connection with every living thing. However, many of the problems in the world result from the human belief that technology is more powerful and can replace the serene, perfect essence of nature. I believe that a connection with nature can heal wounds and help humans find balance in their lives.

This past year, I have been apart of Naperville Central’s brand new Special Spaces club. When my friend approached me and asked me to join, I agreed even though I had no clue what I was involving myself in. In retrospective, I can honestly say that becoming a part of Special Spaces has been one of the most meaningful, fun, and fulfilling experiences I have had in high school.

West Virginia has always been a part of my life, although I am not a resident. When I think of the state the first things that come to mind are college, beauty, and friends. My family has had ties for many years to West Virginia. My mother attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and my relation to the state grew stronger when I chose to attend WVWC. In the past three years I have become enamored with the state and all it has to offer. The pure, wild, beauty of the state is something I will never forget. From orienteering to the top of Spruce Knob with other students in the honor’s program to white water rafting the lower Gauley River with my roommates, I have enjoyed exploring West Virginia. During my time in West Virginia I have learned more

Ever heard of the Appalachian trail, it’s 2,000 miles of wildness stretched of all you see.

The first time I saw you, your smile mesmerized me and your laugh practically incapacitate my organism. Your mysterious eyes so profound that no conceivable mean to decipher the schema that your emotion unveil. The thought of you laughing right now can moisten the Mojave Desert; the echo of your voice is a manifestation equivalent to billions of neurotransmitters flushing into my hypothalamus at the speed of light. It enrages all the serotonin within my anatomy that I didn't know has existed. Now you know. And with silence, you have stolen my heart and every endogenous elements in my body. The thought of you has organically saturate the dopamine which will soon speed to my nuclei--everlastingly in my raphe core. The thought of you like testosterone

Over my spring break I was lucky enough to get to go to Florida with my college baseball team and I got to see one if the most beautiful baseball stadiums in the US, JetBlue Park. I got to watch Florida Gulf Coast take on Florida State at JetBlue Park, which is used as a spring training field for the Boston Red Sox. My initial thought of the field is it’s almost exactly like Fenway Park with the same field layout, the big green monster in left field. Which surprised me because this was only a spring training field, very few games will be played or broadcasted here. This ballpark was unexpectedly nice and an experience I will never forget.

It’s been a long time since I’ve hiked in this canyon. I found reverence in Cliff Canyon form the clear blue stream that extended for miles, jagged cliffs along the side, the wintery crystal white snow that allowed such a picturesque view, and the clear air. In the heat of winter, I expected the weather to be cold but not chilling as it was at the moment. Regrettably, I didn’t think I would need a coat considering, Cliff Canyon is literally in my back yard. As I advanced up the canyon, the weather began to change. It went from being simply dirt cold to cloudy followed by a mild snow shower.

I was enjoying a nice fall day in October 2014 until my dad decided we would move to Incline Village because that where he worked. I’ve been to Incline Village before and I remembered it as a nice fresh place. I was sad because I didn’t want to leave my friends, but I was also really excited to move to a new school. Later that day my dad said, “Start packing your stuff.”

I was three years old standing in front of over two hundred people in my church, about to sing “Go Tell It on The Mountain” for our yearly Christmas extravaganza. I remember being paralyzed with fear and running off stage crying into my mother’s arms. Two years later, I refused to let fear get to me, and I was determined to get back on stage and sing. My five-year-old self was very proud of finally getting to perform my favorite Christmas Hymn, and I fell in love with being able to sing in front of others. If there is one thing that has shaped me who I am today: it would be music.

My heart was thumping heavily, as the bus took a turn towards the mountains. I didn’t know why I had agreed, but it was too late to turn back.

I consider myself a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I spend my days participating in high-risk activities such as riding my bike without a helmet, or guzzling down pop without checking its calorie content, sometimes both at the same time! Aside from my bravery, and a bit of humor, I believe I can most contribute to McMaster and its community by doing what I do best; being me. In a time where the world is trying to make you like everyone else, I can definitely say that I am Nick; the curious, passionate and humorous, Nick. My passion is expressed as my curiosity-driven love for exploration. This compelling force has driven me to many new experiences, including a marine biology field study in Roatan, Honduras. The first step was to earn my

One time when I was little , I was 12 years old. MY friends and me went to a place we called the field. WE would play all kinds of sports there. On that day we was playing baseball. My friend was up to bat my other friend was pitching and I was playing the field along with others. My friend pitched the ball my other friend swung and it was hit foul but that is was where all the houses was. It busted out someone window , we all took off running but we didn’t know the persons neighbor seen the whole thing, and we left the baseball. We all ran to my friends house said we are in big trouble. We was the only kids that played on that field so they knew who it was. An hour or two later the people from the house came to my friends house and the grown ups started talking and finaily they called use outside and asked if we had broken the window all of us with out an hesitation and said no.

I grew up in a town called Happy Valley, located just outside of Portland, Oregon. A lot of people from outside of town look at the name and make some sort of joke, like "Is everyone happy there or something?" While it's impossible for there to be a place where absolutely everyone is happy, Happy Valley really had nothing wrong with it, and judging by its absence of negative attributes, I would consider it a decently happy valley. Oregon in general is a beautiful place, with a lot of lush greenery and fairly good weather, and Happy Valley was obviously no exception to Oregon's splendor.

Being someone who really enjoys hiking, I found this piece extremely relatable, providing the perfect words for what I feel on top of a mountain. In the first paragraph, Petrarch writes, “My only motive was the wish to see what so great an elevation had to offer. I have had the expedition in mind for many years; for, as you know, I have lived in this region from infancy…” which I found extremely interesting, and after really thinking about it, I think it’s a feeling everyone who hikes feels. I’ve lived in Maine for my entire life, and while I’ve seen a majority of the area from the ground, it’s a whole new town, whole new world, when you see it from a higher evolution. I remember the first time I hiked Bald Mountain in Weld, Maine; I was at