Personal Narrative: The Horse Woman

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.

When most people hear my full name , “Joann Botani," they automatically assume I'm Italian, but truth is I am actually Middle Eastern. From what I know my dad does have a little Italian in his blood but the name “Botani” actually comes from a city in Turkey. I come from an upper-middle class house hold and I have two younger siblings, a brother and a sister. Being the oldest has its challenges because there is so much expected from me whether it is school, work or social life. I tend to think my younger siblings have it easier because I am the one who pushes the boundaries with my parents and because of that my siblings usually get to do what ever the want because it is not as extreme as what I do. It has always been easy for my younger sister because she is the “princess” of the house but I am my dad’s favorite while my brother is a momma’s boy. My family is very competitive when it comes to school and grades, my little brother and I were always duking it out

Some people think of them as animals. Some people think of them as objects. Some people think of them as friends. Then there are the few who think of them as family. Horses have always been like family to humans, except sometimes closer. There are many benefits to owning or being around horses. They come in many different colors. There is a multitude of breeds, also. Additionally, they have a long history with humans. Horses have unique behaviors. Showing horses has been the past-time or even career of many people. Furthermore, caring for horses can be a handful, but is definitely rewarding. Finally, riding horses is not just a hobby or a sport, but an action of your heart. Horses are wondrous creatures that have lived with man or

On the night of December 19th, 2003, a baby is born. Her mom’s a social worker, her dad’s a nephrologist, and she has one older sister. Her name is Sophia Galoustian, although later she will wish to be called Sophie. After two years of living in Maine, the family moves to California, where Sophie will grow up.I am Sophia Galoustian, and this is part of who I am.

Everybody’s eyes were on me as if I was the only living thing for miles. Silence filled the air of the huge coliseum, so quiet that you could hear breathes of each individual. There were hundreds of people sitting in the stands. Even better there were thousands of people watching on the live web cam. It was a cool October morning, and the sun was shining brightly. I woke up and could hear the birds chirping, like they were sending me a sign that it was going to be a great day. The sun was not strong enough to beat the brisk air which was blowing. I had not slept well that night, nor any night that week actually. After all I was about to be showing at the largest single breed horse show in the world, the Quarter Horse Congress. I had been practicing that entire year for this very moment. I literally suffered through blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing in the entire world could stop me at this point. Even if there was a zombie apocalypse, I would slay them all just to have this very

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t think you could do it? Well I have many times and I’m going to write about a time during Rodeo when I didn’t think I was going to be able to do well in goat tying.

My mother purchased a saddle for me before I was born. She knew I would be a cowgirl who loved horses, like herself. But what she did not know is that my love of horses would develop into something much greater. My past, present, and future endeavors have all been in pursuance of my goal: to be an equine veterinarian.

My favorite memory with my horse Shadow is when we qualified for state. It was really exciting to go down to the state fair and ride in the coliseum. The first year we went down to the state fair it wasn't the best year since it was our first time. This year we did much better and even got a ribbon. It's fun to do 4-H with my horse because I can ride them and compete. Last year my mom got a new horse named Tanner. Tanner was mom's shooting horse and mom said I couldn't ride him. When I started riding Tanner I wanted him to become my game horse like Shadow. When my mom had her accident at Two Harbours she couldn't ride anymore. Since then, Tanner has become my horse and I am working on training him to become become a game horse. I don't know what I would do without my horses. My mom said that when I got home from China and we got to the house, my mom went out to see one of her horses. I was little when we were there and I reached out and touched the horse. Since then I have had a connection with the

Doing something new can be terrifying and freighting. The hardest thing that I’ve had trouble with is doing things in front of people. When onlookers stare at me it makes me feel awkward. The summer of two thousand and eleven, I made the volleyball team at Covington High School so, that meant this would put me in front of a lot of people. My team name was The Lady Lions. The Lady Lions and I have practiced all summer long for our first game. Unfortunately the first Monday of school was my first game. Monday’s arrival at school came fast! The game was at the end of the school day but, the more I thought about it the more nervous it was. This was a new situation for me because I’ve never been in front of a crowd that big.

I was born in the Dominican Republic my parents named me Maria Esther, with many associate to be spanish but the true is originated from Hebrew. I'm 22 years old and too mature for my age. I'm the older of five kids, between my baby sister are 7 years apart, with made me to be responsible and not able to feel classes or choose to do wild and crazy things . growing up my family movie five time alway in urban area. My siblings and I grow up with many friends in different places. My sister and I attend private school until our 8 and 7 years old we started at the age of 2. I grow up in a catholic family, but I always was to curious at early age I started studying others religion what lead me to change my religion domination. My skin color is light brown. When people see me for

We flew down the bumpy trails with dust in our face. Maria took Rachel and I four-wheeling with some friends. It was two o’clock in the morning and my mom didn't know where we were. Maria Tormanen is my older sister. Maria has a positive influence on me because she is always pushing me out of my comfort zone. She supports me in what i do and she goes after her dreams, I admire that.

Mrs. Sofia is a 46-year-old Hispanic female. Mrs. Sofia moved to the United States six months ago from the Dominican Republic. She moved with her family to Connecticut to better their lives and for greater job opportunities. Mrs. Sofia works at the local high school as a housekeeper. Mrs. Sofia is happily married with two daughters, one son, and she lives with her parents. Mrs. Sofia is very close with her family. Mrs. Sofia stated, “My family is the biggest part of my life and support system”. Mrs. Sofia’s primary language is Spanish, but can speak some English. Mrs. Sofia and her family believe in folk remedies in times of illness. In time of sickness, she uses herbs to help cure the illness. Since Mrs. Sofia is a immigrant from the Dominican Republic she was not able to receive the same type of health care that a typical American would have.

As high school freshmen, most kids do not get very excited about walking into their College Preparatory Biology class, but I sure did! Everyday I looked forward to Mrs. Wilson's 3rd period biology lesson because she never disappointed. Mrs. Wilson was a special kind of teacher, she was the type to turn boring lectures into a captivating learning tale and had the gift of making tests enjoyable with her creative illustrations. Yes, you read that right, I enjoyed her tests. One day, Mrs. Wilson presented us with a demanding project; “Okay class, I am challenging you to create the BEST “Bunnimoose.” she announced. As we sat there with puzzled faces, she went further into explanation.

Jane and I grew up in grade school together. She was in the class ahead of me, but her and I were still friends. My father was into politics and involved himself in whatever he could with Jane's dad. Since our fathers were away quite often, we would spend a lot of time together. Since Jane didn't have a mother, my mother would often include Jane in whatever my sisters and I were doing. We would have great talks together talking about what we wanted to do when we grew up. Even though neither one of us knew what we wanted to do, Jane was someone that always had the biggest heart for helping people. She was always talking about the stories her father told her about President Lincoln, and even though she didn't know how, she knew she wanted to be someone to make change like he did.

“Hey, terrorist,” a boy called out to me from across the classroom, drawing laughter from his friends. I pretended not to hear and stared into my book. It was a typical day in my life growing up as a first-generation American attending public school in a poor Bronx neighborhood. Being one of the few Indian kids there, I was relentlessly picked on. My school was desperately underfunded where teachers often spent their own money on supplies.