Reflection Paper

I am a runner. One who strives for greatness at every moment and doesn’t give in when things get tough. I have aspirations, dreams, and goals which I will stop at nothing to achieve. Unfortunately for me, the life of a runner is filled with challenges and setbacks and only the best will learn to push through the adversity. My defining moment was the summer before my Junior year, 2016. I had set the goal of becoming All-State in Cross Country, meaning placing in the top 25 of all the runners in the state meet. This is, of course, a prestigious title to have, but I had faith in myself. For the first time in my life, I finally understood that preparation is key and if I fail to prepare, I should prepare to fail

Over the course of my high school cross country career, I have made it to state twice and onto varsity my sophomore, junior, and senior year. But those successes did not happen overnight. Sore muscles, blistered feet, and gruesome practices were just a few of the obstacles that challenged me. Furthermore, our team was known

I was born to run. I adore the feeling of aching legs, winded breath, and the absolute joy of knowing I have accomplished something so utterly momentous: winning a race. When I run, I feel strong and vivacious both on the inside and on the outside. Last year, I decided to join the high school cross-country team. I was extremely excited and could not wait for practice to begin, but I was also somewhat nervous. What if I was not talented enough? What if my skills were not competent enough? What if the coaches thought I was just… mediocre? I was so nervous, I began to doubt and feel dubious about my running potentiality.

Between sixth and eighth grades, I tried out for the dance team three times and color guard once. I did not make it onto any of these teams. It baffled me that I could not do it even after six years of dancing. Was I not trying hard enough? This was a rough time for me for I could not comprehend what was happening. However, each time I learned to get back up and work harder. I never did make the dance or Color Guard teams, but my failures set me on my path to finding something that I could do and be proud of. On this path, I found Cross Country. This team did not require a try-out; it was all about gradual improvement. I had never run before, but if my failures taught me anything, it was that I should never give up. My teammates and I pushed

I figured it was healthy to be doing athletics, and I was also able to experience team support—something I’d never really had before—and develop closer friendships. I also enjoyed having the opportunity to shout “Run like the Ringwraiths are after you!” at teammates. That was fun. In addition, as much as I disliked being outswam and outrun, experiencing failure in that way has helped my perspective in a couple ways. Kids that I was stronger than academically, were beating me in every race. It changed the way I saw some of my classmates, and gave me a chance to expand my comfort zone. I was trying something I hadn’t done before, which let me be more comfortable with the idea of trying speech and drama in high school. Thankfully, I am much more talented at speaking and acting than I am at running, and have found those to be much more my interest

I decided to not be sad or hurt and to use that as motivation to help me move forward and become stronger. So I did, I tried my very best in practices and in races, I would look up videos online on how to improve my running. By mid-season, I had improved so much in running that I was put in with the JV and then Varsity team. Just like that quote, I decided to rebel and challenge the disapproval assumption of me failing or not being good

I was well behind the rest of the group, dizzy and dehydrated, never had run three miles before and going well over at this point, I ended up finding my way back before passing out. However, there were no excuses, I had to finish the last mile and a half on the track to complete the day's schedule. I knew after that the season would be tough, and I almost considered quitting. But, I was stubborn and determined to get better. The season carried on and the practices got tougher, six or more miles, extreme weather, tougher terrain, but I persisted getting closer to the varsity runners. My coach saw this and put me in their group to run with them. Despite the difficulty of keeping their pace, I gained more motivation from this. When I tore my hamstring shortly after, the motivation kept me running with the injury, not stopping until I had to be carried to the bus from the finish line of a meet because I couldn't walk anymore. I finished the year on varsity and went through the rest of my freshmen year thinking my senior year I would be a captain on the team.

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

Looking back on this entire course, I’ve learned how to recognize the true value of hard work, and the importance of being the best that you can be instead of always comparing yourself to someone else. To be completely honest, I was quite nervous about grade 9 physical education and did not know what to expect. I have history of being last-pick for a team and was the slowest at Track and Field. I really did not like exercise, in fact, I found it really boring to run in circles for extended periods of time, but also did not like being known as the worst athlete in the class either. Therefore, ever since grade 7, I have been working to become a stronger athlete. My efforts had been weak before I joined cadets in grade 8, which showed me how to enjoy

We all support and motivate each other through the difficult times. About a week into my season, I had still only ran with other eighth graders, but my coach believed I could handle more. After we finished a mile warm up on the track, Couch Rodak began selecting the groups for the workout. “Ward, Grippo, LaSpina…” He then turned towards me with his big blue eyes and mustached face. “Amiaga.” Then marked the first time of working out with varsity runners. I thought I misheard my coach, when he placed me in that group. They would likely drop me in the first mile. He selected us for a five-mile run, but the many hills of Franklin Lakes and Oakland made it feel much longer. We started off at a fairly even pace, but would gradually increase in speed closer to a 7 minute per mile pace. As a newcomer, I felt overwhelmed, but I put my mind to it. Once we got into our second and third mile, I was already gasping for air. However, I locked on to the man in front of me and refused to fall behind. My legs became heavier with every step I took.

Every little girl dreams of the snow-white perfect gown and the day she meets the one who will stand by her side until the day they die. Some may fantasize about all the big milestones they will face throughout their lives like an eagle soaring the skies looking for a good place to settle down and begin living each day as if it could all just vanish in an instant. No one expects the unexpected and some never find the confirmation they seek.

What is life, who sets the rules, who tells us what is right from wrong? One important question I always ask myself, which is my place on this planet earth. A lot of time, as a female that comes from a country that values men more than they value a woman, I feel as though, I am constrained to act a certain way for the fear of being singled out as a bad seed. Even though we all feel that as humans we have the free will to do whatever we want, a lot of times culture and religion might get in our way of freedom and free will. Growing up in a Nigerian home, as a female you don’t have much say in your life or the choices that you make in life. Growing up I always felt like I had no say in my house which was true. A lot of it had to do with the fact that I was a female and most of it had to do with my culture and my role as a female

The school that I work for is Parkview Middle School. Parkview is in Jeffersonville, Indiana and is part of the Greater Clark County School district. Our current school grade for 2017-2018 is a B. Currently our pass rate for ISTEP+ is 62 percent.

In our world today, there are a variety of different techniques used to help students fully understand and be more engaged in a topic. We all have our own interest and opinions that can be based off of how we were raised and even how society can persuade us to believe in things. With such a diverse world, it is not uncommon to have multiple ways in which we prefer to read, write, and comprehend what we are learning. Some of us may take an interest in reading and writing, while others may completely disagree because they feel it’s not meaningful to them or they don’t care enough to take the time to pursue an interest in it.

I have also seen the courage of those who have dedicated their lives to promoting justice and equality and would like to work alongside them. I have helped in various situations ranging from lobbying for the BRIDGE act last year at Senator Wyden’s office to prolong the protection of DACA to showing documentaries for Fields Hall on mass incarceration to raise awareness to simply having a dialogue about human rights. Each of these actions is a step towards justice.