TAMIU GEAR UP IV 2015 Essay Contest

Achieving success in my lifetime goals Throughout the course of my life, I have thought well and hard about my future and what I want to achieve. I have set goals for myself academically and in my extracurricular activities and continuously strived hard to achieve them. As I continue to work hard in my extracurricular activities, I have learned new skills that are vital to my success in my future endeavors. In the process, I have developed a passion for academics, helping other individuals in my local community as well as in my extracurricular activities, which has benefitted me greatly as I now hope to aspire towards my future academic and career goals. From a young age, I always envisioned myself reaching a level in my career where I am in a position to give back to the community that fostered my growth. Throughout the course of my life it has always been a dream of mine to give back to my community because I feel indebted to it for raising me to be the person I am today. One of the ways I can show my gratitude by helping the community is through achieving my lifetime goal of owning a business. My entire life I have wished to have my own business and help promote the development of the small town I grew up in. In order for me to achieve such a goal, I would need to use various skills to succeed in the entrepreneurial field: teamwork, determination, discipline, and time management. While having my own business, I would primarily give back to the educational environment that I grew up in. While growing up, I have always wished to have more opportunities in my educational environment. These opportunities are constantly provided to us by Gear up IV.I am a first generation college student, and it has always been a dream of mine to pursue a business education at the University of Texas. Yet, coming from a small community, many students do not see the many opportunities available because of their financial limitations. I believe I can make a difference in my community by providing students with better resources and scholarship opportunities to make their educational dreams reality. During middle school, I joined cross-country, in hopes of finding an activity to use up my spare time. I did this, but at the time I had no idea it would be of key importance to my future. As the years went by, I developed a passion for cross-country, and it continues to be a big part of my life because it has taught me teamwork and determination. While practicing, my teammates always encourage me to not only be better every day, but also continuously contribute to the team. There are a lot of times where I almost gave up, but when I watched my team push forward together it motivated me to continue. My team continues to be one of my greatest motivations when practicing or during a race. It is great to have a team, not only because they encourage and motivate you, but also your team always makes you want to do better than them. Our coach always used to tell us "never let anyone pass you, even your own teammates" we find inspiration within each other and that is what makes us a great team. When I race, I always need the determination to push forward, and my teammates always provide me with the strength I need to keep my head high and push forward no matter what. No matter how far behind I get I will not get discouraged because I know that my teammates will be cheering me on at the finish. Cross-country has taught me teamwork and determination, which are crucial skills that will allow me to succeed in any goals I set for myself. Another key skill I have gained is discipline, which I have learned in my many years of dancing ballet. In ballet, self-discipline is required to be able to maintain correct posture and form. In all my years of dancing ballet the most important thing I learned is correct posture. Incorrect posture can make you look inelegant and uneducated. Having correct posture is important in both ballet and in life because your posture can determine the way people see you. During class, dancers are expected to be silent, while the teacher gives the instructions for combinations, or offers a correction. I have learned from personal experience to be silent during instruction because if you miss out you will be oblivious as to what the rest of the class is doing. To the dancers, discipline is viewed as a commitment to practicing the steps taught as well as structure, rules and etiquette of the ballet class. The strong level of discipline I have acquired through ballet has been a key takeaway that will benefit me as I diligently pursue my lifetime goal.