Reading Not for the Grade

      Middle school and High school English classes revolve around required reading.  Having "x" amount of pages read by "this" date,  it makes it very difficult to read for enjoyment. When I read at my leisure I feel like I have to pay close attention as if I were to be handed a pop quiz at any moment. Also, most of the time the book that is required is boring, they never appeal to me, (besides the classics, those are somewhat enjoyable) making it hard to pay attention.

     Finally, a teacher gets it, Ms. Gagnon, my inspiring iQuest teacher. During one of our in class life lessons she mentions that we, students, should be well read. She doesn't throw a book at us and tells us to have chapters one through seven read by next class. She actually let us individually choose a book that appealed to us which makes reading way better.

     Since I am a Grey's Anatomy fanatic, I figured I should choose a book about trauma and medical things, which is exactly what I did. I went down to Barnes & Nobel went straight to the one case of medical books they had and went to town reading the backs. I found one book, Lights & Sirens by Kevin Grange, that appealed to me. The book is about the life and education of a Paramedic (exactly what I was looking for). I have only read the first few sections but it is fascinating. I know being an EMT is tough but hearing the beginning on all the stuff one has to train for is intense. The goal of this book is to really convey the journey of a Paramedic. So far I am very impressed with the book. It is written in very descriptive detail and thoroughly covers every experience. The personal evaluations and perspective really drives home how realistic the situation is. I hope to read about 3 chapters or sections a week.  I want to take my time and enjoy the book instead of rushing though it and missing the whole purpose of it. It maybe hard not to read it in one sitting because it is so interesting.

Go to Person

On the campus of California High School I try to create strong relationships with teachers, so in the future if I need a letter of rec. or just someone to talk to, that is not a friend or family member, I have one. It is all a matter of having respect and wanting to be respected. Going to class and not participating or just causing a ruckus is pointless. As students, we are at school seven hours a day, five days a week, for about nine months. Making a bad name for yourself on campus doesn't help you in any way. No one wants to be at school, so might as well make the most of it and have some teachers like you. It sounds like a totally lame thing to say but in the real life, out of this little bubble, life is all about connections. You will meet hundreds of people that have a higher position than you and you may need to build some bridges just so you're on their good side. The teachers that I reach out to are the ones that see potential in me and show consideration for their students. 

    

    Elizabeth. Myers, the sports medicine teacher and the athletic trainer on campus, is my mentor,  I respect her as a teacher and she respects me as a student. The position that she holds as an athletic trainer is what I want to be when I'm older. Because we have a similar interest in anatomy and sports medicine, it is easy to talk to her about the things I am going to learn in my internship. She already knows a majority what I am so eager to learn. When I share experiences, since she knows what I'm talking about it will be easier. Her advice will be taken more seriously and hopefully she has some experiences she can share with me. 

 

   I've known Ms. Myers for about a year and a half after she took over the sports medics class. I was in her class last year and this year in advanced sports medicine. We get along pretty well and I value her advice in any situation. In her class, I try to go the extra mile to really understand the material and participate as much as I can. After school I volunteer my time on the sidelines at sports games to experience the actual job of an athletic trainer. Luckily for me I enjoy sports so it isn't that painful. In the iQuest class when we were assigned to find a mentor on campus, Ms. Myers was the first person that came to my mind. I thought to myself, why not have an actual athletic trainer talk to me about the path I want to go down as a physical therapist and athletic trainer. When I talked to her about it she was kind of confused but once I explained it to her she understood and was more than welcome to help. Hopefully over the course of this year having her as a mentor will give me more insight on the career of an athletic trainer. I get the best of both worlds; physical therapy internship with an athletic trainer mentor and sports med class with hours on the side lines. I hope our relationship grows so I can use her as a reference when I interview for my first real job. Even as a high school student it is never a bad idea to create relationships with your teacher, you never know when you are going to need a helping hand in the future.

My Mission

Everyone wants to be successful, each persons perception of success is different but everyone wants to achieve it.  Some may find it in making lots of money, some may find it in traveling, some may find it in changing the world in a major, drastic way. For me and my career in physical therapy and athletic training, I want to be so good in my field that I have patients and athletes personally asking for me. I want to be so helpful that if someone needs help they immediately think of my name. Being an inspiration to children, teenagers, and adults is very important to me in becoming successful. There are thousands of physical therapist but I want to stand out from the crowd, in a a good way. Since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be different and be remembered.

Lots To Do, and Little Time To Do It

    I like to think of my time in high school as a juggling act; sports, work, homework, friends, family, gym, and any other activity you can squeeze in. As I juggle all these things its easy to find your breaking point. Just how much food can you fit on your plate before you spill it all; thats what I like to compare it to. So far I like to think I'm pretty good at managing my time. I do my homework the day it's assigned, even though we have two days to do it (shout out to block schedule). When I come home, as much as I want to, I try not to fall asleep or watch Tv (Grey's Anatomy gets me every time, but how can I say no to McDreamy). When I know I have homework or an assignment it is very hard for me to ignore it. I can relax once I complete my task, it's something weird about me but it helps me turn things in on time. After it is done it feels as if a weight is lifted off my shoulders. Being able to just hang out with out having to worry about a forgotten assignment it the best, or not having to rush around to get home in time to finish what was left incomplete. Work hard now and it'll pay off later. Even in such a minor, temporary scenario, that is what I live by. Hopefully I don't lose this trait in the mist of senioritis and it stays with me to college. Even though my strategy of just pushing though it gets me though most of the time I still need improvement. This year I hope to be able to balance more tasks at a time. For example, once i start something I need to finish it in one sitting and I can only focus on one thing at a time. I need to be able to work on homework then be able to finish my college essay that I started a few weeks back. Back to me finishing things in one sitting, college essays have been the one exception. I am very hopeful as I continue to grow in my life I will manage my time more appropriately. Maybe make more time for my mother and father, instead of going on social media finish the book I started a month ago, even stay an extra half hour at the gym if I have time . Life is too valuable to just waste, like I said work hard now and it'll pay off later. For right now I just hope to achieve working on SAT and college applications a little each day, finish homework, go to work or internship, and take a little time for me, whether it's with my family and friends or just kicking back.

Five people and Five Things

To achieve your dreams it takes more than just pushing yourself; you need people around you for support and to talk about your progress with. Five people that help me achieve my dreams and goals are:

• My Mom-My Mom is the person I see the most outside of school. No matter what I do she always supports me and gives me positive feed back. She's the person that I strive to never let down, I always want her to be proud of me. She has a major impact on my choices and future decisions. 
• My Dad- My  Dad always pushes me to try my hardest and keep my head straight. He wants to see me succeed in life and be someone of importance. With him always down my throat, pushing me to stay focused, it helps me achieve my long term goals.
• Nicole Allport- Nicole is one of my really close friends, out of group of friends she is the person I trust most with advice for future situations. She always seems educated on a broad range of topics and always knows what to say. She just makes me feel good about myself whenever I'm near her. I value her opinion deeply just because shes such a respectable person and well educated.
• Ms. E- As a teacher at Cal High that I've had since I was a sophomore year, Ms. E is someone I can always ask questions to. She sees the best in me and even though she's only a teacher I can tell she wants me to succeed. She always turns bad situations into good and I feel like she understands what it's like to be a student in the 21st century.
• Dave Gold- My old soccer coach is someone I look up to, he is such an admirable man that just he makes me want to succeed in life. He always saw the potential and drive I had in anything that I was doing. Even though I do not play soccer anymore he is the kind of person I could call up and talk about anything with.  

Normally, I do not struggle with procrastination that much, but this year I can feel senioritis coming on, which I need to put a stop to. Major things I have been procrastinating on are:

• Study for my upcoming SAT- My goal is to get into Cal Poly SLO and in order to do that I need to raise my SAT score, which I can't do without studying.
• Finish my University of Oregon application- The only college essay I have to do and I'm barely finishing that.
• Dishes- Speaking of which I need to do now.
• Typing my AP gov project- I have everything written out I'm just having a hard time making the finishing touches.
• Starting a High School Scrapbook- Just something recreational I want to start but can't find the time.

This is Just the Beginning...

    Since I was in middle school I have had an idea of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, become a physical therapist. I started playing soccer in the seventh grade where my passion would soon begin. My knees began to dislocate temporarily when I would plant and twist, and sometimes lock in a flexed position if I were to fall on them. A major inconvenience for a young girl just trying to be great at a sport. After my knees popped out the first few times, I went to the doctor; because that is not normal for knees to dislocate. Luckily, a major injury that needed surgery was out of the question, the doctors just told me I needed to strengthen the muscles around my knees (i.e. hamstrings and quadriceps) to prevent dislocation from occurring. They prescribed wearing a brace, icing for the pain, and physical therapy which I had to attend several days a week. As soon as I began my physical training my passion for the profession grew. I loved watching myself and others in the clinic become stronger and recover from injuries. Every session seemed like a struggle but when I came back, I was a little stronger. The other patients receiving treatment felt the same way, you can see it in their eyes as they finished their last set of squats or lateral arm raises. The clinic was a place for hope and determination, which immediately lured me in. I would look forward to going to physical therapy so I could learn more stretches and exercises as well as seeing improvement in myself and others. When my treatment stopped, my passion never did. I would always watch in fascination as my soccer coach would wrap a teammates ankle or if an athletic trainer needed to rush the field to attend to an injury, I was always so curious as to what the protocol was. I wanted to make treatment plans and make athletes, or people in general, stronger then they were before an injury. I wanted to help others, to show them to push themselves so they can be better, watching that success of others and taking part in it is my dream.

     My junior year of high school I took sports medicine and honors anatomy and physiology. To some people it was just another class, but to me I wanted to excel in the class and understand the material, I was determined to learn everything I could about these courses. Now as senior year begins to roll around,  new challenges and opportunities emerge. I was lucky enough to be selected as an physical therapist intern at the San Ramon Regional Hospital. I am beyond excited and nervous to see what this course has in store for me. With the help of iQuest and Advanced Sports Medicine I can submerge myself deeper in the career I want to pursue in and out of college. Senior year will be full of new opportunities and chances to show how passionate I am about physical therapy. I hope to learn everyday and to never slack in school, even though finding motivation will be hard. As I push through my last year in high school I will still find time for family and friends, always keeping a smile, and motivating class mates. With all my extra energy, Trevor Koehne, a friend, and myself will be the new MCs for all school events in leadership.  On top of that, I will be continuing working as a barista at Starbucks. It seems I have a lot on my plate senior year, but I am going to make it one to remember. Staying focused will be a challenge but being able to do what I love is worth the price.