My name is Alex, and I am a senior graduating as Salutatorian from Granger High School, with plans to attend York University in Nebraska to play volleyball and obtain my degree as an athletic trainer. I am a student-athlete, competing in mascot cheerleading, volleyball, and softball along with other extracurricular activities such as: National Honor Society, FCCLA, One Act Play, and the school yearbook design and photography. As you can tell, I have a wide range of interests, but none are as important to me as my family. July 19, 2021 is a day that I will never forget. My mom and dad called me and said they needed to see us kids. It was only me and my oldest sister Miranda at home, as my brother was in boot camp and my other sister was 90 miles away at college. Off to the hospital, my sister and I went, only to find out my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 Kidney Cancer. I was devastated. My larger-than-life dad is my rock and all I could see was him sitting in the hospital bed terrified. My mom, dad, sister, and I all sat and cried for hours. We waited for a room, tried to keep my dad comfortable, and cried some more. August 2, 2021 my dad’s surgery had some complications. It turns out the cancer was more invasive than originally predicted, so additional procedures were needed. I had to believe that my rock was going to be okay. He had to be. I wasn’t ready to let go. I needed him. I had school and volleyball starting, so I buried myself in that. Luckily, teachers and coaches took me under their wings and helped me through this immensely difficult time. I started my junior year, simply trying to do the best I could do. I had multiple panic attacks and severe depression, however, so I had to be medicated and I began therapy. Having an outlet is crucial in such tumultuous times, and between sports, friends, therapists, and my family, I was able to win the battle, knowing the war was still ahead of me. By the end of August, my dad was doing better, but still trying to recover. October and November brought more surgeries, and the Oncologist he was seeing said to “prepare”. In other words, she didn’t think he would make it until the end of the year. As a family, we were once again devastated. December is when my mom fired that doctor and moved my dad’s care to MD Anderson. In January of 2022, my dad was on a treatment that finally seemed to be working. The cancer started shrinking, he was more mobile, and for the first time, we all had hope. Fast forward to today and my dad is still battling. In the meantime, I am spending as much time as possible with family, before heading to college. While he fights this disease, we fight along with him. This summer my dad and I are taking an amazing road trip to Ohio with his old racing buddies, and I cannot wait to hear all the stories of his youth. Most of all, I am excited to share time with my hero, my dad. I learned a great deal about myself and life through this disease. I have balanced stress and anxiety with the opportunity to continue bettering my life. Most of all, I have realized the formidable strength I have within, thanks to my family.

My plan for the future is to get into a college where I can play sports. I want college to be affordable so I don’t put a strain on my parents. My career goals are to become a physical therapist or a job where I can still be around sports. I’m a very competitive and driven person who could never leave the the athletic world. Once I get into college I plan on studying kinesiology along with the basics of anatomy, chemistry, etc. I’d like to understudy an education program so I could be a teacher and/or coach. I plan or starting out with a bachelors but it could change to masters. Some Physical Therapy degrees involve internships and a hands learning course. If that’s the case, I can learn a lot from the program and have “real world” situations under my belt. After college my goal is to get a job at a well known establishment. I want to be able to help athletes get back into their regular groove of things. It feels like a reward when I am able to help someone. My lifelong dream is to become a coach in sports. I couldn’t imagine a better life without my athletic career. It’s saved me from many personal problems, and I want other people to feel the same way.

Half the man by Jennifer heart has influenced me the most. I say this because it talks about a father being the main influence in a daughters life. My dad is very important in my life, he’s always been there for me in my athletic and academic career. I inspire to be most like him, because he is such a good person. He has struggled a lot over the past years due to medical problems, he always says that his family and Jesus are the most important things in his life. He’s pushed me and helped me become the person I am today. I am so grateful for my dad.