Sometimes the hardest decisions we are forced to make are the ones that develop us into the best form of ourselves and strengthen us. Last year, after working on my mental health religiously, I had a panic attack at the state meet and dropped out. Suddenly, it felt like my world came crashing down, and my heart was being shattered. It felt like I did not have the mental strength to come back. I did not know how I would explain it to people, and I was terrified of what was being said behind my back. During that time, I had the best people in my corner, they let me cry on their shoulders, prayed with me, checked on me, told me tomorrow would be better, and that I would come back stronger. As so much truth was being spoken into my life, so much hate and animosity was also being spoken over me. It hurt, people were in positions of power who spoke negativity to me all season. It was so challenging to weed out the negativity and the lies and focus on the truth. My mentor talked to me extensively about who was in my corner and whose voice had the right to have sway in my life. All summer I healed, journaled, and fought through a lot of internal demons in the form of words of others coming back and derailing my mental health. I was then met with the decision of whether or not I would run for the cross-country team without my dad as an assistant coach. My dad has been a crucial player in my running since seventh grade, and I fully trust him with my training. I would be going into my senior year, without my dad (support system), without my old training that works, and trying to fight for my main goal of the season, to run and be mentally healthy. Unfortunately, that goal was not supported by the team, and I made the decision to leave the team. Teammates felt hurt, but I wanted to be mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically healthy, and based on the way track season went, I did not believe that would happen. I had multiple people tell me that I was a weak person, and this decision would cause me to fail in college; however, this decision is actually the very decision that I am being complimented for. I am now being told how impressed people are by the strength that it took to do what was best for my mental health. I now know that sometimes the best decision for a person is not always the conventional or seemingly obvious decision. People are used to complying and putting up with toxicity under the assumption that it will make them stronger. In reality, I now see it in the opposite light. It takes a lot of strength to trust yourself and the people in your corner and make the decision to change without the guarantee it will go well. That decision has developed so much self-confidence and self-belief. It has taught me the importance of knowing when enough is enough and when it is time to leave. I do believe that there are instances where one should persevere, but I also believe that everyone should protect themselves and have the self-respect to not put themself in a position where they know it will not be healthy. One should not stay in a situation just because it is all they know. There could be much better mental health on the other side of a decision to leave.

Sports, while immensely enjoyable, often push us to our limits and force us to grow in ways we never asked for or imagined. Through my track and cross country career, I have battled both a broken heart and broken bones, I have fought through mental and physical stressors, and picked myself up off the ground multiple times, both literally and figuratively. Through it all, one decision encompassed the growth, challenges, and lessons I learned throughout my career. This fall, I made the very difficult decision to not compete for my high school in cross country so that I could pursue my goals on a national level and prepare myself for NCAA D1 athletics. It was a decision that carried many risks and it has been difficult to not be part of the cross-country community that I have enjoyed the last 5 years. However, in light of what I have learned from my teachers and coaches, along with the counsel of those in my inner circle, I must keep dreaming big and making decisions to reach my highest potential. My decision was met with extreme negativity from some. I was told that I was weak, unprepared, and sure to fail. I was told that I would regret this decision for the rest of my life. In reality, I see it in the opposite light. It takes a lot of strength to trust yourself and make the decision to change without the guarantee that it will go well. That decision has developed so much self-confidence and self-belief. It has taught me the importance of thinking outside the box in order to pursue higher aspirations. I do believe that there are instances where one should persevere through their current circumstances, but I also believe that everyone should protect themselves and have the self-respect to not put themself in a position where they know it will not be healthy. One should not stay in a situation just because it is all they know. There could be something so much better on the other side of a decision to change. This decision led to leadership growth in ways I had not imagined. The girls around my league that I have mentored are amazed at my self-confidence and motivated to make decisions to protect themselves in the same way. My leadership may have changed in that I am no longer in the league, however, leaders inspire, and I have inspired other girls to do what is right for their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. In conclusion, from an 8th grader who villainized my competition to an extroverted senior who gets excited for meets because she can see her friends, running has taught me that it is so important to not only keep yourself healthy but also to look after the interests of others. Running has taught me how important it is to collaborate and care. Sports have taught me how caring for others and building friendships brings equally as much joy as winning and running fast. It has shown me that ultimately, the medals will rust, but the people that God has put in my life will remember the way I treat them and the advice I give them. He continually shows me that the treasures on earth will indeed fade away, but the treasure that I store up in heaven becomes part of an inheritance that I could never imagine.

Coaches like David Sutton can profoundly impact athletes' lives and change the trajectory of not only their athletic careers but also their lives. My coach/mentor, Elise, has been a major part of my life since a major injury during my freshman year. Since my freshman year, I have battled a lot of adversity, passing out, being hospitalized, panic attacks, perfectionism, and fear of failure. Through it all, Elise has shown constant empathy and taught me the power of my thoughts. Elise has been extremely inspirational to me because, in an Olympic year, she switched coaches twice because she wanted to find her love of running again. It's something that I can relate to because, I too, left my high school coach in search of joy and confidence in running. I do not think I would have had the confidence to make that decision if it were not for her. Elise encouraged me to run with joy and confidence because that is what really matters in the long run. She exemplifies the advice that she gives in her own life and training. Elise truly practices what she preaches. She is one of the most humble people I have ever talked to. Elise also is very intentional about keeping in touch with the girls she mentors and truly cares that they are as successful as possible. Through the ups and the downs, the times when I call crying, she has shown me the impact that coaches can have on a life. During freshman year I struggled with fueling my body enough, Elise taught me that my body would perform at the highest level when it was strong and well-fed. Sophomore year I passed out during a race and was hospitalized, Elise was who I contacted lying in the hospital room. Junior year I struggled with my self-talk which led to perfectionism and fear of failure, she taught me to control the way in which I talked to myself. This year, I made a major decision to pursue my health and she was one of the few people to support it because she understood what I had been through and what I needed to be my healthiest self. David Sutton was an example to his athletes of drive, heart, humor, perseverance, and support. As I move into college and start my life outside of high school, one of my goals is to be a coach. While I have had good and bad coaches, both have left a mark on me. As an influential member of our league, I have already started mentoring my fellow competitors. I often check in on how training is going for them and give suggestions for the body and also for the mind. It brings me such joy when they are successful! I strive to exhibit to them that running is meant to be fun, often when you see me doing a workout or a run, I will be laughing or cracking a joke, and during the fall sprinting aimlessly around the road trying to catch falling leaves. I share my struggles with my competitors to encourage them to also persevere through their own adversity. I truly believe that collaboration is the key to unlocking greater athletic feats, so I support my competitors. I hope that one day when I am a coach, my athletes remember me as a person who truly cares about them and their success. I hope that they feel that I am a trusted confidant and can help them grow in multiple areas of their lives, much like David is remembered by his athletes.

I am a fan of Lebron James because of the way he has elevated the game of basketball. He exhibits leadership not only on the court but also in his family as we now see his son also playing with him on the Lakers team. His leadership on the court is exemplified by the NBA 4 MVP awards and the 4 national titles on 3 separate teams showing his adaptability and flexibility. I believe that he is in the greatest age of basketball players of all time, and he is still shining brighter than his competitors. In a game where points are the means to winning the game, Lebron has the most of any player ever. He has 40,627 points at the time of this essay's writing. He and Bronny also combine to have the most points ever of a father-son duo. Lebron James has won 3 gold medals at the Olympics for Team USA and was even the flag bearer (along with Coco Gauff) at the most recent Paris 2024 Olympics. This shows not only the respect that his fellow basketball players have for him but also the respect that athletes from all areas of athletics possess toward him.

The benefits and support writing has provided for me during my high school years are truly priceless. From a freshman who wrote to provide an outlet for her anger, to a senior who journals daily, writing has opened up my mind to a healthy way to process the emotions and experiences of high school drama that is unfortunately always present no matter how hard I try to avoid it. I remember vividly the first time writing my thoughts on paper had a profound impact on me. I was 14 years old and I had four broken bones in my foot due to running too much during cross-country season. I remember being extremely angry that people I trusted would run me so much that my dreams would come crashing down because of overtraining. Per the encouragement of my parents, I wrote a letter to my coaches, expressing my hurt and frustration. I sobbed as I put the words on paper, but as I was expressing myself through writing, I started the road to healing, mentally, physically, and emotionally. It was as if I was releasing my pent-up feelings I could feel anger, bitterness, and hurt releasing their grip on my soul. Though I never gave that letter to my coaches, I still healed and proceeded to have the best relationship with them because I let go of my pent-up emotions. Without writing that letter, healing would not have been possible. You would think that after that helped me heal so immensely, I would have written routinely, but unfortunately, I did not. I did not start until my mentor encouraged me to journal at the beginning of my junior year. When I started, at first it was challenging to articulate myself, but I quickly progressed and began to look forward to it on a daily basis. As a high-achieving overthinker, I began to fall asleep faster and I felt like my mind was under control when I went to bed every night. While some people love to make their journaling artistic and aesthetic, mine was raw and brutally honest, but that is what gave me closure on many challenging situations in my life. I began to journal personal affirmation, what I learned, what I felt, and what I was thankful for, and in doing this, I felt so much more free. I love writing because it has been so instrumental in freeing myself from the bondage of fear, anxiety, overthinking, and stress. As I enter a season of life so full of change, I know that if I continue to journal, I will be able to process the stress and worry of a new season. I truly believe that it will be instrumental in me keeping my sanity while participating in a division one sport and pursuing a career in veterinary science. It will allow me to make sense of my everchanging world in order that I may be the person I am created to be.

My primary educational goal is to be educated about the world around me to aid in making a lasting impact through using my career as a future veterinarian. I strive to impact the world of food security by using my knowledge and skill set to send bovine animals as well as embryos to third-world countries in which I have been working with my family in, for the last 7 summers. By sending animals that produce meat and milk and by teaching the recipients of the animals how to care for them in hopes that it will stabilize food security starting in communities and expanding to entire countries. I endeavor to make this vision a reality by participating in research with my professors while in college and devoting myself to my schoolwork to receive the highest possible GPA and acceptance into veterinary college where I will work to make what I learn in the classroom applicable on a day to day basis in the United States and overseas. This fall, I made the very difficult decision to not compete for my high school in cross country so that I could pursue my goals on a national level and prepare myself for NCAA D1 athletics. It was a decision that carried many risks and it has been difficult to not be part of the cross-country community that I have enjoyed the last 5 years. However, in light of what I have learned from my teachers and coaches, along with the counsel of those in my inner circle, I must keep dreaming big and making decisions to reach my highest potential. My decision was met with extreme negativity from some. I was told that I was weak, unprepared, sure to fail, and would regret this decision for the rest of my life. In reality, I see it in the opposite light. It takes a lot of strength to trust yourself and make the decision to change without the guarantee that it will go well. That decision has developed self-confidence and self-belief. It has taught me the importance of thinking outside the box to pursue higher aspirations. I believe that there are instances where one should persevere through their circumstances, but I also believe that everyone should protect themselves and have the self-respect to not put themself in a position where they know it will not be healthy. One should not stay in a situation just because it is all they know. There could be something much better on the other side of a decision to change. This decision led to leadership growth in ways I had not imagined. The girls around my league that I have mentored are amazed at my self-confidence and motivated to make decisions to protect themselves like I did. We live in a world in which quality leaders are needed. I truly believe the confidence and leadership I have developed will serve me well as I compete in D1 athletics and work toward my goal of becoming a veterinarian.

Often we do not know what we have until we see others without. Growing up, my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles taught me how to garden, canned meat, jam, jelly, and vegetables, make apple cider, applesauce, and freezer corn. In addition, as the daughter, granddaughter, and niece of veterinarians, I was educated from a young age on carbon-friendly practices when managing all types of animals. This year, I am taking the AP Environmental Science class offered at my school. In this class, we are learning sustainable, eco-friendly practices, that I had previously assumed were well-known to all in our extremely rural community. I was wrong, many of my peers were not familiar with practices to make sustainable food. The class has elicited so much gratitude toward my family for teaching me how to take care of the earth. In addition to learning from my class and family, I also participate in the Environmental Science Club which competes in the Envirothon yearly. The preparation for the competition taught me how interconnected the earth is. It has taught me how one can determine the health of the creek by monitoring the macroinvertebrates present in it. It has taught me sustainable forestry practices and steps to prevent erosion. I am humbled by my immense privilege to have people in my life who care about the earth and are endowing the knowledge that they possess to the next generation. I often think of my great grandma who raised her younger siblings after her mother died when she was only fourteen. She lived in Kentucky at the time, money was scarce and there were many mouths to feed. To put food on the table, she fed her family through her garden. She taught my grandmother and mother food preservation and how to take care of the soil, and to this day, though she is in her upper 80s, she has one of the prettiest and most productive gardens I have ever seen. I live in a very rural area in which people have always deeply cared about the land and reducing their carbon footprint. As more and more suggestions for sustainable practices enter the mainstream, I have a model to follow. Whether it is planting trees in biology class or hand-picking sweet corn with my siblings, I work every day to preserve the land so my children and grandchildren can enjoy it the way that I have. Now, as I move toward college and a career in veterinary science, I am aware of how important it is to continue to use sustainable practices in my gardening, harvesting, and cooking and by mindfully reducing my carbon footprint.

This fall, I made the very difficult decision to not compete for my high school in cross country so that I could pursue my goals on a national level and prepare myself for NCAA D1 athletics. It was a decision that carried many risks and it has been difficult to not be part of the cross-country community that I have enjoyed the last 5 years. However, in light of what I have learned from my teachers and coaches, along with the counsel of those in my inner circle, I must keep dreaming big and making decisions to reach my highest potential. My decision was met with extreme negativity from some. I was told that I was weak, unprepared, and sure to fail. I was told that I would regret this decision for the rest of my life. In reality, I see it in the opposite light. It takes a lot of strength to trust yourself and make the decision to change without the guarantee that it will go well. That decision has developed so much self-confidence and self-belief. It has taught me the importance of thinking outside the box in order to pursue higher aspirations. I do believe that there are instances where one should persevere through their current circumstances, but I also believe that everyone should protect themselves and have the self-respect to not put themself in a position where they know it will not be healthy. One should not stay in a situation just because it is all they know. There could be something so much better on the other side of a decision to change. This decision led to leadership growth in ways I had not imagined. The girls around my league that I have mentored are amazed at my self-confidence and motivated to make decisions to protect themselves in the same way. My leadership may have changed in that I am no longer in the league, however, leaders inspire, and I have inspired other girls to do what is right for their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. We live in a world in which quality leaders are needed, and I truly believe the confidence I have developed will serve me well as I compete in D1 athletics and work toward my goal of becoming a veterinarian. My primary educational goal is to be educated about the world around me to aid in making a lasting impact through using my career as a future veterinarian. I strive to impact the world of food security by using my knowledge and skill set to send bovine animals as well as embryos to third-world countries in which I have been working with my family in, for the last 7 summers. By sending animals that produce meat and milk and by teaching the recipients of the animals how to care for them in hopes that it will stabilize food security starting in communities and expanding to entire countries. I endeavor to make this vision a reality by participating in research with my professors while in college and devoting myself to my schoolwork to receive the highest possible GPA and acceptance into a veterinary college where I will work to make what I learn in the classroom applicable on a day to day basis in the United States and overseas. Without sports, I would not have learned what it meant to be passionate about a cause or how important it is to strive to make the world a better place. Without sports, I never would have learned leadership, confidence, perseverance, and self-respect, all of which are requisites for my future aspirations.

Personal development is something that I believe people should strive for every day of their life no matter their age. However, I would say that the most significant boost in my journey in personal development came in the last two months and in a very unexpected fashion. While I have always been academically and athletically successful, those types of success do not necessarily breed confidence in character, trust, and belief in yourself the way that adversity does. This fall, I made the very difficult decision to not compete for my high school in cross country so that I could pursue my goals on a national level and prepare myself for NCAA D1 athletics. It was a decision that carried a lot of risks and it has been very difficult to not be part of the cross-country community that I have enjoyed the last 5 years. However, in light of what I have learned from my teachers and coaches, along with the counsel of those in my inner circle, I must keep dreaming big and making decisions to reach my highest potential. My goals are not one-dimensional and are not confined to my county, my state, or my school. My decision was met with extreme negativity from some. I was told that I was weak, unprepared, and sure to fail. I was told that I would regret this decision for the rest of my life. In reality, I see it in the opposite light. It takes a lot of strength to trust yourself and make the decision to change without the guarantee that it will go well. That decision has developed so much self-confidence and self-belief. It has taught me the importance of thinking outside the box in order to pursue higher aspirations. I do believe that there are instances where one should persevere through their current circumstances, but I also believe that everyone should protect themselves and have the self-respect to not put themself in a position where they know it will not be healthy. One should not stay in a situation just because it is all they know. There could be something so much better on the other side of a decision to change. This decision led to personal growth especially in my leadership in ways I had not imagined. The girls around my league that I have mentored are amazed at my self-confidence and motivated to make decisions to protect themselves in the same way. Leaders are people willing to go against norms. My leadership may have changed in that I am no longer in the league, however, leaders inspire, and I have inspired other girls to do what is right for their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. We live in a world in which quality leaders who self-evaluate are needed, and I truly believe the personal development skills I have developed will serve me well as I compete in D1 athletics and work toward my goal of becoming a veterinarian. This decision, and my noticeable growth, have pushed me to continue to evaluate the ways in which I live on a daily basis. Every situation is an opportunity to develop yourself more. I make it my goal, whatever the situation, to learn from it, because, failure only occurs when an opportunity to learn and improve is ignored.

My favorite athlete to cheer for is Elise Cranny who completed in the 5000 meter race. I had the opportunity to meet her and she has mentored me through Voice In Sport. Not only is she an amazing athlete, but she is an outstanding mentor who has helped me in my own journey in athletics. Elise is a dedicated advocate for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports, I had the opportunity to connect with her when I was struggling with RED-S. She cares deeply about the next generation and their success. She has been incredibly successful on the track, as she is the indoor 5k American record holder, the 4 x mile world record holder, the outdoor 3k record holder, the 4x national champion, and the American national outdoor record holder in the 3k. She has been extremely inspirational to me because, in an Olympic year, she switched coaches twice because she wanted to find her love of running again. It's something that I can relate to because, I too, left my coach in search of joy and confidence in running. I do not think I would have had the confidence to make that decision if it were not for Elise. She encouraged me to run with joy and confidence because that is what really matters in the long run. She exemplifies the advice that she gives in her own life and training. She truly practices what she preaches. Elise is one of the most humble people I have ever talked to. She also is very intentional about keeping in touch with the girls she mentors and truly cares that they be as successful as possible. In a world where there are many athletes to root for, Elise inspires me because of her character and service on and off the track. Without her mentorship and inspiration, I would not be half as healthy and successful as I am today. She taught me how to love running, how to take care of my body, and how to run with joy and confidence. That is why there is no other Team USA athlete I would rather cheer for!

My primary educational goal is to be educated about the world around me to aid in making a lasting impact through using my career as a future veterinarian. I strive to impact the world of food security by using my knowledge and skill set to send bovine animals as well as embryos to third-world countries in which I have been working with my family in, for the last 7 summers. By sending animals that produce meat and milk and by teaching the recipients of the animals how to care for them in hopes that it will stabilize food security starting in communities and expanding to entire countries. I endeavor to make this vision a reality by participating in research with my professors while in college and devoting myself to my schoolwork to receive the highest possible GPA and acceptance into a veterinary college where I will work to make what I learn in the classroom applicable on a day to day basis in the United States and overseas.