My Commitment to My Community “I’ve learned you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.” – Maya Angelou I have lived by this quote for as long as I can remember. The meaning of the quote is not always to hold on to what life has given you, but to give your hand to others because it is a privilege to be able to give back. The impact it has had on me and my commitment to my community has inspired me to give back to less fortunate people than me. My friends often ask me why I spend most of my weekends volunteering and not having fun with them. I always give them the same answer “This is what God put me on earth to do, so I am going to do it to the best of my abilities.” I’m Nicholas Herod and I pride myself on community service, volunteerism, and philanthropy. Throughout my high school career, I have completed over 700 volunteer service hours that include, delivering food through Meals on Wheels, packaging meals with Feed My Starving Children, making sandwiches through TangoTab, PB & Joy Project, donating coats through One Man’s Treasure, and participating in Back-to-School drives donating backpacks, school supplies, and books through the NAACP Garland Branch. I have found that volunteering is a great way to meet new people and leave long-lasting impressions on others. I find gratitude in servicing others and I enjoy rolling up my sleeves on many weekends during the school year to donate my time, treasure, and talents. I realize that not everyone in life is dealt the same hand, so I try to give people hope that there is a chance for them to one day get out of the situation they are in. Not a single day goes by where I don’t take the opportunity to do something for someone else even if it is simply holding the door open for people behind me or picking up trash so it doesn’t become someone else’s job. Too often I see people who have the means and time to give to their community but don’t, so I try to lead by example in my community and dedicate myself to helping the community get 1% better every day any chance I get. My goal in life is to become a Rehabilitation Physician. When I broke my leg in the 8th grade, my Physical Therapist made an impression on me the way she cared for my well being and it fueled me to want to do something like that in my life. When I get the opportunity to work with kids and offer home care physical therapy, that is the direction I would like to pursue after school. This would allow me the ability to not only help kids get back on their feet, but also set an example for them as they are progressing their school age years.

“When you go through a tragedy, you can either let that destroy you and you become bitter and never let it go, or you can let it make you stronger and let it make you grow”-Evanescence. Nobody invites tragedy into their lives, but it happens to all mankind. The devastation it has on people has the ability to affect someone for a lifetime. The connection between physical and mental rehabilitation after a tragedy is converse. In 7th and 9th grade I broke my knee while playing basketball, and on May 6th, 2023 I was working at the Allen Outlets during the tragic mass shooting. I was able to develop ways to become a stronger and more aware person than I was before these events took place. However, there were obstacles I had to get through in order to complete my healing process. There were days when I felt alone because nobody in my family had ever experienced either an injury or a mass shooting. During my physical and mental recovery from both my leg injuries and the mass shooting, there were times when I felt hopeless. In order to overcome my physical setback, I made the choice to go into physical therapy twice a week in order to return stronger than I was before my injury. Doing this developed a work ethic that I have been able to retain since my first injury back in 7th grade. There was a mental hoop I had to jump through before I was ready to fully trust my body with physical movement and contact. The same thing happened after the shooting because I had to get mentally ready to go back to work before I even attempted to drive there. After the shooting, I learned how to overcome depression, anxiety, and paranoia to find my way back to the person I was before these events. I have learned many things about myself that have helped me cope with mental setbacks. I have learned to train my body to learn how to breathe so my heart rate doesn’t accelerate. There have been times when certain sounds have triggered PTSD and I have been able to teach my body to focus only on what is in front of me when I hear these sounds. There used to be times when I would shut everyone out of my situation, but now I know that the people in my life are there to help me rather than hurt me. They have instilled in me that it is valuable in life to express whatever issues are troubling me but at the same time take a moment by myself to reflect on the situation that way it doesn’t stay in my mind for too long. At the end of the entire cycle of recovery, I was able to grow into a stronger person than I was before the events happened. Now I understand the steps that work for me and lead to the most effective recovery. I am no longer lost because I was able to choose the person I am now through my personal improvement. During my improvement, I learned a key factor in my recovery, situational awareness, the ability to recognize that a tragedy has occurred, and how to overcome any hardships that it may present. Reflecting on the dichotomy of the quote, it is clear that I did not become bitter, and I was able to grow exponentially after these events. The Therapists that worked with me inspired me to pursue this field. I realized I have a story and I could potentially help someone fully realize THEIR potential as they rehabilitate back to full health. My mom is another source of inspiration. She is the "pusher" of the family. She doesn't see a ceiling for my sister and me. She always tells us we can do whatever it is we want, but make sure you are passionate about it or else you will not be happy in life.