Myself

My most coveted belief is a selfish one. I believe in myself. I have always been disciplined and when I set a goal I intend to see it through. In many instances I have had an ambition and worked to achieve it. However, attaining these goals has not been easy or come without a price. I have sacrificed both physically and socially, but have never let my losses dissuade me.

In sports I have always been regimented. If I have felt passionately about something I let nothing stand in my way. I swam in high school for five years, getting up at 5:30 a.m. to practice. And although swimming in the early morning, five days a week, for months at a time demonstrated exceptional dedication, my greatest accomplishments came through distance running.

I was a strong cross country runner and always believed that I had more to give. I remember the final race of my high school career, the two mile, as my most defining moment in running. With 800 meters left, physically beat and in a distant fourth, I found the inner desire to prove to myself that I was not going out like this. At that moment I dug deep, into the darkest crevices of the psyche-- the point where you feel no pain and put everything on the line. What developed was an epic finish in which the crowd was on their feet the entire last lap, a rare occasion for a long, dry two mile run. It was the Prefontaine aura that every young runner dreams of, the chance to show the world you can be as strong as you want. It would have been nice if I actually caught the winner, but making him turn around due to the crowd’s cheers was victory enough. Knowing that I can endure physical anguish in realizing my goals has allowed me to transfer this self-assurance to the work force.

I once heard a graduation speech by Astronaut Frank Borman who spoke on four characteristics of life. The one I have always remembered as vital to success is having goals. Without goals you are lost. This may be great for some, but if you have the drive and will to constantly excel goals get you through life. When I was seventeen I went to a sailing camp called Sail Caribbean, after which I discovered who and what I wanted to become-- a sailing captain. I spent the next three years chasing down my dream. I took every opportunity to make my resume as competitive and complete as possible. I put all my time and energy into achieving this dream. My last summer in high school was split between two jobs, effectively sacrificing many beautiful days which my friends spent enjoying. I worked one summer at a camp I hated and desperately wanted to leave, but with my objective in mind I pressed on because it was invaluable experience. Essentially, I have given up my free time and social life in quest of my selfish, long term desire to work in the Caribbean. And I am proud to say that my three years of sacrifice and restraint paid off; I have been working with Sail Caribbean since 2005.

Although my family has provided steadfast encouragement, I have had to brave most of the challenges and dark moments alone. I recall many instances where I felt like giving up and succumbing to the stresses of life, but I never have. It takes a lot of courage to enter new, unfamiliar situations, but I constantly do because I know I will succeed in any situation. I believe in my ability to rise to the occasion and the refusal to give up while staring down the faces of failure.