Andrew Lopp Mrs.

Ingram English 1102 September 12, 2012 What Its Like to be Me As a person, there are two general goals that I strive to achieve; equality and excellence. Regardless of the situation, I believe that if these two aspects of life define me, then, by default, I will be successful. Although general, these are two complex, ever-changing facets of success. Because of their enigmatic composition and my constant quest to full envelope these goals, they have formed me into the person I am. Of these two goals, the one that receives the majority of my attention is excellence. From a young age, my parents engendered the need in me to be excellent in whatever I choose to do. In this case, excellence has a more loose interpretation than simply being good. It has come to mean giving your best effort in all circumstances and accepting the results as they come. By this interpretation, I have been able to achieve excellence in many aspects of my life. Under the category of excellence, academics are where fifty percent of my focus goes. In addition to excellence and equality contributing to success, knowledge is almost as equally essential. Maybe it is because of my parents pushing me to do well in school or my belief that knowledge is a key to success, but I have always had an insatiable appetite and curiosity for gaining knowledge. Because of this, school has always captivated my attention and made it easy

to learn. Even in subjects, like English, that I am weaker in, there is still an eagerness to become a better-rounded and educated individual. This leads me to my choice in which major I have chosen. I have always found success and enjoyment in math and science, and because my mother is a chemistry teacher, I have always had an instant resource to try and answer my inquiries into chemistry and science as a whole. As I have grown up, my queries have grown more in depth and I have had to look for new sources for my answers to come from. This brings me to a career in engineering. Engineering is a combination of math and science, as well as a way to apply my knowledge to the real world and solve problems. Excellence has lead me down a path of, hopefully, lifelong happiness. Especially before college, excellence has shaped the way I perform athletically. Athletics have always played an important role in my life. It consumes twenty-five percent of the remaining fifty percent of my focus. For every sports season since I was five, I have always been involved in a sport whether it was soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, or football. Within these sports, I feel that I have been excellent. I have worked hard to be the best I could be. I have practiced hard to, not only improve myself, but make my teammates better as well. I have played hard and have always been willing to make sacrifices for the good of the team. Essentially, this is the kind of person I am. Now I am adapting to a new definition of athletic excellence. Now it is about staying in shape, being healthy, and having fun. For me the biggest challenge was leaving basketball. Throughout high school, basketball was a year round event. During the summer, practices and camp were fun. Then the season came around and things got serious. But, for me at least, it was more than a sport. As a team, basketball became a close bond between the guys on our team. We

became more than friends; we were a family. We had fun playing together. We played with each other, for each other. We won and lost together, as a team. Then, in one instant, it came to a sudden end. The end of my senior season struck me hard. It was going to be the first season ever that I did not have a sport to play. In reflection, it seems that it all happened so fast, but the excellence that comes from this memory is the lasting friendships that were built, the joy we had playing the game we all loved together, and being together as a family. But now, things are different and life moves on without pausing to reflect. This was the hardest part about leaving high school, leaving the close friends I had made. Lastly, the final twenty-five percent of my excellence focus is allotted to my friends. Excellence in this instance is defined by having fun and enjoying the moment before us, living in the present, putting the past aside, not worrying about the future. Friends are essential to life; at least they are to mine. They bring fun and excitement whether it is going camping during the summer or kayaking in the middle of the week. They bring support when it is needed, and I do the same for them. Excellence is about sharing the moment and unwavering reciprocity. I feel that I have been excellent in this category and in all others which is, ultimately, the goal. Now to the second aspect of success, equality. It is my firm belief that one must be able to treat others equally before being truly successful. Whether this means not discriminating against others no matter what your cause maybe or giving someone the same opportunities that you yourself received. In my life, I try to keep an open mind when it comes to religion and other controversial areas. I try to not infringe on others natural rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. It is not my position to limit someone elses religious or marital rights based on my beliefs. Because of this, I try to remain impartial in all situations. This, in turn, will lead to great success.