I Can. I Will. by Avery

I Can. I Will. by Avery - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

My muscles ache and my heart pounds strongly in my chest as my legs take long strides to carry me to the end of my run. It is not my body’s strength driving me to the end, it is an ongoing mantra in my mind saying “I can. I will.”. Unintentionally, I inherited this mindset from a teacher and a coach in my high school, Mrs. Kabourek. This positive attitude slowly rubbed off on me as I witnessed her constantly persevere through obstacles in her own life that were far greater than simply completing a run. In fact, Mrs. Kabourek had several battles fighting the cruelest disease of all, cancer.
While fighting such debilitating battles it would have been simple to slowly give up. For example, rather than carrying an oxygen tank around school for the entire day, it would have been easier to remain seated at home. Mrs. Kabourek did not let this obstacle trump her, instead she wheeled around the tank day after day. As she came to school each day, I saw her struggling. She shared her challenges with me, but always reminded of her mantra, “I can. I will.”. Most simply, Mrs. Kabourek jumped over any hurdle cancer dealt her.
The force that gave her the strength the overcome her battles was her mind. Her mind told her “I can. I will.”. Although the monster of cancer took Mrs. Kabourek’s life, she did not let it kill her spirit. Her spirit remains in the students that she inspired to chase their dreams and not become discouraged by setbacks. Just like her, I will not let any monsters kill my spirit because she has taught me that “I can and I will” overcome anything with an optimistic mindset.