Make It A Reality by Daniel

Make It A Reality by Daniel - February 2014 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, I have been told to follow my dreams and shoot for the stars. My parents have always been very motivating and influential. They have taught me to strive to do my best and have great determination to make things happen. One of my favorite inspirational quotes is by Michael Jordan: “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” This quote implies that there are people who want and wish for things, and then there are others who go out and do something in order to make it happen. I have always believed that if you want something, you have to work for it and earn it. This has always been my way of doing things, and I do my very best every day to live up to that.

I have played football ever since I can remember. Once high school started, it was not all fun and games anymore, and I had to step up my game. In my junior year of high school, football was absolutely awesome. After putting in hours of blood, sweat, and tears in the weight room and practice field, I had the best year of my career with a great group of guys who were like brothers to me. I was awarded with All-Conference and All-State honors. After receiving such huge awards, I felt honored, and it motivated me to do something even more special my senior year. Just like my favorite inspirational quote explains, things will not just happen, but rather you have to make it happen. I was convinced to put in as much work as it took to get better and possibly be able to make it to the next level and play college football.

In order to make something happen, I made the tough decision to not play basketball my junior year and instead weight lift for my last high school football season. I pushed myself to limits I did not think were possible and gained 20 pounds of muscle. I also ran indoor track which helped me to improve my speed and agility. I put in over 240 hours of work in the summer alone for the football season. I dedicated myself to become the best I could possibly be. I was determined to do something special my senior season.

Our football team was having an outstanding season, and on a personal standpoint I was doing great until week eight. During the first five minutes of the game in week eight, I made a cut, felt my knee pop, and fell down. Little did I know I just incurred a season-ending injury that would cause me to have ACL reconstruction and meniscus surgery. I would not be able to participate in sports for six months after surgery. In the blink of an eye my season was over. Did my dreams go down the drain after that incident? As heartbreaking as this could be for some, I was not about to give up.

After hearing the news about my torn ACL and meniscus, I was absolutely devastated. I never imagined that that would happen to me. However, after going through this experience, it has influenced me to appreciate everything much more. It made me realize that you never know when something could be over. I did not want to give up on my dreams. Michael Jordan’s quote influenced me to not just wish for my football career to continue. I was determined to do whatever it took to make my dreams a reality. So, just three days after my surgery, I was at therapy doing workouts and on the road to recovery. At first, I was not even able to move my own leg. I had to teach myself how to move it, and now, less than 3 months later, I am jogging on a treadmill. Seeing how far I have come gives me a great sense of pride in myself because I did not give up.

I have been invited to play in the Muskegon All-Star Classic Game this upcoming summer. It is one more opportunity for me to play another high school football game with some of the best players around West Michigan. After putting in hard work at therapy, I have reached the point where my doctor has told me I will be able to play in that football game. Hearing that news was so special to me and I am grateful to be given one more opportunity. I definitely wanted this to happen, so I put in as much time and effort as I possibly could in order to make it happen. In addition, I have several opportunities to play college football at division three colleges. I have emailed a lot of coaches and visited several colleges to get noticed and give myself another chance to continue my football career.

After being knocked down, I stood up and faced one of the biggest challenges in my life thus far. I thought it was all over for me. After putting in hours upon hours of hard work I have given myself more opportunities. I refused to just sit around and wait for something good to happen. Instead, I stood up, did something with myself, and made it happen. In the end Michael Jordan’s quote has influenced me to live and become the type of person who makes things happen.