Setbacks Taught Me How to Move Forward by Garrett

Setbacks Taught Me How to Move Forward by Garrett - August 2023 Scholarship Essay

My biggest achievement during my education was realizing the more you focus on things out of your control, the less control you have. This was a difficult realization, but it has rewired my way of thinking about life and learning. I suffered two separate ulnar collateral ligament ruptures in each of my thumbs in less than a year, resulting in two major surgeries. Both of the injuries were basketball-related and season-ending. As a result, I had to dig deep and examine who I am and what mark I want to make on this earth.

I had to refocus my attention on something positive, something that might make an impact, something that would divert me from wallowing in my pain and sorrow. That something was EquipMEANT for Sports, a program I initiated during the summer of 2021 to collect gently used sports equipment and deliver it to recreation centers for under-resourced students to take. I participated in school-based and community-based resource fairs to collect equipment as many high school students and young adults outgrow equipment after a season of use. It is wonderful to return to a drop-off location to see that all of the equipment has been taken. Most community-based donation sites and thrift stores do not have sports equipment, so this is filling a gap that is needed. Equipment and footwear are extremely expensive, so giving well-kept items to others who can use them should be second nature. Without the proper equipment and footwear, you cannot join teams. This is not a concept most people think of unless it affects you directly.

If you have the athletic ability to play a sport, I naively believed you CAN play that sport. Not so. I participated in youth extracurricular sports my entire life and witnessed numerous accounts of students who could not participate. It was cost-prohibitive for their families.

Everyone should be afforded an opportunity to play sports if they so desire. I know firsthand what it feels like to have that taken away. Injury was not something I could control, but my purposeful reaction to it was something I could control with the creation of this program. I believe this program helped to calm my mind and give me direction when I felt excluded. There is a mental toll when you want to play and cannot because of factors outside of your control. A child should never have to forego participating in a team or individual sport because he or she lacks the proper the equipment and footwear to play. If EquipMEANT for Sports allows even one would-be athlete the opportunity to play, then my goal is met.

My experiences support my future goals as the setbacks have taught me to live and give with conviction. I intend to be the change I want to see in this world. The injuries changed me profoundly and gave me perspective, and that is why these injuries prepared me for any challenges I will face in college and beyond.