My Next 10 Years by Riley

My Next 10 Years by Riley - March 2020 Scholarship Essay

The past four years have been a combination of different stressors around what my future plans are going to be. The most common questions asked of every high school student are "Where are you going to college?", "What are you doing after high school?", "What do you want to study?". Let me just say, at the beginning when I was asked those questions it made me break into a cold sweat and want to rip my hair out, for I had no idea what I wanted to do. Although, ever since I have been involved in my health sciences career pathway at school those questions have gotten easier. I love what I have experienced about healthcare- it has been so different than most of my education thus far. Everyday I learn interesting and innovative topics in the medical world, and feel as though the information is impactful for my future. I get excited to discover and indulge into new topics about how to help people.

As of now I have my heart and brain set on majoring in Kinesiology starting next fall. I am committed to attend Pacific Lutheran University to reach those goals. The Kinesiology program is one of the best around and I am ecstatic to learn from such experienced professors. Kinesiology has become an interest to me through club and high school soccer, high school track, other sports related experiences and what I've learned in school. Playing club soccer for 12 years has helped me realize the importance of how we treat and take care of our bodies. I, along with my teammates, have recovered from multiple injuries and have learned valuable lessons. I began to realize during my junior and senior year that my calling is to help others. I especially would love to help others return to doing what they love without pain or difficulty. I know that being a part of someone's journey to recover from an injury is one way that I can accomplish this goal, and hopefully have a positive impact on many people.

I am an only child, with a very small extended family and we are all very close. My parents grew up with a much different life than I have. Both my parents grew up in a single parent environment with not many opportunities for travel or schooling. My mom graduated high school and entered the workforce at the age of eighteen. She stayed at the same company for 30 years, continuing to promote, and just retired recently during my senior year of high school. My dad graduated high school and also never graduated or completed a degree of higher education, but has moved through the ranks to one of the top three positions in the department he is employed. Both of my parents are very successful people and have thrived from what they have made for themselves, even without a college or university education. They also both work to help many people and I've seen the positive impact it has played into their lives. My goal is to attend and graduate from a university and possibly graduate school. I would like to show my parents that I can do something very big and important, but also to thank them for all they have given me. They have always been there for me and given me great example to follow and look up too. I hope to try and learn from their experiences to succeed with the opportunities they have provided me with.

In the next 10 years my goal is to be a thriving and happy physical therapist. I will be at a place of work with good, kind people that want to succeed and who want to help others do the same. I will be making a difference in people lives, and helping them be string to do what they love. It is my goal, my dream and my reality in the next 10 years to be in that position, and I know I can get there.