From Existing to Living by Tera

From Existing to Living by Tera - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

They say that life is short, yet existing in your life is the longest thing you can do. But who wants to merely exist? Everyone dreams at some point of being inspirational or making some kind of impact on some person or place, of being important and known, or just to do more than simply be present in a world caught up in the never-ending rat race. We spend the first 18 years, approximately one-fourth of our lives, in school learning the basics that are supposed to help us prepare for the future. Yet many high schools, particularly small ones like my alma mater, offer little more than basics like algebra and chemistry, and the only thing those classes taught me was that I wanted my career path to veer far away from those subjects. But that still left me wondering what could I bear to do with the rest of my life? Because after all, it is something I will be doing for a long time, and I might as well spend that precious time doing something that I enjoy.

Before I met the professor who set me blazing down my current path, I looked to my hobbies for inspiration. As a book-lover, I thought of being an author that could inspire others with my words or a librarian that could watch kids learn new things as they become mesmerized by the ink on the pages. However, those options did not give me the sense of fulfillment that I need to take that job with me to the end of my being. I eventually developed a love for different artistic mediums, and though I enjoyed drawing, painting, and digital art, and my family and friends commended my abilities, my skills were far below any professional standard. I was losing steam, and though I did wonderfully in all my classes, they did not interest me, and instead of living, I began to merely exist.

Finally, I considered my passion for exercise. Even though I excelled on my track team, running was not a career path I was sprinting towards. The scope of kinesiology had never been my main focus, but had been hovering faithfully in my peripheral vision for years. When I finally noticed it, I decided to give it a try, and signed up to be my high school’s student trainer for football. That year the school hired a new head football trainer, Mr. Fisher, who was also a professor at a local university. He taught the student trainers how to tape ankles, wrap injuries, and fix helmets. I became intrigued on different kinds of injuries, the muscles involved, and how to fix them, and Mr. Fisher took note. He began lending me books on different related topics that I devoured and it became my new passion. Eventually, I thought I had finally found my calling and dreamt of being an athletic trainer for the NFL.

This dream gave me a satisfaction that I didn’t feel in any of my other considerations. After all, thanks to my interest on a topic that was not even a class, I learned more than I did in the majority of the classes my school actually did offer. But even then, I had a feeling that I had a higher calling, and I was close. I came to realize that I wanted to help the lesser fortunate who genuinely needed it rather than the millionaires who make it an occupational hazard. That’s when Mr. Fisher told me about personal training. It was everything I wanted in a job; I could help people make a difference in their lives, inspire and motivate them, all while being able to do something I love. The feeling of delight I got thinking of all the possibilities filled up every inch of me in a corny-sounding way that I had never felt before and made me sure, without any doubt, that I had found my true calling. He helped me nearly every step of the way, introducing me to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, lending me textbooks, and helping me study for the certification test.

Since then I have not only gained a new enthusiasm for learning, but maintained it as well, and was finally able to decide on a college. In every class, I was making connections on how to relate it to my career path, which made the class not just feel necessary, but interesting too, which in turn, made me an attentive student and excel in my first year. I still keep contact with Mr. Fisher, and he continues to help me and support me in my endeavors. Without his knowledge and help, I may still be a lost, wandering being, still merely existing, instead of living and striving to achieve something greater.