Notes

Like everyone, I have been defeated time and time again in my life, but unlike everyone, I have refused to be defeated for long. Throughout middle school, I have faced challenges such as the divorce of my parents that caused me to become extremely distressed, leading to low grades and achievement in school. At times I felt that there was no hope for me, and that my poor grades and academic situation were something that would follow me for the rest of my life. What I failed to recognize, however, was that that situation was nothing more than a temporary defeat, rather than something that was doomed to last forever. Once I got to high school, I began to take better care of myself and establish stronger relationships and connections, as well as establishing my own personal set of values and morals. As bizarre as it may sound, I am actually incredibly grateful for the most difficult and distressing times in my life. It is from them that I have learned the most about life and about myself, and my dark times have very much inspired me to grow and better myself as a person. Being defeated is not only inevitable, but a necessary learning experience. It is what I have done with my defeat that makes me a better person today, that I am proud to be. In reinventing myself, I discovered what was truly important to me, and I learned to value being a leader and collaborator with others. Through my time at work, I have learned many valuable skills regarding dealing with people as well as maintaining a professional and productive environment that I carry with me in my daily life. My coworkers and I are a tight-knit team, and they know how to make me laugh as well as come together to support me when I need it, and I do the same for them. I consider my job a great accomplishment and it is something that I regard with pride. In a few short months I went from inexperienced and timid to confident and efficient, a positive change that I accredit to my time spent at work. As I work around thirty hours every week, I am always busy, but extremely hard-working and dedicated to reaching my goals. I have recently began to train new employees and teach them how to succeed in the work environment, a task that I am extremely honored to perform. To be a leader in that sense is something that I take seriously, and I put all of my effort in order to ensure that new employees are comfortable in new situations and prepared to perform well and provide great service. Being a trainer has taught me to have patience, kindness, and empathy, but also to impart my values of dedication and hard work onto others around me.