Work Experience:
Over the past few years I have worked with my father cutting and selling firewood at my house. We have supplied many people that come to the area for camping or coming to the race track for events. This has taught me how to work hard. Doing this job with my father has introduced me into the work field. We worked long days in the hot sun and also took up most of our weekends over the summer sell
ing wood to people. This has also allowed me to work on communicating with people.
Just this last summer I was employed at Watkins Glen International as a maintenance person. My jobs mostly consisted of landscaping and emptying garbage cans. I worked outside everyday but I was prepared for the hot days because of my previous experience. I also used my communication skills to interact with co-workers and visitors at the track. I have learned many skills from my work experiences.
Leadership:
Throughout my years in the high school I have developed strong leadership skills. I have done this by being selected as team captain of the two sports I play, wrestling and lacrosse. The past two years I have been captain of the wrestling team and this year I am the captain of the lacrosse team. I am a strong team player and I try to always stay positive and keep everyone else together. Being the captain has taught me how to lead others though wins and loses. Our wrestling team this year was small so we didn’t win many matches but that didn’t keep us from getting down on ourselves. We knew every time we stepped on the mat we were getting better, that is all th
at mattered. Our lacrosse team has been improving more and more every year and this year could be our best yet. I plan on keeping a positive attitude no matter win or loss. Being a leader through the good times and the bad times is a skill that I have acquired and I can continue to help in my future plans.
Volunteer:
I have volunteered at many different events. I have volunteered at the United Way spaghetti dinner at the moose club in Montour Falls for the past five years. My brother and I have been in charge of washing the dishes. I have learned how to donate my time to not only the United Way but also to my community. Volunteering is something I take advantage of because giving 
back and helping others is something I care strongly about. I also have volunteered at Seneca Santa that takes place around Christmas time that packs bags of gifts for the families that cannot always have a big Christmas. Helping families around my community is something I enjoy doing and I plan to do this for many years after I graduate.
Travel:
Traveling has had a large impact on my life. It has allowed me to realize the different ways people live in our country. While traveling it is important to see 
your surroundings and take a few minutes to learn something about the place you are in. As a teenager, I have found myself on my phone often and not realizing how amazing our country actually is. I have traveled to many states in our country and every single one of them are drastically different. I have learned to become grateful for everything in my life because it can have a large impact on your life.
Spark! Regional Leadership Conference:
Three things I took away from the conference are that people skills are very important skills to have, conflict is in every aspect of life and we must deal with it, and lastly, receiving an education will get you far in life. The biggest impact from the conference to me was that you can be as smart and as 
experienced as possible, but if you don’t have good people skills you probably won’t go that far in your career. I can use all of this information I learned in my future job in the sports management field. I will be successful in my career due to the knowledge I gained from this conference.