All experiences in everyday life can help guide, prepare, and expose you to what your future has to offer. It’s up to you if you choose to use it or not; that is what makes a difference.
Work;
Work is a place I build great relationships, reason being, that is like my second home. I am a full time student and an employee of two jobs throughout the year. I am a head lifeguard for The Glen Gators swim team. I do this job during six months of the school year; I am there four days a week from six thirty to nine. I see and watch over around 50 kids, where I have become a person they look up to and rely on; building relationships with kids anywhere from five years old to my age. As for my summer and fall job, I work for Reisinger’s Apple Country. Working at Reisinger’s five to six days a week allows me to notice I am a very flexible and active person. At Reisinger’s a variety of jobs are needed to be completed depending on the time. Some jobs include but are not limited to being a fruit picker, a cashier, and a field worker. I am a proud worker at two jobs and a full time student and I couldn’t be more happy. Being a lifeguard helps me in the field I want to go into someday, I get experience and training in first aid and CPR. It is good practice and a step that will help me achieve my goals. As for working at Reisinger’s, I build soft skills but also hard skills which help me understand how to be flexible, reliable, a team leader and a role model for my co-workers and acquaintances. My strong work ethic between my two jobs has allowed me to buy my first car, and attain higher roles at Reisinger’s Apple Country.
Volunteer;
Volunteering is a great feeling and I love doing it. I am a volunteer member of the Watkins Glen Fire Department; with the honors to be the first female junior firefighter. As a member I am held to very high expectations; as you can see from my letter of recommendation from Jason Hudson on the “About Me” page. Helping others during my day is a great feeling. It’s also an obligation. Being a volunteer in general gives you a very rewarding feeling. Especially when it is to help others, or makes them smile. It keeps me busy and the fire department life is very welcoming! Being in the position also benefits me as a person; continuing to learn especially new skills is something I enjoy. I learn how to be a team player. I get to learn firsthand skills on how to deal with emergency situations. The EMS side of the Fire Department also lets me see something you would experience as a nurse.
Travel;
I am a very fortunate child when it comes to traveling. Being the oldest daughter of two, my parents have given me many opportunities most aren’t given. Every year of my life, I have been able to go on a vacation. At the age of four I spent a week in St. Thomas. When I was eight, I went on my first Caribbean cruise and I’ve been on five since! When visiting cruise ports, I have been able to see how others live. I’ve also visited Canada, Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Florida. Seeing the diversity in the world, the diversity that’s even close to us. Traveling with my family, relatives, and friends is very enjoyable to me. This has been very impactful on my life because now I know I want to be able to see and learn more about other places.
Classroom-Academic Accomplishments;
At school, I have been given the opportunity to learn more about myself in the iLead class. Our first topic was “Who Are You?” which allowed everyone to learn their own strengths and challenges. Strengths I uphold include planning and time management, visual skills, independence but also being a good team player. A challenge of mine is that I am a very wordy person; in order for me to produce a clear product I have to write it down and process what really needs to be provided. These soft skills have assisted me in setting and obtaining my goals. Academically, I was inducted into the Business Honor Society; this is an honor to me because I love business classes. Leadership is an area I’ve been trying to improve upon; I’ve taken many steps to do so. I have attended two leadership conferences; one being a Woman’s Leadership the other one was the Spark! Conference hosted by the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce. At these I learned how to be a better person in the leadership position, how to have crucial conversations, talk publicly, and so much more. Finally, I’ve taken on a service learning project to be an Assistant to a Teacher.
In my Freshman year of high school, I applied to a program called HeathQuest. Only 24 students out of many are chosen, and I was one. This program gave me the privilege to stay at Ithaca College for a week, see the campus, explore programs offered in the medical field, and make friends.