In my life, I have faced little adversity from others, but I have had to work hard to reach my goals nonetheless. I would not have reached my goals, however, without the help of people in my life who believe in me and my abilities.

In freshman year when I began running cross country, I said to myself, “My goal for high school is to make it on varsity.” I envisioned myself running only a few varsity races by senior year, but I never imagined that by just sophomore year, I would be running in the State Cross Country Championships. I got there because of my hard work and my love for the sport. In practices, while others would cut the runs short or find some ways to make the workouts easier, I would challenge myself. I knew that even though it was hard and painful then, it would result in success later. When I crossed the finish line at the State Cross Country Championships, I knew that all my hard work had paid off. In the future, I will look back at this and be glad of how much I achieved. This will give me more drive for the future. Later in high school and beyond, I will keep running.

When I was younger, I looked at my sister as a role model. She has helped me grow up to be the person I am today, and I don’t know what I would have done without her. When I am older, I will look back at my childhood and my high school years and be very grateful that she was there to guide me through them. Without her support, I would not have been able to achieve these goals. I think that is part of the American Dream, too, having someone to look up to and someone to guide you.