Seventeen years ago I was born into the world with dreams and ambitions from others that one day I would grow up to be a surgeon, judge, or even play in the WNBA. However I am a varsity cheerleader and I desire a career field working with children. I love cheerleading because it involves teamwork, and I love children because I can be a kid again. My goals are to graduate from a university and work with adolescents studying their development and growth.

I once brought a shirt at a cheerleading competition that read “why be so humble when you can cheer jump, stunt and tumble”. To some people cheerleading is not a sport it’s just a group of girls cheering on the sideline and throwing a tiny girl in the air hoping to catch her when she cradles. However I think differently when I hear the word cheerleading I think of teamwork, school spirit, and I think of my life. I have been in cheerleading since I was a little girl. I love to stunt and tumble. Cheerleading is considered a sport I often risks my body for my flyer, I have even fallen a couple of times on a tumbling pass but I got back up and I was determined to try again. Sophomore year the cheerleaders hosted a Spartan minicamp where we taught little children a cheer and dance, and the following week they would perform with us for half-time. That’s when I realized I wanted my career to mainly focus on children.
When I was in second grade I would save old graded papers and sit at my desk and grade over them with a red pen and pretend to be a teacher. At the time I was the only child and did not have anyone to play with so I often would play school and teach lessons to my teddy bears. Now I am currently taking courses and classes studying the physical, emotional, mental, and social development of children in their adolescent years. On the first day of child development lab I asked my teacher do the children actually learn and remember the things we teach them and she replied as hard as it is to believe you will learn more from the children than they will ever learn from you. I find that statement so true. I now plan and teach lessons in our child development lab to children around the ages of three to five and every day I learn something new. I also volunteer at my church nursery and the children can remember the scriptures and recite them in front of the entire congregation. Just like Whitney Houston I also believe the children are our future so we should teach them well and let them lead the way.

My goal is to be the first to graduate from a university in my family. My mom and dad both graduated with their bachelor’s but it was not until they were adults they decided to go back to school and get their degree. Most often teens my age are not going to college or only going because that is what’s expected of them. However, I want to go because I want to be someone in life and make a difference in the children’s lives. I want to be the teacher when you are asked, who was/is your favorite teacher? The child answers and says Ms. Ward. I don’t only want to graduate with my bachelor’s I want to get my masters from your university. Having a conversation with my mom she often tells me to “work hard now and it will pay off later”.
I love children and I also love to work with them, and I am going to be the first in my family to graduate from a university with my master’s. My life will be what I make it. I plan to make the best life I can live by doing what I love to do cheer and teach children.