Gymnastics
When I was two years old, my mom started taking me to "Mommy and Me" gymnastics classes. For the next eleven years, I devoted my life to the sport. I sacrificed holidays and vacations to train, and chose to be at the gym rather than participating in normal childhood activities. I won state and regional titles, both individually and for my team, as levels 4, 5, 6, and 7. As my collection of ribbons, medals, and trophies grew, I learned about teamwork, time management, discipline, and most of all, commitment.
After two severe knee injuries and a broken toe, all tat the same time, I decided it would be best to "retire" to spare my body from surgery. Though I did not stay in gymnastics forever, the skills I developed have stuck with me for life. Gymnastics taught me what it means to never give up, even when life gets tough. Although I am aware that perfection is not realistic in life or gymnastics competitions, I still believe that it is important work hard and push myself to be the best version of myself possible.
After two severe knee injuries and a broken toe, all tat the same time, I decided it would be best to "retire" to spare my body from surgery. Though I did not stay in gymnastics forever, the skills I developed have stuck with me for life. Gymnastics taught me what it means to never give up, even when life gets tough. Although I am aware that perfection is not realistic in life or gymnastics competitions, I still believe that it is important work hard and push myself to be the best version of myself possible.
Swimming
Not only was I a full time gymnast, but I was also a competitive swimmer and spent the rest of my spare time in the pool. I starting swimming on a team at the age of six and won my first medal within a few weeks. I was never quite as enthusiastic about swimming the way I was about gymnastics. Regardless, I worked hard at swim practice because I have always been the competitive type and wanted to win any race. From a young age, swimming taught me to be humble in my victories and that it was possible to improve as long as I worked hard. By the time I was nine, I had qualified for the Junior Olympics and continued to qualify each year until I was forced to quit swimming due to a serious health condition around the age of fourteen. My freshman year of high school, I swam on the varsity girls' team and even competed in the A-relay, meaning I was one of the four fastest girls on the entire swim team, and by far the youngest.
I now work as a swim coach on the same exact team that I started out on as a six year old. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to pass on my knowledge and skill level in the sport of swimming to the next generation of young athletes. My job, of course, has also taught me how to be patient when working with children and exactly how to lead and influence a group of people. Knowing that I have the ability to influence so many young children reminds me on a daily basis how important it is to be the light to those around me. I have learned how to relate information in a way so those who are younger than me can comprehend it.
I now work as a swim coach on the same exact team that I started out on as a six year old. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to pass on my knowledge and skill level in the sport of swimming to the next generation of young athletes. My job, of course, has also taught me how to be patient when working with children and exactly how to lead and influence a group of people. Knowing that I have the ability to influence so many young children reminds me on a daily basis how important it is to be the light to those around me. I have learned how to relate information in a way so those who are younger than me can comprehend it.
Travel
When my mom had children, she made a goal that she would take my brother and I to all fifty states before we became adults. While this goal could not be achieved, I was able to travel to many different states such as like Alaska, California, Tennessee, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Louisiana. I have also traveled to Aruba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, and Italy. These experiences taught me to cope when plans don't go as expected. Traveling with my family also taught me the importance of being present and enjoying the moment. Of all my travels, my trip to Italy was the most life changing because I was finally old enough to understand and appreciate travel. At first, I was incredibly nervous and completely out of my comfort zone, but I quickly realized how much I loved the adventure. In my first year as an adult, I have already visited many places with friends. These places include Marrakesh, Morocco; Napoli, Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Budapest, Hungary; Assisi, Italy; Krakow, Poland; and Perugia, Italy.
Service
One of the activities I am most passionate about is helping others...
I
love making people smile, and I believe this is my motive for all the
community service hours I have completed since I started high school.
Knowing that I have made a positive impact on someone's life is the
greatest reward to me. I volunteer because I know that just a minute of
my time can be all it takes to make someone smile.
I started volunteering with Suncoast Hospice halfway through my freshman year of high school. I was going through the worst time of my life and my mom thought it would be an excellent idea to take my mind off my own problems and stay busy with other activities. I loved volunteering at Hospice so much that I have continued serving ever since. With Suncoast Hospice alone, I have given 400 hours of my time to helping others. Both my junior and senior year of high school, I was elected to serve on Regional Leadership Board, meaning I am in charge of planning, arranging, and budgeting all the activities for teen hospice volunteers in Pinellas County. Volunteering at Suncoast Hospice has taught me to be grateful for life, to be unselfish, appreciate my veterans, and work well with elders.
Through Hospice, I also volunteer for Honor Flight of West Central Florida. This organization raises money to send World War II veterans to Washington D.C. for a day to tour the memorials. It is my duty to organize all the paperwork, and take care of all 80 veterans on each mission at the orientation before the flight. This means I must make sure each veteran has transportation to and from the airport, has a "guardian" to assist them while in Washington D.C., and serve them food and drinks. Honor Flight is one of my favorite ways to serve my community, and I am certainly most passionate about it. Just recently, I was rewarded with the "team leader" title, meaning I am responsible for all the other volunteers at the orientations. Many times, when people seek to help others, they gravitate towards helping needy children. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, the elderly tend to be forgotten about. The best part about this organization is that it treats these elderly veterans like kings and queens. It is truly rewarding to give back to those who fought for our country.
I started volunteering with Suncoast Hospice halfway through my freshman year of high school. I was going through the worst time of my life and my mom thought it would be an excellent idea to take my mind off my own problems and stay busy with other activities. I loved volunteering at Hospice so much that I have continued serving ever since. With Suncoast Hospice alone, I have given 400 hours of my time to helping others. Both my junior and senior year of high school, I was elected to serve on Regional Leadership Board, meaning I am in charge of planning, arranging, and budgeting all the activities for teen hospice volunteers in Pinellas County. Volunteering at Suncoast Hospice has taught me to be grateful for life, to be unselfish, appreciate my veterans, and work well with elders.
Through Hospice, I also volunteer for Honor Flight of West Central Florida. This organization raises money to send World War II veterans to Washington D.C. for a day to tour the memorials. It is my duty to organize all the paperwork, and take care of all 80 veterans on each mission at the orientation before the flight. This means I must make sure each veteran has transportation to and from the airport, has a "guardian" to assist them while in Washington D.C., and serve them food and drinks. Honor Flight is one of my favorite ways to serve my community, and I am certainly most passionate about it. Just recently, I was rewarded with the "team leader" title, meaning I am responsible for all the other volunteers at the orientations. Many times, when people seek to help others, they gravitate towards helping needy children. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, the elderly tend to be forgotten about. The best part about this organization is that it treats these elderly veterans like kings and queens. It is truly rewarding to give back to those who fought for our country.
At Saint Petersburg Collegiate High School, I am a member of the National Honor Society, Junior Achievement, Interact, the Student Advisory Committee (SAC), and the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA).
At the end of my junior year of high school, I received the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award from the Florida Holocaust Museum. This award is given to one student from each school in a few counties in Florida. I was nominated by my principal and guidance counselors.
At Saint Petersburg Collegiate High School, I am a member of the National Honor Society. My school arranges service projects around the community, like park cleanups, beach cleanups, and even two Christmas gift drives to an orphanage in Honduras.
Inspirational People
Breakfast at Tiffany's was my first dose of Audrey Hepburn and my interest piqued from there. As soon I finished the movie, I started reading online about Hepburn's work as a humanitarian. Not only was she one of the most kind and classy movie stars in existence, but she also had to overcome a rough childhood struggle with depression and starvation during World War II. As a movie star, Audrey stayed humble. After retiring, she became an ambassador for UNICEF and helped sick and starving children in Latin America and Africa on over fifty trips. Even after being famous, she never forgot how awful it was to starve as a child. She won the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Her timeless elegance and caring soul inspire me every single day. Audrey Hepburn's life reminds me that even though I face struggles today, I have the ability to overcome these challenges and come out of a bad situation even better than I was before.
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My grandmother was one of the most incredible people I ever had the opportunity to know. She was named Shirley Marie Cassidy, and I was named Cassidy Marie Slockett after her. Born into a poor family and the youngest of six children, my grandmother managed to receive an education, gain a job, and raise two daughters. She loved my grandfather from the day they met, to the day she passed, claiming on her death bed that the best day of her life was the day she got married. After a few unfortunate events, my grandmother, without any doubts or complains, raised my three cousins. All throughout her life, she was caring and helpful to everyone. She never had a single enemy and always knew how to have a good time. She loved to laugh and her laugh was contagious, making everyone near her burst out into a laughing fit as well. She passed away from cancer in the spring of 2016, but she will always be with me, as she is the reason I am who I am today.
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