Personal attributes and their characteristics

Homecoming Queen

Every one of us has our spoken and unspoken fears and hopes, our dreams for the future and our trepidations about it too. Yet what is the galvanizing force that lifts some to heights of achievement yet crushes others as they go through the vicissitudes of life? It is the ability to embrace fear, transform it, realize it for what it is -- just a state of mind.

Why do I write about this as I apply to be Homecoming Queen? Because homecoming is all about reflecting on where one is in their life and where they are going. For the alumni of our school, it is a walk back in time. What do they think about? Mostly the parties, the dances, the fun times, but they also think about those experiences and opportunities where the crept right up to the edge of their potential and backed away. What pulled them back? Fear. Everyone has those moments where they teetered on the edge of doing something great -- but backed away in fear.

My life is all about confronting and overcoming fears. Sometimes in big strides with the help of a great team -- my family, my friends, and my doctors -- and sometimes with baby steps alone. Looking back on my challenges, I would say the biggest strides made were when my team helped me. This taught me no one makes it alone in this world, no matter how strong, how apparently immortal they feel at the time -- each of us are strengthened when we serve others. That is the secret to overcoming those fears that haunt you at the edge of your potential, you have to confront that fear and overcome it for the love of the people who brought you that far.

Homecoming has just as many meanings as there are people reading this. However, the one constant, the one truth it carries is that it is a time when people evaluate who they are, where they are going, and for our alumni, how far they have come.