Undergraduate / Issue of Importance - Volunteering with a 5th grader named Cedric [3]

"Arman, you need to start volunteering soon" my mom declared. "Fine" I sighed; well aware I needed volunteer hours for National Honor Society. Quite honestly, the only reason I ever began volunteering was to increase my chances of getting invited and inducted into NHS my sophomore year. My mom helped me start volunteering by putting me into contact with Ms. Robinson, a high school counselor, who set me up as a tutor for an elementary school student. "You'll be working with a 5th grader named Cedric; he's having a hard time in many of his classes, he's failing a few subjects, oh and also he's dyslexic" explained my mom.

When I met Cedric I was baffled by his intelligence, expressive speech, and confidence. How could a child this smart and articulate be failing at school? However, as we began preparing for an upcoming spelling test, it became clear to me how his dyslexia interfered with his school work so strongly. "Okay, why don't you begin by writing down all the words three times and then I'll quiz you?" I asked. After he completed the task I began testing him. Half of the answers were wrong, but interestingly all of the incorrect answers were simply a similar word or contained all the right letters, just in the wrong places. "Alright Cedric, let's look at the first word, beginning." He had written "begging." To prevent him from getting words confused we reviewed the spelling and definition of every word. For words with letters in the wrong places, I had him break the words down into pieces and focus on the pronunciation of the words and their corresponding spelling. "Ok, so do you think you're ready to take another practice test?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm ready" he replied. When I checked his answers he got them all correct. "Dude! Good job Cedric, you got them all right" I rejoiced. As he high fived me I felt a sense of fulfillment and purpose I had never felt before. I started tutoring Cedric weekly, using different strategies to help him overcome his disadvantage and reach his full potential. I quickly forgot my initial self-centered motive of accumulating volunteer hours for my resume. As weeks passed Cedric's grades started improving and he was no longer failing.

Cedric moved away that summer, but I didn't forget the importance and enjoyment of volunteering. I continued to volunteer, coaching for athletic camps, teaching guitar, and tutoring. Tutoring Cedric was a great learning experience for me. Although volunteers never expect anything in return for their services, Cedric repaid me by teaching me selflessness, patience, and the significant impact just a little volunteering can make.

Undergraduate / "A lesson with a patient Gina" - Someone Who Has Made Impact On My Life [4]

That was it, I had had enough! I was just about ready to give up on tennis. Another tennis lesson taken, but, no improvement made. It would just never work out; being an American in Germany, who only spoke English, taking lessons from a German tennis coach who only spoke German. As I walked off the court, dissatisfied, to meet my mom in the lobby of the indoor tennis court hall, I noticed her speaking with an American woman, slightly older than her, yet very youthful in appearance and personality. She then introduced herself to me as I approached my mom. "Hi, I'm Gina, nice to meet you." Regina Monte is an American tennis pro who lives in Germany with a job as a flight attendant for Lufthansa. Ever since the day I met Gina my life has changed. Gina has helped shape who I am today and continues to do so.

My mom scheduled a lesson for me with Gina shortly after meeting her. The lesson began with a discussion of the basics of tennis and a stretch. We then moved on to some footwork drills. I didn't even pick up my beginners racket until halfway through the lesson. As I struggled to hit a forehand shot over the net, Gina patiently guided me through, step by step. Unlike my previous coach, Gina was patient with me and stressed the importance of being patient with myself. I used to get frustrated and give up on tasks if I couldn't complete them in a certain time. Through Gina's advice, I've learned that you should never expect to be good at something right away. Instead, one should be optimistic, paying attention to improvements and noting where progress can be made.

Another important lesson I have learned from Gina is how to handle a loss. Before taking lessons from Gina, I would always let my losses get to me. After I had taken lessons from Gina for a year, and was in the 10th grade playing the number two position for the Varsity Tennis team, Gina came to one of my matches. I was playing an opponent who I knew was beatable. He had the most unorthodox form, terrible footwork, but seemingly hit every shot I hit to him back. I quickly became frustrated, forgetting the first thing I learned from Gina, patience. I tried to get the match over with; I hit my strokes powerfully, paying little attention to form. Before I knew it, the match was over, I lost 8-1. As I walked off the court in shame and disgust I was immediately intercepted by Gina. Gina discussed the match with me, telling me to let it go and not let it affect my mental game for my upcoming doubles match. Although I was disappointed in my performance and felt I could have beaten my opponent, Gina stressed that he still beat me and I needed to give him credit and show good sportsmanship. I believe all aspects of life should be approached similarly. When we are unsuccessful, we must examine the reasons why, make a plan so it does not happen again, give credit where it is due, and not let our failures discourage us. My junior year my doubles partner and I placed 4th in doubles in the DODDS (Department Of Defense Dependents Schools) European championships, however, my singles season record was a horrible 2-4. Despite my success and focus in doubles, I vowed to have a better singles record my senior year. Rather than letting my poor performance discourage me, I used it as motivation to get better. In the off-season I trained hard and focused my efforts on my singles as well as doubles. Having gaining a whole new confidence and appreciation for singles, I went undefeated in singles this season.

As my skills progressed I began to realize improvement was not coming as fast as it used to. Gina explained to me that I had reached a plateau and that in order to continue improving I would have to work harder. One aspect of my game which seemed as though it would never improve after two years of lessons was my two handed backhand. Gina and I decided that a one handed backhand would feel more natural to me. When I began the switch a year ago, I felt helpless. I could not keep up in matches. If a fast paced shot was hit to my backhand I was doomed. Through Gina's encouragement and persistence, the one handed backhand has become one of the most powerful weapons in my tennis arsenal. It took many months of patience, but I have found that the hard work was undoubtedly worth it.

One can plateau in anything, whether it is school or athletics. When I began my junior year I took Advanced Placement classes for the first time. They were much more challenging than the honors courses I had taken my sophomore year. Initially, I felt I would never be able to improve my academics to meet the demands of A.P. courses. One area I had particular trouble in was multiple choice questions in both my A.P. US History and English classes. After analyzing how I took the test, I realized I needed to work faster and not linger on the more difficult problems. By simply changing my pacing during the multiple choice tests, I dramatically improved my scores. Like my tennis game, I worked that much harder and feel I reached my full potential in my A.P. classes.

Gina has had a profound effect on my life. She has helped shape not only the tennis player I am, but also the person I am today. I have learned so many lessons from Gina and I strive to apply all of them to my life, both on and off the tennis court.