Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. (250-650 words)
When I was five years old, I wanted cornrows. At that time, Allen Iverson was the most popular star in the NBA, and I almost religiously idolized him.
My two brothers are eight and six years older than me, which means that when I was supposed to be watching superhero cartoons, my brothers hijacked the remote control effortlessly, and switched on the Sports channel. At first I resisted, but eventually I realized that resistance was futile against people twice your size. I had to settle for watching the daily "Top 10 Plays of the NBA". At first, I wanted only to find out whether Spiderman finally beat the villain or not, but strangely enough, I kept finding my heart pounding in excitement whenever someone rattled the ball into the basket. Weird thing is, the number one play was almost always that of one man: Allen Iverson.
Even from a television screen, it was obvious that his body was leagues smaller than those of the other 9 players on the court. Whenever one of his plays inevitably made its way into the Top 10, he looked just like a kid among adults, but somehow, he managed to leave them behind his trail and get to the basket before they even knew it. The way he gracefully dribbled the ball was enthralling, even to the eyes of a five-year-old. At this point, I didn't even care about Spiderman and his friends - I wanted to see more of Iverson and his opponents. For the next ten years, he remained my role model and idol.
Last year, on the day his jersey was retired, I was watching a tribute video of Allen Iverson. On one of the highlights, he dribbled past 2 big defenders with ease, through to an open lane to the hoop. Just as he effortlessly put the ball in the basket, I realized that I had been in a similar situation before - when I was fighting over the remote control, when I was trying to get extra dessert, and when I needed my brother's laptop for an assignment, it was always a small me against two big guys. Of course, I don't hate my brothers for giving me a hard time sometimes - after all, that's the typical show of brotherly love. Sometimes, however, it's incredibly annoying when they practically abuse their powers as the "older brother". If Allen Iverson could consistently overcome bigger opponents, why can't I have my way against my brothers, or surmount any tough obstacle?
Iverson's influence on me isn't limited to the trivialities of my family life either. He once said: "I don't wanna be Jordan, I don't wanna be Magic, I don't wanna be Bird or Isiah. When my career's over, I want to look in the mirror and say I did it my way.". He never copied anyone, but still managed to be the best. Although it seems unlikely that I will become a Hall of Fame basketball player, I want to do whatever I do just like he played basketball. I want to innovate and create, but most importantly, do it my way. Currently, I am interested in robotics, computer programming, and mechanical engineering to name a few fields, but whichever it is that I eventually build my career upon, at the end of it, I want to look back and see a road full of my own failures and successes.
The way Allen Iverson bewildered opponents twice his size on the way to the hoop motivated me to never shun away from a challenge, and his headstrong, independent spirit has inspired me to always fight for myself, and stay true to who I am.
Allan Iverson - my role model
When I was five years old, I wanted cornrows. At that time, Allen Iverson was the most popular star in the NBA, and I almost religiously idolized him.
My two brothers are eight and six years older than me, which means that when I was supposed to be watching superhero cartoons, my brothers hijacked the remote control effortlessly, and switched on the Sports channel. At first I resisted, but eventually I realized that resistance was futile against people twice your size. I had to settle for watching the daily "Top 10 Plays of the NBA". At first, I wanted only to find out whether Spiderman finally beat the villain or not, but strangely enough, I kept finding my heart pounding in excitement whenever someone rattled the ball into the basket. Weird thing is, the number one play was almost always that of one man: Allen Iverson.
Even from a television screen, it was obvious that his body was leagues smaller than those of the other 9 players on the court. Whenever one of his plays inevitably made its way into the Top 10, he looked just like a kid among adults, but somehow, he managed to leave them behind his trail and get to the basket before they even knew it. The way he gracefully dribbled the ball was enthralling, even to the eyes of a five-year-old. At this point, I didn't even care about Spiderman and his friends - I wanted to see more of Iverson and his opponents. For the next ten years, he remained my role model and idol.
Last year, on the day his jersey was retired, I was watching a tribute video of Allen Iverson. On one of the highlights, he dribbled past 2 big defenders with ease, through to an open lane to the hoop. Just as he effortlessly put the ball in the basket, I realized that I had been in a similar situation before - when I was fighting over the remote control, when I was trying to get extra dessert, and when I needed my brother's laptop for an assignment, it was always a small me against two big guys. Of course, I don't hate my brothers for giving me a hard time sometimes - after all, that's the typical show of brotherly love. Sometimes, however, it's incredibly annoying when they practically abuse their powers as the "older brother". If Allen Iverson could consistently overcome bigger opponents, why can't I have my way against my brothers, or surmount any tough obstacle?
Iverson's influence on me isn't limited to the trivialities of my family life either. He once said: "I don't wanna be Jordan, I don't wanna be Magic, I don't wanna be Bird or Isiah. When my career's over, I want to look in the mirror and say I did it my way.". He never copied anyone, but still managed to be the best. Although it seems unlikely that I will become a Hall of Fame basketball player, I want to do whatever I do just like he played basketball. I want to innovate and create, but most importantly, do it my way. Currently, I am interested in robotics, computer programming, and mechanical engineering to name a few fields, but whichever it is that I eventually build my career upon, at the end of it, I want to look back and see a road full of my own failures and successes.
The way Allen Iverson bewildered opponents twice his size on the way to the hoop motivated me to never shun away from a challenge, and his headstrong, independent spirit has inspired me to always fight for myself, and stay true to who I am.
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