Character & Fitness – Temple College
During one semester of the 2002-2003 school year, I was placed on academic probation at Temple College. I compare my tenure at Temple College as the first time I tried to jump rope: it looks easy, but if you do not stay calm and focused, you can quickly get tangled up in the rope. My family was the rope in this analogy. In order to get untangled and move at a consistent pace again, you must slow down and refocus. I was eventually able to untangle myself, but I needed to unwind and sort out all the chaos in my life.
I was a freshman at Temple College and it was my first season playing volleyball. One day, I received some alarming news that turned my world upside-down. I found out my mother was missing and had left my brother, who was then a freshman in high school, at home by himself. For three whole months, my brother had been living in a house without electricity and adequate food. My mother had simply run away. She was diagnosed with severe depression and it was up to me to pick up the pieces.
I did not think I would ever be able to reach the goals I had set for myself. For one year, I felt like I could barely keep my head above water. I was juggling my own emotions, working, and raising a teenage boy as well as taking care of myself. I did not play volleyball for the 2002 fall season so I could work full-time, take care of my brother, and try to stabilize my mother’s mental health. During this difficult time, my family took primary priority and academics took the backseat. I was so caught up in the rope, I lost focus on my studies and my grades suffered because of it.
In the summer of 2003, I saw an advertisement on television for the University of Texas at Tyler, stating they were adding volleyball as an intercollegiate athletic team. This advertisement urged me to go to UT Tyler and start over. I faxed a letter to the coach asking if she would give me a chance to play. At this moment, I felt I was ready to refocus and move at a steady pace. While there were still obstacles I needed to overcome, I gathered my strength and moved forward. I raised my younger brother while attending UT Tyler. I worked two jobs to support us both. Although my grades were not perfect at UT Tyler, I was not going to give up. The lessons I have learned and the strength I gained from this experience are invaluable and have equipped me with the tools I need to succeed as a sister, a friend, and in law school.
