Photographs are moments in time we have been able to capture. Using these visual time stamps of color, I am able to look back and see the person I used to be versus the person I see in only mirrors today. My mom has always said “pictures are important because they not only allow us to remember people and situations, but they create a platform to reflect and value the moment that we have lived”. Years ago, this had never made sense to me, as the phrase “living in the moment” was always more popular, however, I finally understand how these pictures that my mom used to nag me to take have become crucial pieces of the memory puzzle I can put together to narrate the story of my present self.
Making a silly face at the camera as a toddler to cowering behind a parental figure as a shy elementary schooler are a couple of ways children can be expressive within photographs. Looking through my photos, my hair being pulled back completely out of my face in two high ponytails was a staple in all my action shots. As a child, I was always outside riding bikes, skateboarding, and building forts to survive in my backyard which made up my “imaginary woods”. My parents did a great job making sure my siblings and I grew up to be our own individual selves, leading me to take on the role of the adventurous, energetic, and extroverted one. Dribbling a basketball through the school courtyard, illustrating the words from my teachers into drawings, and contributing to the loud crashes of my school’s band made up most of my fantastic days. However, I soon learned authority figures in my life would regard these as “areas for improvement”.
A ball of energy. Hands-on learner. Social butterfly. These were always the terms used to describe me. People told me that I should never change, but as I got older, these phrases of positivity soon turned into: needs to focus, too loud, too much energy. I slowly started becoming the one cowering behind others in all the pictures. While I did appreciate the value in receiving guidance from adults, I felt my intelligence and personality were continuously challenged and diminished within the classroom. I consistently found it difficult to be taken seriously in class or environments within my academic life where I felt I could really use my individual personality at its full potential. The day I met Coach Mo marked the beginning of a newfound love for health and fitness on an academic platform. I was able to find an outlet where I could reverse the status quo that had slowly started to build against me and instead use it to my advantage in a place where my eagerness to jump into action-based situations, collaboration skills, and creative abilities would help me succeed. The games and practices I participated in not only built my physical side, but my social one as well. I connected with countless other students that had felt the same way as I had and were now experiencing the same feeling of achievement within our sports teams. I felt seen, heard, respected, and worthy of being part of this community in health and fitness.
I want to be the coach, teacher or mentor that can diverge someone’s path onto a successful one, even when it seems like it can only go in one direction. Coach Mo always says “attitude reflects leadership” and through these experiences, I have learned to live by that every day. Not only have I learned to use my individuality to my benefit, but I have rediscovered and redefined the little girl in all my photographs with her two confident ponytails, ready and empowered to take on whatever challenge, physical or mental, she may face.