Daily Affirmations

I'm going to brag here a bit, because I feel like it.  Because deep down gosh darn it, I'm a good person.  For four years I worked my ass off.  I studied many long nights.  I stayed up and finished projects that I put off when others went to bed.  I stayed home and studied instead of going to football games or school dances.  I buckled down and paid my dues.  I worked hard for four long years.   I held a steady job for two years at a physically and emotionally demanding job helping older people who needed somebody.  I earned the respect of my boss (my dad's longtime friend) and my co-workers, no matter what age or department with an outstanding attendance record and work ethic.  I finished the job every night, no matter who stayed or what broke.  I bought a car and paid for the insurance, and never once wrecked or got a ticket.  I played in the school band for a total of six years.  I held my grades through switching schools, learning a new building, teachers, and most importantly, friends.  I did my best at every class I took.  I took advanced and AP classes at every turn for every year.  I worked hard when my parents were fighting, when my parents were apart, when my parents weren't there for me.  I helped my father build his home business from scratch.  I worked when I was sick and when I was tired.  I lost three months in the middle of my senior year to fix something that never bothered me in the first place, and emerged on the other end weakened and sore, only to work even harder and make up nearly every assignment.  I lost 3 days of consciousness, 12 pounds, 5 units of my own blood, 1 rib, and gained 3 inches of height.  I took all three scheduled AP tests at the end of the year, and passed four of the five I took in two years.  I graduated with top honors just outside of the top 5 in my small school and just outside the top 15 in my entire class.   I scored a 30 on my ACT (97th percentile) and a 35 on the science reasoning section (99th percentile) on the first and only try.  I was inducted into the National Honor Society under rigorous standards at my new school and maintained a level of service to the comunity even outside the NHS- for no points at all.  I held at least a 93 % school attendance for four years (minus my surgery).  I tried to be respectful, helpful, and genuinely nice to everybody I could.  I nearly completed my flight lessons before my surgery, and even managed to solo my Cessna 152 in what I realize was the best flight of my entire life.  I made and broke friendships, and learned more about love in one single four month period than I have in the rest of my 18 years with my first girlfriend and the first girl I ever loved, Kristen Brandt.  Time and time again I participated in activities and strengthened my friendships skiing, on Academic Team, and at several science competitions.  I helped win Science Challenge and won several science and engineering awards across numerous events and categories. 
 
 
I earned admission to one of the nation's best engineering schools and start in 27 days.