Colton Mitchell 12Th Grade Reflective Essay Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has

reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington. What most people do not realize is that the journey to a goal is more important than the actual goal achieved. Throughout my life I have realized that this is indeed the case. When I finally took second place in districts last year for the pole vault it was great, but what really made it a success was the journey; the people I became friends with when I trained and what I learned about myself by pushing hard to be better than each jump before and by never giving up on my goal. Throughout my high school years I have discovered and developed many strengths. Being a member of many championship teams and holding two jobs at once while in school, I discovered that I am a very hard worker and I never quit when the going gets tough. I believe that this determination is my most useful trait because it will serve me well in any career path or in any event, I undertake in life. Another strength I matured greatly throughout high school is my creativity. This is demonstrated most clearly in my final video project for TV Video Production; which is a culmination of all that I learned in that class applied in newer and more original ways in the actual project. Another project that took a lot of creativity and a lot of planning was my AFrame house in Design Concepts 1. We were given a budget for the project and then were required to decide upon a house for a specific area. We had to create floor plans, layouts, and then finally a 3D model of the structure. These two projects greatly show my improvement in creativity and ingenuity when compared to work done in my freshman year of schooling. Along with my strengths, I also discovered areas that I needed to improve upon. Although I have maintained at least a 3.8 GPA throughout the entirety of my high school career, I still have many areas that I can work on. The most important of which is my tendency to

Colton Mitchell procrastinate. A prime example of this is my persuasive essay I wrote in 11th grade on switching the bus schedules. Even though I received an A on said project, I had waited until the night before to complete the assignment and this added a lot of extra stress to my life. I would like to fix the weakness, especially before I go to college, so that I can keep up with the increased course vigor and not be overwhelmed with stress. Over the last four years, I have made great additions to my personal growth. I have become a much more mature person as well as more open minded. Teachers and coaches have all said that I have matured greatly from my freshman year; that I have become calmer and more thoughtful about what I do and how I do it. For example, in Track and Field I have decided to participate in a broad range of events instead of narrowly focusing on pole-vaulting solely. I realize that it will increase my chances of getting a scholarship for track and field. One of the biggest events in my life happened during my high school years. I had the privilege to participate in a missions trip to South Dakota to volunteer on a Sioux Indian reservation. This trip opened my eyes and mind greatly to the rest of the world. It made me realize and appreciate how even in our country people live very different lives. This trip also helped to decide which direction I would like to go in my future. Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. Mark Twain. My life goal is to travel the world and at the very least stepping foot on every Continent on this planet so that I may truly understand and be able to relate to every race, every religion, and every way of life. I believe if we do not understand those that we live with, than we will never be able to live in peace. In order to reach this end I wish to attend college for chemical engineering so that I may have the financial capital to see this venture through to the end.