Personal Narrative: Character Before Career By Jason Hall

The young boy cringed as the paddle hit him over and over again, and the pain in his expression was one only the injured and wounded could have related to. Jason Hall was being punished for getting lost on a school field trip to the mall, and he now suffered the terrible consequences for disobedience. Each stroke sent a wave of excruciating agony through his body. This was one of the many difficult obstacles he would encounter throughout his life. He had no idea what other obstacles would hinder him as he developed maturity, strengthened his character, and in essence, grew up. “It was a very disciplined environment where the motto was ‘Character before Career.’ [My school had] corporal punishment, a military hierarchy, and an atmosphere

“It was the exact opposite of everything I was used to,” Hall recalls. He not only had to cope with regular middle school drama, but had to transition from private to public school. The uniforms, officers, and structure was gone. “There was no discipline, no punishment, and no character,” he states. The hierarchy in school transitioned from ranks to cliques and from military officers to teachers. Hall had no idea what kind of friendships he wanted to grow and who to develop them with. “Since there were no uniforms, I had to purchase an entire new wardrobe of clothes,” Hall chuckles. Unfortunately, there was also a much darker side from going to public school. SCMA had been a very secure school, well maintained by the threat of severe punishments and demotion. However, like the uniforms and structure, the security disappeared as well. Many times there were fights and use of weapons at Jason’s junior high school. The area where he lived was full of innumerable gangsters and bullies. In Long Beach, California, violence at schools was not unusual. Jason experienced such situations multiple times. As a matter of fact, he got into three fights during his ninth grade year, as the junior high at the time consisted of seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. Hall had to mature quickly by becoming more self-reliant and “street smart” during this period in his life. One could easily compare Hall’s junior high

Jason had to endure a two year journey to even be considered. Hall got rejected from BYU the first time. Instead of weakening him, however, this trial only made him stronger. Jason got back up on his feet and tried again. Jason had to attend Utah Valley State College (UVSC) to boost his grades, and he even had to take classes such as pottery and sociology to earn points in the extracurricular areas. Night school also factored into his academic boost. BYU both considered excellence in academics and extracurricular activities before accepting a new student. Jason had reached these standards by attending UVSC and taking extra classes, and on his third try, he got into Brigham Young