Personal Statement Of Purpose: A Career As A Youth Soccer Team

A common misconception people have when they meet me for the first time is that I am of Hawaiian decent. I am proud to tell them that my ethnicity is Laotian and Caucasian mixed. The reason for my pride is not because of the visual beauty of the country of Laos or the respectful culture, but because of the barriers and hardships that it took my father to get from Laos to America, and the commitment he had to making it to the land of the free. My father was born in Northern Laos and lived there for the first 18 years of his life. During the Vietnam War, the communist of Pathet Lao overran Laos. My father, along with his mother and cousin, left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing and a little money. They got on a bus to flee the

Soccer was my sport of choice, which I have played since I was six. I am thankful for the vital life skills that soccer taught me, like discipline, respect, responsibility and time management. The last two years of high school, I was chosen as captain of the soccer team. Those two years allowed me to develop my leadership skills and set a good example for others, which I now apply in all aspects of life. I used my leadership skills during this time to coach a youth soccer team at the local YMCA. I enjoyed being a role model and having the opportunity to develop young soccer players. My philosophy on soccer, and now in daily life, is practice makes perfect. I remember spending hours after practice or in my garage, during the winter, training to become a better player. I find myself using these skills that I developed early in life, in the classroom, as well. I don’t ever hesitate to help others or pick up an anatomy or biomechanics book and start reading to further my knowledge. Attending class was never a problem for me during my undergraduate career because I was always enthusiastic about learning something new in class or lab. I was fortunate enough to have taken an Advanced Anatomy class that Lock Haven University offered. I found this class very intriguing because it contained a cadaver