My Michigan Hero

Rosaleen was an very strong role model in Lily’s life. The author Sue Monk Kidd portrays it in the novel in many ways. Lily’s mother passed away and left when Lilly was just a little girl sitting at only 4 years old. Since that day Rosaleen decided too stepped in and showed her all the steps in life, even if she was there housekeeper but they still created such a strong bond. Rosaleen was a African American so lily did experience the racial hatred Rosaleen received but Lily did not care what color she was all she cared was what the person she was in the inside.

When my cousin was born with a genetic disorder, her family looked forward to a hopeful future. If she had been born nearly 50 years before, she would’ve been segregated from the public because she was different. My hero, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, spent her whole life to create that inclusive world. Eunice had an older sister who had an intellectual disability, but the Kennedy's didn't seclude her from their daily adventures. She fought for everything her sister didn't have, even when it seemed like her current world would never see past society's labels.

I was shocked that I played an outstanding game and that I would be playing in the state tournament for the first time in school history. I started crying because of two very different reasons. I was happy to win the game and continue playing softball at the state tournament, but sad because my sister was the one who was suppose to be playing. My sister Ashlynn, taught me everything that I know about the game of softball. She taught me everything from tying the shoelaces on my cleats to hitting a curveball.

In the fall of 1851, she took 11 African American fugitives from Dorchester, Md. and helped them get to Canada West or Ontario(Doc B). This is important but it is not the most important thing that she did as it did not help as many people. Harriet Tubman's second greatest achievement is being a nurse during the civil war. ¨Well, missus, I´d go the hospital, I would, every morning.

Softball has always been very important to me family. My mom played in college and both of my parents played when I was growing up. My sister and I both started around the age of twelve and played all throughout high school. I decided to go a step further like my mom and play in college. I was so excited to meet all kinds of new people and play the game we all love, but I never thought it would be as challenging as it has been for me this year.

That fall I joined the cross country team and lettered varsity. Later in the spring I joined my high school’s musical, and a year later I got the lead role. These were two things I ended up loving throughout my high school career that I never would’ve had the courage to try if I had stayed in my comfort zone of playing softball. I knew I had given up a major part of who I was, but what I didn’t know was all the other new experiences and people waiting behind that door. The injury itself was a brutal ending to a big part of what I thought made me who I was.

I will be the first to admit that adjusting to parenthood alone was rough, and sometimes even now almost two years later it still can be. But you live and you learn, and I get to be the best mommy I can be to my daughter Henley! We may not have everything that we want, but we have everything that we need; most of all we have each other. The way she looks up to me with those soft loving, gentle baby blue eyes and says mommy, pulls on my heartstrings big time. Henley's father never stepped up to be the parent he should have been, but that is okay because I get to be both for

I played a little softball when I was younger with my brothers. You can say I looked up to them, I pretty much had too. I’m the youngest and the only girl in the family. We started playing softball with are cousin’s at the park. They tried to teach me how to catch and throw the ball.

In one of my softball games my freshman year we had begun to practice before the game and I had been put at third base in the game. During warm-up/ practice the coach had been hitting balls in consecutive order. The first ball it to me, I missed, my teammates said “It’s okay Cassidy, take another one!” So, I asked my coach for another one, I fumbled with that ball. They replied with “Don’t worry about it Cassidy! Next one is yours!” I had asked my coach for the third ball and as it was coming to me I bent to scoop it you and I tripped over my own shoes.

I was in Traverse City last year with my team for a softball tournament. It was the fifth inning of our morning game, we were down by a few runs and I was on deck. “There is one out,” I thought to myself “I have to get on base.” Maddy (who was just up) hit the ball and was on first. Now it was my turn. I started my journey to the plate.

My partner is Cathryn Cusano, she has lived in Easton, Pennsylvania throughout her entire life. Cathryn has a love for softball and has played ever since she was a little girl. During Cathryn’s senior year of high school she had multiple offers to play softball for elite colleges in the area. She started out having an amazing season, the team was also thriving which eventually resulted in them making it to the playoffs. It was the first round of playoffs and Cathryn was on first base, one of her teammates was up to bat.

I gave up most of my social life in middle school and high school. Thankfully, I had my parents who always told me family and school come first. I started to get recruited at the age of thirteen. I was flying across the country for this sport. Playing college softball was one of my goals,

She also was the first woman to throw batting practice to all 30 MLB teams. She once said, “If you tell a girl she can’t play baseball, what else is she going to believe she can’t do. If you tell a girl she can play baseball, what is she going to believe she can do.” That quote is one all of us girl ball players carry around with us. Ever since listening to that quote, I have committed my time to helping women and girls play baseball. Over the years I have been able to create a face for myself in Plymouth Canton Little League, throwing a perfect game, 18 batters up and 18 batters down, becoming the only girl in the city to do that.