My eyes stared at the top shelf of my bookcase. I counted eight trophies, three ribbons, and two game balls. The medal I was adding to the collection was the one I am the proudest of. I glanced down at the golf ball sized bronze medal and the little orange ribbon attached to it. It read "Special Olympics Soccer: 3rd place". I thought about the tournament I just arrived from. We lost all five games, we didn't score once, but more importantly, we didn't care. Smiling, I relived the time where I told my team we won second place. I wasn't going to erase their gigantic grins by telling them there are only two teams; I let them exchange hugs and high-fives among each other before doing the same with me. Completing my bar-mitzvah required me to find someplace where I could volunteer for half-a-year. Special Olympics …show more content…
As I continued, I discovered myself changing into a leader and becoming eager to help. Using the leadership from that field, I applied it to the rest of my life, becoming the Editor-in-Chief of my school’s yearbook and beginning to lead discussions in class instead of counting the minutes until next period. Immediately, Special Olympics forced me to be open-minded and more accepting. Instead of staring and feeling sorry for those special individuals, I grew aware and saw they craved friends, not sympathy. I recognized that merely because they are different, doesn't mean I must treat them differently. This realization taught me to both notice and look past people's differences. Unlike my former self, I welcomed them and created personal bonds. It didn't matter if they were five or fifty, autistic or physically-impaired, or athletic or non-competitive; no matter the circumstances, we became friends. If it's talking about baseball or discussing our favorite movies, I discovered we all shared something in