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Personal Narrative: My Junior Year In High School

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My junior year was especially significant to me. I was off to a great start - I was doing well in my classes, and competing strongly on the cross country team. I had just finished a race with my fastest time, which qualified me for the varsity team. The same week as that qualifying race, I fell and I got a concussion. As a result, I had to take 2 weeks off from school and stop running while I recovered. As much as I wanted to continue on my trajectory, I had to be disciplined with what I could do and recover steadily and slowly so I wouldn 't have any setbacks. I eased back into school with partial days, and after more rest, I began to run again. I worked hard to catch up on the work in my classes and to rebuild my strength and stamina for …show more content…

In September of my Senior year, almost exactly a year to date from my first concussion, I was on a bus which swerved sharply, and my head hit a partition wall. I was diagnosed with a second concussion. I couldn 't believe it - but I also knew what I had to do to recover quickly and strongly. I missed 4 days of school before returning and attending a few half days to stay on top of my class material. My most difficult class, Economics, was particularly challenging, and while I enjoyed my teacher, I found him very intimidating. Nonetheless, I continually reached out to my him before and after class to cement my understanding of the material. On my progress report mid-semester, he noted that I was his most persistent student and he enjoyed having me in his class. I finished my first semester once again with A 's and B 's (and a new favorite teacher).

While I would definitely not call my concussion an accomplishment, it gave me an opportunity to experience many accomplishments. My concussion has proven my resilience. It 's helped me to develop tools to motivate myself and stay grounded, to cope with stress and grief. It 's taught me that in the face of challenges to not give up. When I had my second concussion, I did not give up - I knew exactly what I had to do to get through my recovery and come out strong. These are qualities and skills that I have and that will apply to life, and that is an

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