AEO Activities

Swimming

For the last ten years of my life I have dedicated an enormous amount of time to striving for greatness
within the sport of swimming. I began swimming competitively at the age of eight and continued until
this past fall, when I was seventeen. As a result of a chronic shoulder injury that prevented me from
training and performing continuously at an elite level, I decided to retire from swimming. Throughout
these ten years I learned lessons that have allowed me to grow as an individual, as an athlete, and as a
student. These lessons have prompted me to become a leader, allowed me to learn the true meaning of
total commitment, and taught me the importance of teamwork and initiative.

Swimming is one of the most demanding sports as it is physically, mentally and emotionally challenging.
My usual day consisted of waking up at 4:30 AM, swimming for two hours, going to school, going back to
swimming for two hours, then doing homework until it was time to sleep. As a result of this grueling
schedule, I was able to learn many things about myself in the process. I learned how to push myself to
the brink of total exhaustion, how to dedicate myself to goals, how to persevere through hardships and
setbacks, how to handle success humbly and learn from my failures. These tools indirectly gave me
confidence to become more of a leader and a role model to younger swimmers.

An event in my career that sticks out to me as a defining moment that taught me many things was in
2016 near the end of the season. Throughout the year majority of my friends had qualified for a highly
competitive swim meet that was taking place in California. It was the beginning of May and I had not
qualified for this meet, with only one more swim meet (the Provincial Championships in early July)
remaining to do so. I distinctly recall telling myself that for the following two months I would attend
every single practice and exert myself harder than ever before. The next two months were brutally
difficult, however, I stuck to my goal of meeting the standards required to attend this prestigious
competition. By the final day of Provincials I had yet to qualify for the meet in California and I had one
event remaining, the 50m freestyle. I remember my coach talking to me about how I needed to “trust
my training,” and recall how committed I had been to my goal of qualifying for the meet in California. So,
on the final day, final event, I did qualify for the meet by destroying my personal best in the 50m
freestyle. This defining moment in my swimming career and life has given me first-hand experience and
knowledge, that hard-work, discipline and commitment do pay off. This lesson has resonated with me in
several capacities since, whether it be academically, or athletically.

The many heartbreaks and breakthroughs throughout my swimming career taught me that there is
always a reward for dedication, and this dedication can inspire others to do the same.

DECA

I decided to join the DECA club for my final year of high school as I believed it would improve my
presentation skills and provide me with many opportunities that would be beneficial for someone
aspiring to enter the world of finance. As a member of DECA, I have been challenged to think on my feet
and use the knowledge I have acquired throughout my academic career to pitch ideas that would appeal
to investors as I compete in the Entrepreneurship category. Seeing as I contest as a part of a team, I
have developed many valuable skills that would be respected in the business world, specifically in a
partnership. These skills include being an innovative leader, and team player. Teamwork is vital in DECA
as duties must be delegated to ensure success. During practices and competitions, my partner and I
regularly brainstorm ideas, choose the ones we believe would lead to the greatest success, and divide
our presentation amongst the two of us. This has improved my teamwork and leadership capabilities as I
have been forced to use these skills to have an effective presentation.

At regionals, the case study we received was based off of a start-up pottery company that was trying to
branch out and appeal to a greater audience. Neither of us (me or my partner) had any prior knowledge
of pottery, nor ways by which we could make the business model for such a company unique, so we had
to brainstorm ideas using our knowledge of accounting, economics, and marketing, to find ways to
appeal to a larger audience- the consumer. By being presented with such a challenging case, we had to
work together to find ways by which we could make this company known to more people and do so in
an effective manner.

As a young student, I had severe social anxiety when it came to public speaking, however, throughout
high school I have become accustomed to it and I believe that by partaking in a club that is heavily
reliant on one’s ability to present in front of an audience, I have further developed my presentation skills
and challenged my abilities. By doing so I have become an enthusiastic and effective presenter who in
confident in their abilities.

As a member of DECA, I feel like my leadership skills, teamwork, initiative, and breadth have been
challenged and improved as it has been a unique experience that has prompted me to develop as a
person, a student, and an aspiring business-person. By being put in time-sensitive scenarios that require
problem-solving, teamwork, and quick thinking, I believe that I have become an individual who can work
well under pressure and formulate ideas that are both relevant and contribute to any conversation.
Furthermore, this experience has allowed me to develop and further grow as a person as it has put me
in situations that are outside of my comfort zone and made me improve many skills that are vital for
future success.

Camp

Throughout the summer of grade 10 (July 2017), I volunteered at a children sports camp as I wanted to
give back to my community and introduce young individuals to the opportunities sports can provide
from them in both an experiential and learning capacity. My responsibilities included supervising all
organized activities, instructing the participants on certain techniques, and ensuring that each camper
could take away some knowledge on how athletics are beneficial to them , and will be in the future.

By acting as a leader to these children, I was able to better my leadership, presentation, and initiative
skills while simultaneously improving my breadth. Prior to this experience, I had severe social anxiety
and would avoid opportunities to speak to a large group of people, however, when the owners of the
camp asked if I would speak to the campers about my international experiences as a swimmer, I did not
want to disappoint. I told them of the amazing opportunities I had been presented with, the number of
people I had met, and the wonderful learning experienced I had faced while travelling for swimming
competitions. One child came up to me after my speech and told me about how they want to become a
swimmer too. This provided me with such joy and really alleviated my stress when I presented in the
future because I knew that what I said could help those listening.
Furthermore, This experience allowed me to develop my leadership skills as I was continually guiding the
campers to learn and grow and become the best athletes they could in a small time-frame. Throughout
the days, I would run activities for the children to participate in and enjoy and ensure that these events
ran safely and smoothly. Prior to volunteering at this camp, I had never been put in a position where I
was an authoritative figure and those around me had to listen to and follow me. This really opened my
eyes and taught me a lot about my self as it improved my confidence and ability to lead others in the
right direction. By being in a leadership role, I improved my skills through practice and experience as the
children participating in the camp were young and reluctant to listen. On several occasions the children
would run off or misbehave and this allowed me to improve my abilities to command respect and steer
children into doing the right and moral thing.

This experience helped shape me into the person I am today as it provided me with new perspectives
and allowed me to develop into a leader who can lead by example through displaying honesty,
commitment, and accountability. Furthermore, by volunteering at this camp, I improved my social skills
and confidence in being a leader by having an authoritative role and having these skills being put to test.