By HANNAH STROOT

One of the choices I made was realizing how important education was. While in high school I spent countless hours studying and trying to learn all that I could. Sometimes I had to miss social events and gatherings with my friends in order to do my work.

I knew, however, that I wanted to be the best I could be and doing my best in school was going to help me get there. I knew all my hard work, to learn as much as I could and be committed to school, would be worth it someday.

Another choice I made was to be dedicated in the sports I played. I chose to make all practices and work out on my own in order to be the best I could be. Sometimes there were struggles, sometimes there was heartache, but I chose to stick with it through thick and thin. Every experience, whether it was positive or negative, was a good one and I grew from it.

Having a job also impacted my life. From this I learned great responsibility. I discovered how to work with the public. I learned that having a job meant doing not just the glamorous and fun things, but also the tedious and hard things, too. Even though there was stress in the food industry, this experience helped spark my interest in the culinary business.

I have made many important choices in my life that helped shape my future, but the biggest choice I made was to accept Jesus Christ in my heart. During the summer of 2007, I attended a TEC. As a result, my eyes and my heart were opened to what was really important in life. Because of this decision, I became a more active and proactive Christian. This choice impacted my life for today and for the future.