During my senior year of high school, I was given an extraordinary leadership opportunity. I was selected by my peers to be a captain of the cross country team of 68 girls. It felt like an incredible responsibility, but I knew I was up for the challenge. Throughout the past six years I have been an avid runner, participating in both cross country and track. In 2017 I was able to set a new personal record in the 1600 meter race as well as receive an award for the most improved athlete. Running is so much of a mental and physical challenge. It took hours of work and perseverance as well as many miles of running to achieve this goal that I had set for myself. Cross country and track are unlike other sports where you play as a team and win together. Your achievements are based on the success of the individuals. It is more about personal strength and goal setting. For the most part, even though you are competing against other teams, the competition is really against yourself. During my early years as a runner, I had many highs and many lows and learned so much from each one of them. I grew passionate about the sport and began to love running. I was honored to be the captain of my team and help other girls reach their goals and create a team environment that fostered personal growth through our sport. I was able to use what I had learned from previous struggles to help others overcome theirs. I was also lucky to be working alongside four other senior captains. The five of us often had to put our personal opinions aside and make compromises for the good of the team as a whole. Being a captain and running long distance has taught me invaluable skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Being a leader is about caring for those around you and trying to better their lives by sharing your own experiences that others can learn from. It is also about teamwork and cooperation. To be a good role model, I had to realize that I was working for a goal greater than myself that would impact the lives of all the other girls on the team. Running in general has taught me that there are seasons to life. There will always be moments to celebrate and moments where I wish I could get a do-over, but in all these moments, I have learned and realized that hard work and courage can help you achieve any goal.