Cheerleading - the Most Important Experience in My Life!
I believe that in order to find a rewarding career you need to find a profession that fulfils your intellectual interests and also gives you a clear sense of purpose. Throughout college I was on the schools competitive cheerleading team. I grew up doing cheer, it was my passion, but I never thought I had the skills to be on a college team. I wanted to join an organization where I could meet other people and become more involved in the school and community while also doing something I loved.
Growing up I wasn’t the most outgoing child and being involved in competitive cheerleading I was able to express myself and come out of my shell. I knew I would regret not at least trying out for a college team, so I put in a lot of hard work and I got a private coach for the more advanced skills like tumbling. At the end my hard work paid off and I made the team! It was one of the best experiences I have been through. It provided me the opportunities to be involved socially, within the community, held me to a standard in the classroom, allowed me to compete nationally, and really gave me the opportunity to build on my strengths and excel. As a typically more reserved person, this was a chance to step out of my comfort zone and build my identity. It helped me find myself, gave me confidence, I was able to utilize my leadership and teamwork skills, it also gave me several opportunities to actively serve the community.
During my senior year I was one of the team captains, as a leader, it fell upon me to make sure that our team was adequately and proudly represented. This simple experience played a monumental role in the development of important character traits that can be used in the pursuit of a successful professional career. Although I loved cheerleading it came with a lot of injuries which meant several visits to the medical trainer’s office. I got to watch personal trainers and physical therapist do their jobs almost daily and this peaked my interest in physical therapy. Midway through my junior year I suffered a severe concussion from cheerleading, one stunt went wrong and my whole world changed. Healing and trying to stay on top of my studies was very difficult and eventually my academics started to suffer, I was not able to finish nursing school and I was back at square one. I took some time to fully heal and for a while I felt lost and devastated, I never knew how much a concussion could impact daily life or the impact it could have on my academics. Eventually I got back up and started to explore the world of physical therapy. I started shadowing a physical therapist and I enjoyed the learning experience; however, I could not see myself in the career for the rest of my life. I have always told myself I am not going to settle on something that I have doubts about, and I will take the extra steps to find where I’m supposed to be, so I was at a crossroads.
In conclusion, despite the fact that I did not create a career in cheerleading, nevertheless, this experience gave me so much important knowledge! And, who knows would I be happy if I still remained in the field of cheerleading.
