Essay about Advances in Parkinson’s Disease - 1345 Words

About seven million people worldwide, one million people in America, and about 60,000 new people every year are all affected by one disease (Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, Statistics). That disease is Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s takes away little things like movement that many of us take for granted. Lives are changed because of Parkinson’s, but there is hope. Through medical breakthroughs discovered in recent years, my grandpa and many others suffering from Parkinson’s disease have a chance at a better life. History of Parkinson’s Disease Signs or symptoms of Parkinson’s disease have been recorded from years dating all the way back to about 1000 B.C., but the first actual medical diagnosis of the disease was done by James†¦show more content†¦This lead to what we know today (Dauer and Przedborski). Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder in which the dopamine making neurons in the brain slowly die. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that aids in movement, cognitive thinking, and many more things, so people with Parkinson’s disease usually have a tougher time getting around and thinking clearly. When the dopamine deteriorates, the neurons slowly die. Although scientists know that the loss of dopamine is what causes Parkinson’s disease, they still do not know what causes the dopamine to start deteriorating. â€Å"Many believe that by understanding the sequence of events that leads to the loss of dopamine cells, scientists will be able to deve lop treatments to stop or reverse the disease† (Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, Causes). Through advances in the technological world, scientists are being able to research in ways that some people may have never thought would be possible. People with Parkinson’s disease My grandpa, R. Gale Desmond, has Parkinson’s disease. About five years ago, he started having tremors and decided to go to the doctor find out what was wrong. â€Å"I wasn’t surprised when it was (Parkinson’s)† (R. Desmond). Gale was a fairly mobile 80 year old but he has slowly become less mobile because of stiffness, lack of balance, and difficulty of movement due to the loss of neurons with dopamine. Even while being in his late 70’s and early 80’s, he was active and would go outside and rakeShow MoreRelatedParkinson s Disease As A Medical Condition1437 Words   |  6 PagesParkinson’s disease has been known about since ancient times. In AD 175, the physician Galen described it as â€Å"shaking palsy† in Western medical literature. It wasn’t until 1817 that a London doctor, named James Parkinson, wrote a detailed medical essay on this disease. This essay established Parkinsonâ₠¬â„¢s disease as a recognized medical condition. He based the essay off of six cases he had observed previously and hoped that it would encourage others to study the disease. No such research was performedRead More Parkinsons Disease Essay643 Words   |  3 Pages James Parkinson first discovered Parkinsons Disease in 1817. Parkinsons Disease is a common neurologic disorder for the elderly. It is a disorder of the brain characterized by shaking and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination. This disease is associated with damage to a part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Parkinsons Disease is a chronic illness that is still being extensively studied. Parkinsons Disease has caused problems for many people in this world and plaguedRead MoreParkinson s Disease And The Disease1336 Words   |  6 PagesParkinson’s disease is a chronic disorder of the nervous system with a gradual onset that primarily affects the body’s motor system. The symptoms of the disease are mainly caused by the death of dopamine-producing cells in the midbrain. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that, among other things, is responsible for playing a role in how the brain controls bodily movements. Therefore, the cardinal symptoms of the disease are movement related, including tremor and rigid, jerky movements. Parkinson’sRead More Parkinson’s Disease and Medical Treatment Options Essay1544 Words   |  7 PagesParkinson’s Disease and Medical Treatment Options For many 50 year olds, tasks such as writing or walking can be easily preformed without much attention. In fact, the term â€Å"task† seems to stress that there is a greater level of effort than is truly exerted in order for the average person to perform these actions. However, for a patient of Parkinson’s Disease who is diagnosed on average at the age of 50, these every day activities take a great deal of time, attention, and effort to be preformedRead MorePSY 410 Week 3 Neurocognitive and Neurodevelopmental Paper 1427 Words   |  6 Pagescognitive ability because of brain damage and the disease. Comprehending the brain areas that are affected by neurocognitive disorders involving personality change after brain damage, behaviors, and mood swings gives researchers a better grasp on understanding biological underpinnings of several issues in abnormal psychology. The second most common neurodegenerative disorder is Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is found more in men than women. This disease is characterized by motor symptoms involvingRead MoreA Research Study On Stem Cell Research Essay1265 Words   |  6 Pagesleft over from in vitro fertilization procedures to search for potential treatments or ways to prevent diseases such as Parkinson s disease, Alzheimer s, diabetes and other conditions.† (Gardner). Although there is controversy behind stem cells, the majority of Americans support scientists in stem cell research. Stem cell research is beneficial because they can help treat Parkinson’s disease, replace or repair damaged organs, and they specialize undifferentiated cells. The term stem cell was firstRead MoreExamining the Health Care Needs of a Patient with Parkinson’s Disease555 Words   |  3 PagesParkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder of the brain that affects muscle function (PubMed, 2006). This type of diagnosis may lead to symptoms consisting of drooling, problems with walking, slowed movements, loss of minor hand motions, and issues swallowing (PubMed, 2006). The onset of this illness usually occurs in the latter stages of life after the age of 50 (Baker Gershanik, 2006). Because Parkinson’s is a slow progressively debilitating disease, the sick require constant attentionRead MoreThe Debate Over Stem Cell Research1507 Words   |  7 Pagesto as the â€Å"building blocks of nature† due to their ability to transform into any type of cell in the human body. The controversy behind the use of stem cells is the possible chance that stem cells can regenerate organs, and cure life-threatening diseases. This topic has been publicly discussed among scientists and healthcare professionals. There are different types of stem cells, such as regular, cancer, embryonic and adult (Jun Zhang et al. 2). This brings up ethical concerns: whether destroyingRead MoreDiagnosis To arrive at an accurate diagnosis of the disease is a hideous task both for the doctor1700 Words   |  7 PagesDiagnosis To arrive at an accurate diagnosis of the disease is a hideous task both for the doctor as well as family members. Patient should be accompanied with a reliable person while visiting doctor. There are various stages of Parkinsons disease and its severity of symptoms vary from patient to patient. One of the most popular test that measure range of mobility is Hoehn and Yahr Staging of Parkinsons Disease that gives scale ranking of symptoms from 0-5. Number increases with increased severityRead MoreNeururological Disorders1236 Words   |  5 PagesR. (2000, January 18). Patent US6016449 - System for treatment of neurological disorders. Retrieved October 23, 2017, from https://www.google.com/patents/US6016449 For the treatment of neurological disorders such as epilepsy, migraines, and Parkinson’s disease, electrodes used as a responsive system would be placed close to the brain or within the brain tissue. When an episode would arise in the patient, signals from the EEG would be processed in signal conditioning in a control module that has been

Power of Speech - 1450 Words

Rachel Gifford Ms. Heather McIntosh AP Language and Composition 17 May 2013 Words Not So Easily Forgotten Some people say that the pen is mightier than the sword. Language leaves a deeper scar than a sword ever could. Any form of language can harm a person physically, emotionally, and mentally. A scar from a sword will heal, but a scar from language stays with a person forever. Language has the potential to harm a person’s physical state. In many sports, the athlete’s performance is considered to be based off of their physical and mental abilities, almost equally. The athletes with negative and discouraging attitudes do not perform as well due to the fact that â€Å"we control matter because we control the mind. Reality is inside the†¦show more content†¦Just by the way someone presents their words can create opinions about that person. Violence leaves a less memorable mark in a person’s memory than words have. In my experience when it comes to physical fights, I was not really hurt, any injuries I had healed quickly. I also soon forget all about the fight as if it never happened. When it comes to being verbally bullied, those memories still replay in my head like a movie. I can still feel how it felt years ago when those harmful words were spoken to me. Those memories also bring feelings of regret, for not speaking up for myself. I sometimes replay the situation in my head and speak up for myself, as if it would change something, but it never does. Those emotional wounds still have not healed after many years, where as my physical wounds healed quickly. My memories leave me stuck in emotional regret. Language also has the potential to affect someone’s mental state. There comes a point in life where one must start to think for themselves. In 1984, the main character Winston states, â€Å"She had not a thought in her head that was not a slogan, and there was no imbecility, absolutely none, that she was not capable of swallowing if the Party handed it out to her† (Orwell 67).When a person is constantly taught the same idea over and over it becomes stuck in their head. If aShow MoreRelatedSpeech : The Power Of Speech1770 Words   |  8 Pages The Power of Speech Speech is a powerful tool, if used correctly. Speech can do many things, but there are two main things that speech is the best at. It can create and embellish as it pleases. Well-spoken words can also twist the truth and manipulate. Richard the Third is an excellent example of both these attributes. Richard uses the power of speech to gain what he wants. He shows the success that this tool can bring if used carefully. Richard makes himself a saint, a simple disabled innocentRead MoreFreedom Of Speech : The Power Of Freedom Of Speech1860 Words   |  8 Pages Freedom of speech would be easy if words did not have power. Guaranteeing people, the right to say and print whatever they wanted would be easy if we could believe that words had no real effect. But unfortunately, Americans tend to believe that words do have power and that they can anger and inspire, cause people to rise up and act out in harmful ways. Americans celebrate speakers like James Otis, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin L uther King, Jr., whose words inspired people to fight for independenceRead MoreThe Power Of Speech By Janie1957 Words   |  8 Pages The Power of Speech. Throughout her life, Janie has always been told what to do. She could not express herself without being criticized. She is not given the chance to make decisions for herself because she is a woman and women were to expected to obey and not talk back. It is deemed wrong anytime she tries to stand up for herself. Throughout Janie’s life seems to be is controlled by others, first her grandmother, then Logan Killicks, and Joe Starks. Janie’s first husband Logan, thinks a JanieRead MoreSpeech Is Power Of Speech Changed The Course Of History Essay1613 Words   |  7 PagesRalph Waldo Emerson expressed the importance of speech in one short sentence: â€Å"Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.† In 2008, the power of speech changed the course of history; the first African American president was elected, transcending years of racial inequality. For many blacks in the U.S., and many around the world, Barack Obama’s presidency was a step closer to righting America’s 400-year-old wrong: slavery and subsequent discrimination toward the black race. Obama’sRead MorePower Tactics, Power Speech, And Power Nonverbals Used In The Movie1075 Words   |  5 Pages 6. How are power tactics, power speech, and power nonverbals used in the movie? Give one example of each from the movie Power tactics are defined by the Forsyth text (p 254) as â€Å"specific strategies used to influence others, usually to gain a particular objective or advantage.† People will vary in their use of tactics to get there way, especially depending on where they stand in a group. Tactics are utilized from the time deliberations begin in the film. The garage owner engages in expertise tacticsRead MoreJulius Caesar Power Of Speech921 Words   |  4 PagesMarissa Cheslock Mrs. Satchwell Honors English 9 B3 9 October 2017 The Power of Loyalty William Shakespeare, one of the most profound writers in all of history, skillfully used the character of Mark Antony in his play, Julius Caesar, in order to verify true the theme that loyalty and respect are two of the most extremely convincing tactics. He demonstrates the power of speech as he is manipulating words in order to prove a certain point in the speaker’s favor, whoever that may be. Mark Antony wasRead MoreThe Power Of Peace Speech Summary767 Words   |  4 Pages The Power of Peace During his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Martin Luther King Jr. declared, â€Å"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.† As a model for the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. attested to the effectiveness of a nonviolent approach to difficult situations. Cesar Chavez urges the importance of a peaceful approach to every situation, and emphasizesRead MorePersuasive Speech : Solar Power1022 Words   |  5 Pages SOLAR POWER General Purpose: To persuade Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to use more solar power, to save money and help the environment. Introduction Attention Getter: We are 90 million miles from the sun, but in merely ten minutes light travels all of that distance to the earth. This extraordinary speed and natural light can help us to power homes and businesses with the use of solar panels. Reason to Lister: NaturalRead MorePersuasive Speech : Girl Power 1448 Words   |  6 Pagesthe concept will make society appear friendly. - - - Innovative invention for decades have by habit woken up our youth culture from their hormonal apathetic doldrums - I confess, it has been a durable sleep since Britpop and that exhaustive Girl Power message which energised youth culture to fever pitch. Youth culture overtax surely, I recall watching our youth culture engaging in Spice mania thinking, you ll better stop, or you will burn yourselves out by the time you are a young adult...Read MoreInformative Speech On Nuclear Power753 Words   |  4 Pagescivilization. And hydroelectric and thermal power plants are not as clean and economical for the modern rhythm of life. Thesis: One of the solutions is nuclear power. The basis of nuclear power are nuclear power plants. The use of nuclear energy in the modern world is becoming so important that if we woke tomorrow and the energy of nuclear reaction disappeared, the world, as we know it, would probably cease to exist. Preview: so what is this nuclear power, how does it work? And is it that safe as

Just A Pot Of Basil Free Essays

string(72) " it in a big basil pot and covered it with moss, soil, and basil seeds\." At the age of eight one of my favorite things to do was dream about living in a time where gigantic beasts loomed over the earth. Form the gigantasaurus to the brontosaurus I enjoyed anything from the Precambrian period. I grew to appreciate the monstrous creatures even more after I took my first trip to the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh. We will write a custom essay sample on Just A Pot Of Basil or any similar topic only for you Order Now I had never seen such elaborate displays of marvelous full-scale dinosaurs, since I was accustomed to seeing them no larger than the height of a book or television screen. I recall roaming through the many displays pretending that I was one of them. Usually, I pretended to be the Troodon, a species that is thought to have the largest brain in proportion to the rest of its body. Even though I was smaller than the rest of the dinosaurs, I always knew that I could outsmart them if I was a clever Troodon. Of course I would forget that they had been extinct for millions of years, as the plaques in front of the enormous exhibits reminded those who were tall enough to read them. But I carried on in my world of dinosaurs while I was in the museum, free to dream as I cared to. The distance and time between the real dinosaurs and I disappeared when I was in the museum, in my little world. Therein lies the significant difference between seeing and imagining, and being told or influenced, that is, being mystified. Mystification, as the art critic John Berger in Ways of Seeing explains, is the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident (Berger 112). I was instantly captivated from the moment I saw the tied-together skeletons stretching as high as my own house; should I have cared about the petty details that would have distracted me from my own imagination? Original paintings are silent and still in a sense that information never is (Berger 125). The skeletal remains of ancient beasts strung up give only a portion of what such creatures really were millions of years ago. The color of their skin, the texture of their bodies, or even the size of their internal organs are just a few of the endless questions that remain unanswered, lost over time. But museums give something more than any book could ever tell, and that is the real life experience of seeing what could never be perceived otherwise. When life breathed through the dinosaurs they were never frozen into a perfect stance like they are portrayed in museums. Our imagination allows us to fathom what it really may have been like, but the past remains where it is, and can only at its best be relived in movies or museums or our imagination. Museums have never made me feel awkward or uneasy, they come as second nature to me. I enjoy being enveloped by a different emotion each time I look at the skeleton of a dinosaur, or see a mummified pharaoh, or even a beautiful painting of a landscape. I have always been able to let everything go, and be consumed by a striking or stunning image. The wonderful thing about museums is that every few feet there lies an artist waiting to draw you into their world. Artists and their works contained within a single building span over centuries and continents. All contain different points of view and expresses it to the best of their abilities. Today we see the art of the past as nobody saw it before. We actually perceive it in a different way (Berger 112). History meets in a museum, and constantly forms new accounts through time. Each day that passes we have gained something which may add to our overall perception of the world around us. This is why Berger claims that we see things differently and therefore there exists no definitive account of exactly the way things were at any specific moment in time. It is lost forever, and at best, can only be saved in an altered form. There is something magical about the power of the atmosphere of a museum. The silence is filled with a sea of thoughts running through viewers minds. When I first saw John White Alexander s painting Isabella and the Pot of Basil I was immediately captivated. Even my first glance told me that there was something more to the large pot in the painting than meets the eye. In a painting all its elements are there to be seen simultaneously (Berger 121). What the eye can perceive in an instant may take pages to explain. There lies the beauty of art. One glance at Alexander s work captivated me instantly. There lives some hidden secret inside the woman s soul that lay next to the pot. And sure enough, the small plaque beside the painting described a story that told me that my assumptions were correct. The painting was written as a reflection of a poem written by John Keats. Here, briefly, is the story of Isabella and the Pot of Basil. Isabella had two brothers that expected her to marry a well-endowed man so they could collect a significant dowry from her marriage. But Isabella never married, and fell in love with a carpenter named Lorenzo, who was working for brothers. The two were madly in love, and visited each other frequently whenever they were certain that no one could find them together. Soon though, a brother learned of their secret, and the two brothers took Lorenzo into the woods, killed him, and buried him in a shallow grave. One night while Isabella was wailing in bed over the mysterious disappearance of her supposed runaway love, Lorenzo’s ghost came to her and described the occurrences and location of Lorenzo s body. Isabella went to Lorenzo s grave, cut off his head, and took it back home with her where she put it in a big basil pot and covered it with moss, soil, and basil seeds. You read "Just A Pot Of Basil" in category "Essay examples" She watered the seeds with rose water and her own tears and talked to her basil until it grew incredibly lush. After her brothers stole her basil pot, Isabella died of misery and heartbreak, singing a song about the loss of her basil and love. Alexander was able to condense this entire love story into a single painting. Without having read the 500-line poem or at least having some knowledge of the story, the average viewer would never have guessed that her lover s head was contained in the pot. The emotions contained within Isabella and her sacred pot reach beyond words. The pain that she felt consumed her to the point of her own death, where no words can exist. Depicted in the painting is not just a sad woman, but a woman who is about to die, sick and miserable with heartbreak, love, and loneliness. The meaning of an image is changed according to what one seen immediately beside it or what comes immediately after it. [It] is distributed over the whole context on which it appears (Berger 123). Only after reading the small plaque beside the work and continued research after visiting completed my perception on the almost life sized piece of art. These important clues added to what I could deduce from the painting. Without them I would merely have seen just a pot of basil and a woman lying next to it. History is a mystery that is continually being investigated. Without knowing the past no deductions can be made of the present. Alexander captures Isabella in a moment of perfect stillness. Perhaps she is already dead in the artist s eyes, lying beside her love, their souls reunited. The barren space below the pot could contain the spiritual body of Lorenzo. Alexander seems to have purposefully left the open space on the right side of the painting for his spirit next to her. Isabella has her eyes closed and her hand is gingerly extended. Her two fingertips brush against the side of the pot, as if she s imagining the pot to be his face. Her neck appears slightly extended as if she were giving the curved pot a gentle kiss. The stench that must have emanated from the pot would have been almost unbearable to others, yet somehow the power of love caused Isabella to ignore all reason and sanity as her soul sought for her love and mercy. White flowers contrast with the overall melancholy of the image yet also add just the right touch of beauty, innocence, and peace. There are several of these flowers directly under the pot and another at the base of Isabella s feet. This white represents the purity of their love that was so terribly destroyed by her evil brothers. The tear of her garment on her right shoulder shows her distress and her apathy towards her self-appearance. Isabella s soul can be at ease once she is reunited with her beloved Lorenzo; her physical condition no longer matters. There are of course many other paintings depicting Isabella and the Pot of Basil, but none seemed to capture the emotion as well as Alexander does. His art is powerful, captivating, and entices the viewer to look deeper, to learn more, and to almost feel the emotions raging through the canvas. The moment I saw the painting, I knew that there was more to it. The stillness that Alexander recreates reaches beyond words, and required only the same silence in return. The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe When in love, the sight of the beloved has a completeness which no words and no embrace can match (Berger 106). Perhaps my heart goes out to Isabella, for I myself am in love and can reconcile with what she may have felt. Even if Isabella was just a fictional character for both Keats and Alexander the emotional consequence of such a painting is undeniable. The love between a man and a woman knows no end, and its eternity continues through people of all time and nations. Of course we are all granted different perspectives, but there lies a central burning passion about love which can only be depicted as a fraction of its entirety. Thus, love in fact, [closes] the distance between the painting of the picture and one s own looking at it (Berger 125). The research that I completed on Isabella and the Pot of Basil introduced a different and more in depth perspective on the work. Without reading the corresponding poem, I would perhaps have seen only a woman standing next to her favorite pot, and be left to imagine what more was involved. My intuition told me that there was more to the painting than what first met my eye. The observations and assumptions that I made based on the picture and poem are based completely my own deductions and learned assumptions that I have acquired throughout my life. Therefore, if John Berger had looked at this image in the same atmosphere as I did, he could have seen something completely different. Therein lies the truest beauty of art, for art is capable of capturing and recreating a moment lost in time without regard to the opinions of those who will see it. Art is beautiful often because we make it beautiful. Big ugly dinosaurs are certainly not beautiful to most, but to me as an eight-year-old, they most definitely were. Being told what is beautiful and what meaning lies behind a painting is the epitome of mystification. According to Berger this lends [undeserved] authority (121) to the artist. The image now illustrates the sentence (Berger 122). And thus, whatever thoughts a viewer has conjured about a painting or work of art are lost, negated, or skewed, yet it provides a strong basis for interpretation. The painting by Alexander exemplifies the poem by Keats. In many instances, poetry is associated with a visual image, but provides only the framework from which a perception of an image can be formulated. Words help set the tone, yet can never deter from the heart of work. I prefer to say that sentences help to illustrate an image. And John Berger would most certainly agree that there is much more to Alexander s work than just Isabella and a pot of basil. How to cite Just A Pot Of Basil, Essay examples

Artifacts Essay free essay sample

In â€Å"Rebel Music†, Daniel Felsenfeld delves into the inspirations he has drawn from music in his childhood. He tells of the struggles he experienced and the lack of inspiration from mandatory piano lessons from Ms. Shimizu. Although he dazzled her every time, he never felt connected to the music. Felsenfeld reminisced, â€Å"I was experiencing a personal drought, an acrid lack of culture of all kinds, especially music† (Felsenfeld 624). After he heard Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony while with a friend, he had an epiphany. He felt that in this moment, he heard music for the first time. From then on, he became obsessed and revolved his entire life around it. He then went on to become a composer despite his non-musical family background. Felsenfeld’s passion for music as a child encouraged him to be the person he is today, which is similar to the way gymnastics influenced my life. Gymnastics was a huge part of my life growing up, and I realize now that the sport allowed me to learn the valuable traits I use today. We will write a custom essay sample on Artifacts Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Being a gymnast taught me many things but especially how to be dedicated, how to be a team player and how to never give up. To begin, being a gymnast when I was younger taught me how to be dedicated. When I was a child, I would spend five hours, five days a week training in the gym. Although I was only in middle school, I was taught that practice was the only way to be successful. My day was planned out to the minute and it was to be strictly followed. I would wake up in the morning, eat breakfast and head to school. When school was over, my mother would drive me to the gym and I would have exactly two hours to do homework. At four o’clock, practice started and did not end until nine p. m. I would then eat dinner and go to bed. The next morning, it would start all over again. Although I practiced year round, competition season was always the most grueling. Practice got harder and we had to be even more devoted during this time. Even though it seemed to be somewhat too demanding of someone my age, doing well at a competition made up for all the hard work. When my name was announced to go stand on the podium, my heart would race and I knew that the commitment I showed paid off. No matter what though, I always felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. I knew that all of my dedication was the sole reason that I received that medal. Currently, I know that gymnastics has shaped me into the young woman I am today. Every morning when I wake up to go to my morning classes I realize that I can only handle this because of the values that were instilled into me by the grueling sport. I have managed to keep the sense of dedication throughout the years and continue to keep up the habit. I know that if I work hard, then everything in life can be accomplished. In school specifically, I know that if I stay dedicated to my schedule I will graduate and earn the diploma I need for a career. Gymnastics will forever influence my behavior and has given me the strength to stay dedicated to any task that I have taken on. Not only has gymnastics taught me how to be dedicated, but it has also taught me how to be a team player. Most people assume that gymnastics is solely an individual sport. However, they are extremely mistaken. Although an individual gymnast must work hard to pursue their goals and place well in competitions, they must also keep their entire team in mind. At the end of the individual scoring at a meet they always give an award to the top placing team. A gym must always work together and perform to their very best so they can achieve a gold medal together. Winning a gold medal as a team is a high honor that only certain organizations who can work together can obtain. Every gymnast must realize that gymnastics is not only for their benefit, but their teammates as well. When a team receives a first place, it boosts morale and even helps with the reputation. Luckily, my gym had a reputation to be one of the best, so everyone who was on the team knew there was a certain standard to be held. I knew, as well as everyone else that, that in order to place well, we must work hard as a team. We had to motivate and push each other to do well. Since I was taught teamwork, working as a waitress has come naturally. I know that to be successful in the workplace you must work together as team. Currently, I am a waitress at a restaurant. I have realized that in order to help every guest to fullest, I must work together with my coworkers. If the guest feels that everyone in the entire restaurant is there to help them, they tend to be happier and in the end, tip better. Therefore, gymnastics has taught me to be a team player and has even made a habit out of it. As well as dedication and teamwork, gymnastics has also taught me how to never give up. As a gymnast, I was constantly working on skills and getting stronger. Sometimes though, it would take days, months or even weeks to perfect the skills I was working on. Even though I wasn’t able to do the trick the first time, I knew that if I didn’t give up, I would eventually achieve my goal. Not only were the skills gradually getting more difficult, my back injury was also getting worse. Therefore, not only was I going against my body, I was also trying to achieve something a normal middle school student could not do. Although my injury eventually forced me to give up the sport entirely, it influenced and molded me into the person I am today. I remember for about a month before I had to give up the sport, I was working on trying to master a back handspring on the balance beam. Unfortunately, this put a lot of strain on my back and I couldn’t manage to do it. I kept trying and trying so that I could finally accomplish it. I knew that my time as a gymnast was slowly coming to an end, but I had to learn the skill before I quit. Eventually, I managed to work my way up to doing it, but knew that was probably the last thing I could do without hurting my back even worse. Although I did end up having to quit the sport, I knew that my determination allowed me to accomplish one more thing, and that was all that mattered. In everything I do, I know that if I continue to try, no matter how many times it takes, I will eventually be successful. All I have to do to is put my mind to whatever I am trying to accomplish and stay determined. Even as a college student, I use this determination every day. I know that if I can pass the prerequisite classes that I am taking, I can eventually be accepted into the radiology program I’m striving for. All I need to do is stay focused and determined. Thankfully, being a gymnast when I was younger has taught me to stay focused and determined no matter what. In conclusion, gymnastics was a tough and strict sport that took up a lot of time as a child. Although the sport took a lot out of me and even contributed to some of the lifetime injuries that I have, I know that the values I learned will forever stay with me. Not only did gymnastics teach me some really neat tricks, it also taught me how to be dedicated, how to be a team player and how to be determined. Throughout my life after gymnastics, I realized that these lessons have really influenced the way I do things. Hopefully, these values will never be forgotten so that I can lead a successful college and professional career. I know that as long I keep these values in mind and use them to my advantage, I won’t have any issues at all. Even if there are some obstacles along the way, I should be able to stay determined and my goals will be reached.