Thomas Jefferson High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
The trip to the emergency room in 2015 remains hazy, but the diagnosis handed to me remains as clear as the night it transpired: Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
What mattered to me in the summer of 2015 was learning to live with a chronic disease. Confusion was my most frequent emotion during that time as I coped with my state moving forward. How will diabetes affect my schooling, if at all? Will this disease ever go away, or at least improve? Am I still able to play football, or must I sacrifice the sport I love?
I have awoken every morning, since that day, fully aware that I have a life-long disease. My acceptance of its implications has forced me to grow and mature as a young adult. I worried that T1D would hinder my ability to learn. In an ironic twist, nothing in my whole life taught me more about determination and persistence than my ailment. The minute details I pay close attention to regarding my disease have not only built my current skill set, but also require constant skill enhancement to maintain my health. My disease persists, along with my ever-changing abilities to combat it and any other obstacle that enters my path.
Through my diagnosis, I gained an appreciation for life most teenagers could never fathom and ignited a passion to live each and every day to the fullest. Through the eyes of a person who must strictly regiment each day to survive, I am driven to light the same passion in others facing challenges. In today’s world of “participation trophies,” young people do not receive enough exposure to true role models willing to commit to the hard work. I strive to make an impact by volunteering as a mentor for elementary school students and as a coach for aspiring football players with Down Syndrome. Although talking about myself takes me outside of my comfort zone, I volunteer with JDRF as a motivational speaker -motivating and encouraging newly diagnosed children by sharing my T1D journey and demonstrating that it is possible to not only live with this chronic disease, but to thrive in spite of it.
The self-discipline Type 1 diabetes mandates propelled me to heights I had never dreamt possible. Since beginning kindergarten, I have maintained perfect school attendance. With my football brothers, and as team co-captain, my high school football career culminated on December 5, 2019 with Thomas Jefferson High School’s PIAA State Championship Title. In addition, through commitment to excellence in all aspects of life, I maintain a 4.23 GPA, earned the KDKA TV Scholar/Athlete Extra Effort Award, and am the peer-elected Secretary of the National Honor Society. This fall, as I realize an implausible goal to continue my academic and football career at Princeton University, my reach to encourage and motivate others facing challenges will grow immensely. I will utilize the vast Princeton network and its extensive platform to connect with countless others and set alight this same passion for life.