Personal Narrative: My Influences On My Development

Words: 1745
Pages: 7

Growing up, several experiences influenced my development as a unique individual. There’s a story behind my personality, what I enjoy, and the choices I make. Like most other children, my family was the first influence I had. They were the first people I knew and loved, even though growing up with them hasn’t always seemed feasible. My mom has been the most faithful person ever; even when my dad was laid off and drinking heavily, she believed everything would eventually fall into place. It did. My brother, Staven, and I knew Dad was our dad, but we didn’t really know who he was until I was about 11 and Staven was 15. Dad was just a big scary guy to us, but one day in particular showed my brother and I who he really was: the boss. We only had …show more content…
This day, back in elementary school, ended our roughhousing. It was a normal day after school, and my brother and I had done all the typical after-school tasks: eaten dinner and ice cream and watched TV. The only task that hadn’t been checked off our to-do list was to aggravate each other, but it was crossed off promptly. My brother told me if my hand was bigger than my face, I have a concussion. Completely lacking knowledge about what a concussion was and believing my big brother, the all-knowing, I put my right palm to my face and immediately felt a sharp pain in my nose. My brother was no longer my favorite brother, nor was he my dad’s favorite child. He had smacked my right hand with such a force that my nose started to bleed and I began crying. Being only 7 or 8, I thought my nose was broken for sure and overreacted. Dad must’ve heard my ear-piercing scream, because he raced up the stairs before I had a chance to run to my room. I heard a loud thud and later noticed a large, gaping hole in my brother’s …show more content…
I found most sports easy to catch on to, but volleyball was the most fun to me. I was better at volleyball than any other sport, so I stuck to that sport only. I discovered club volleyball when I was a freshman, and have only been improved since then. Because I have improved so much, I get 100% playing time on the court and I’ve even earned money to play at the school of my dreams. I owe most of my improvement to one coach in particular: Brian Hackworth. He worked on his team, individual by individual, to create a team that would work well together. By working with our players separately, Brian helped us build upon our own individual skills; it was a win-win situation for the team and individual. I owe a lot to him due to the fact that he helped me grow as a player, but he’s done so much more for me than that. He helped me grow as a leader and a person. Brian is the kind of coach that wanted to be close to his players, and with his open, goofy personality, he enabled himself to achieve that. He is a perfect example of why volleyball is so important to me: it has lead me to some of my best friends and other people who have made positive impacts on my life. I have been presented so many opportunities because of volleyball, which includes a scholarship to play at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa: my dream