Academic Challenges and Professional Goals

Please explain any academic and/or professional goals you have established for yourself and your efforts to accomplish these goals. Describe with examples of your leadership experience, in or out of school/college in which you significantly influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts: When I started college, my goal was to pick a major and stick with it until I was finished! Well I have halfway done that. I completed my undergraduate with honors in Elementary Education sticking with it until after student teaching, graduation, and certification. However, upon completion I realized that while I love children and teaching I cannot be stuck inside a building all day. Therefore, after completing my bachelors in December of 2012 I decided it was time to enroll at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and get a graduate degree in Sports Management. My goal as an educator was to be the best motivator and encourager I could be and I feel that I can also carry these goals over into sports management. With my ultimate professional goal to become an Intercollegiate Rodeo Coach. In an effort to complete this goal I chose a college in which I had heard great things about the rodeo coach and the program; thus, choosing SWOSU. As a student at SWOSU it's my goal to do my very best in every class receiving an A if possible. My goal is to show future employers that I am dedicated and I always do my best. At SWOSU I have been helping at rough stock practice in an effort to learn both sides of the arena. I have also chosen electives that I feel will help my students mentally prepare for competition. Last year and this coming year I will serve as the Central Plains Goat Tying Director. Serving as director I have studied the rule-book thoroughly with an effort to be prepared to the paperwork side of being a collegiate coach. I have worked hard to establish myself as a fierce competitor, potential coach and professional clinician. I have done this through winning the 2012 CNFR Reserve Champion Cowgirl title through hard work and a tight balance between school and practice. As a clinician I have took control of my own success making phone calls and raising money to put on many Pro bono clinics for organizations such as Range Riders Youth organization, Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, and rodeo bible camps. At these camps and clinics I have the chance to become an established leader and role model in many of these kids lives. I make it my utmost priority to keep in touch with many of these kids through email. Many of these students send me videos to critique and ask advice on questions both inside and outside of the arena. I am also the current Fellowship of Christian Cowboys-Rodeo Bible Camp Woman's Timed Event Coordinator. This means that I work to find clinicians to volunteer at more than 25 rodeo bible camps across the country in which I must find at least twelve women for each. Doing this has allowed me to meet some great people in which I have been able to lead in educating students in rodeo and a relationship with Christ. Please describe the most significant academic or personal challenge you have faced. Discuss the steps you have taken to address this challenge and what you have learned about yourself during the process: The most personal challenge I have faced is not necessary your typical physical adversary, but rather one of the mind, character, and emotions. My most personal challenge has been to overcome pride. Pride in my school work, pride in who I thought I was, and pride in my accomplishments inside the arena. The problem with pride is that it develops a mentality of fierce competition against everyone all the time. The problem with pride is that it becomes self-consuming-a place where no one else but self exists. With my goal to be successful at everything I did, I never made time for anyone else. Rather I was driven by to-do-lists and tight schedules. I have had a hard time overcoming my pride and making time for others. As a Christian I understand that God has commanded us to love your neighbor as yourself,† but when someone is consumed with their goals that doesn't leave much time for loving others. After God humbling me time and time again I finally gave up and allowed Him to be my goal; thus, replacing my pride with Him and His will. Pride has been something that has not been easy to overcome and it's something I have to overcome daily; however, I am not only getting better I am overcoming it! Through this process I have learned that I am inherently selfish and I can quickly become consumed with my self-goals of being â€Å"successful.† I have learned that success is not being the best in the classroom, arena, or life as the world sees it. Rather success is leaving people with a loving legacy. In the words of Maya Angelou – â€Å"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made