Attaining a college athletic scholarship is not an easy goal to achieve. Not only is athleticism required, but so is a good grade point average. I had to work hard in both the classroom, and the gymnasium to receive a full athletic scholarship. Basketball had always been my favorite sport growing up. I knew that if I could become an exceptional ball player, I could get my academics after high school paid for. It also meant that the financial burden of putting a child through college, would be taken off my parents shoulders. Physically, God gave me good materials to build with. I put my 6'7" body through rigorous drills, training, and conditioning to become the best basketball player I could be. My peers recognized my hard work, and made me their team captain for both my junior and senior seasons. I always seemed to be my own worst critic, which was both a blessing and a curse. At times it would push me harder, to a higher level of competition. There were other times however, that I would get to hard on myself and not be able to overcome the frustration of performing well. That may have been my largest hurdle in achieving success in basketball, but gradually I learned to channel the majority of my self criticism into positive energy. In the classroom, I studied hard and often. I graduated high school with a GPA of 3.8. I knew that to be offered an athletic scholarship, my grades would have to be just as good as my abilities on the basketball court. Keeping the end goal in the back of my mind, always helped to push me through all of my classes, and strive for a good grade. While putting myself through all the hard training and studying was not an easy road to travel, it was the one that lead me to my goal of receiving a full ride athletic