My Bucket List

     During high school, I was never much of a goal-oriented person. Usually my goals were to make it through the school day with the least amount of brain power used, or something along that line. I was never worried about the future, because the thought of graduation seemed too surreal, almost as if I'd be in high school forever because I had never put any thought past it. But then after I graduated, my whole way of thinking totally changed.
     I suppose I had thought about my future enough to know that I wanted to attend Iowa State and be an electrical engineer, but never any specific goals for either of them, such as GPA, an internship, or where I would like to work after. But since arriving here, I've put a substantial amount of thought into it so far.    
     While here at ISU, I have some academic and other goals I would like to achieve. GPA-wise, I am shooting for a 4.0, but realistically, anything above a 3.75 I can live with. I want to study abroad twice to two different countries, but which countries I couldn't tell you because I don't even know yet. I want to land an internship for the summer after my freshmen year and then either go back to that company for subsequent summers, or try out a longer internship with another company in my later years. Those were my academic goals, but I have more than that. I want to cheer front row for at least one football and basketball game each year. I have already gone campaniling so I have that checked off already :) And the last thing I can think of would be to do the Beardshear challenge, so I definitely have some interesting things to check off during my time here at Iowa State.
     Beyond ISU, my goal is to get a master's degree(maybe from here) and potentially a doctoral degree(I have a lot of time to rethink this, so don't judge) from an Ivy League school or MIT. The odds of this happening are probably slim, but I'm going to try to do everything to set myself up for success, and if it doesn't happen, then it's just not meant to be.
     Ok, so that takes care of all my academic goals, thank god, and now I am talking about goals for the rest of my life. My goal is to have a (very) well paying job to support my family and my adventures. I want to travel to the UK and ride on a double-decker bus. I want to go to Australia and watching kangaroos bounce around. I want to go to New Zealand and see where the filmed Lord of the Rings. I want to visit Switzerland and have some authentic swiss chocolate after skiing on their picturesque slopes. I want to hike in Alaska. I want to visit as many college football stadiums and experience the atmospheres. I want to go to a Super Bowl, the World Cup, and watching Olympic Track and Field.
     This is my bucket list, and although it is pretty long, I intend to have a long and fulfilling life to match it. I realize I may not be able to do some, or maybe many, of these wishes, but honestly, life isn't about those chosen few little trips. Sure, they make life more interesting and you have something to look forward to, but enjoying the little moments, like having fun with coworkers, or coming home to your loving family, or playing with a pet, is what makes all the difference in life.

My Story

When I was at my best, I wasn't there because I was the best, I was there because I was the happiest I'd ever been. Football was awesome, fall was in full swing, my jobs were so fun to work at, and being a senior was an amazing experience. All of these factors contributed to me being at my best, which to me, means being the happiest and having a feeling of fulfillment.
The changing of the leaves during the fall just amazes me. One of my jobs was to ref a youth soccer league. Their games were on Saturday mornings, so I was always sore and tired from football the night before. But that only made it better. Getting to watch kids run around and have fun is actually a really exhilarating thing to watch. Couple that with the fact that they played right next to the football field, and I admit I found myself reliving the previous night's game more than paying attention to rules, and that it was set against a hillside that has some of the most spectacular fall images, it was awesome.
Senior year was also in full swing. Some people say senior year was just a year they dreamed of leaving school, but that's not how I looked at it. I relished the fact that people looked up to me. I made tons of friends with the underclassmen and it was just a really fun year. I saw myself develop as a leader athletically, academically, and musically, and I loved it. Leading people that you have a respect for, and they return it, is really worth it.
Football was the time of my life and I love the sport. If you haven't played football, you don't really know what I'm talking when I say there is just a different chemistry and team camaraderie than other things. My senior year we weren't the best team,  but we were still pretty good. We didn't win as many games as we would have liked, but looking back, losing gave me a perspective that winning wouldn't have. Even after losses, we were able to still be as close a team as you can imagine, and that's what I took away from football.
You can win all the time and it's just great, but the truth is, almost nobody can win at everything. We all have times where we fall flat and just fail, but it's about getting back up, remaining who you are, and trying to get better. These things are what I can transfer to my college, and ultimately, real-world life.