Allison's+Page

Allison's Page

Of the many forces that have shaped me into the person I am today, the most defining forces would be my family and my faith. My parents have taught me the values, manners, and morals that make me who I am today. My sister, Elizabeth, has always been a role model to me. Her actions and ideas were ultimately the ones that I took on growing up, and aided in the concretion of the values, beliefs, and morals that my parents taught me. My grandparents groomed me into a young lady and helped spark my love of learning. Because my parents chose to raise me in the church, they are also the reason for my second defining force: my faith. From my faith, I have guidance with which to live my life by and have made wonderful friendships. Another force would be my experiences in leadership through both athletics and music. Whether it be teaching young girls how to shoot a layup or planning an event for the school, I have learned how to teach and lead while still being respectful and effective. Ten years spent playing basketball has also been a force that has shaped me into who I am today. Being a team sport, basketball taught me the importance of teamwork and dedication. I learned to be unselfish and work hard for the benefit of the whole team. Similarly to basketball, my 12+ years of musicianship taught me all about dedication. Though being a musician has more often been an individual activity than team, I have learned discipline and focus through my studies. My friends are the forces that developed my sense of humor and stood by me in times of need or support, while education has been a major factor that has helped broaden my horizons and form my opinions about the world around me. Reading is a force that ties in with my education, my faith, and the lessons I've learned from my parents. Reading books helped me further understand people and distinguish my opinions. Making mistakes is a force that sounds bad, but always had a good result. I learned from my experiences and can avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Finally, traveling has been a recent, but serious force that has shaped who I am today. May it be a first-world country or a third-world, I love to experience the world and see the way other people live, especially if it's different from me. I think it is one of the most humbling experiences a person may have, and it contributes to the way I see things and live my life.

Allison, I can really get a feel of how important your family is to you and how they've been forces that have helped shape you into who you are today. I think that is a really great quality to have. I liked how you used example of music and sports to show that they've given you great leadership skills. I think it's nice that your friends have been such a positive force for you and have always been supportive of you and your needs. I also liked how you used the mistakes that you made as another force that has helped shaped you because you were able to learn from your own experiences. -Jessica Rudisill

Allison, I love all of your forces and you really had it thought out what each one did for you. I love that you included travel as a force, because though many people think it's a luxury, you are totally right! It really is such a humbling experience especially if you travel to a third-world country (have you?). Additionally, it is very cool that your family has been such a strong and positive influence on your life, you are definitely lucky in that way. And like you, I had something about mistakes. It's so true that they really do make who we are, live and learn. Haley

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde







Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin