Jacky Lee
By Jacky Lee
SYLP student
To my friends, I am just a person. To my family, I am only the second son. To myself, I am a dreamer. I believe I can do anything. I have confidence in myself to fulfill my dreams and complete my goals. Life is full of challenges.
Four years ago, I first started playing basketball. I wasn’t very good at it, but the sport drew me in so easily that I came to love it as time went by. Playing basketball every day helped shape a dream for me, the dream of becoming an NBA player.
To achieve this goal, I knew that I had to do everything I could to improve. I took the challenge because basketball was my future.
Two years later, I entered high school and was determined to make the freshman team. I did everything I could to be able to meet the competition. I joined the athletic team, asked my friends to train me, and played every Friday and Sunday.
Sadly, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t make the basketball team.
But I didn’t let that ruin my dream. It only encouraged me to work harder, so that’s what I did. A year later during basketball tryouts, my peers told me that I wasn’t good enough and that I should give up. I told them that being on the team is my goal, that I’ve worked hard and am going to make my dream a reality.
The results came in. I made the team.
I was shocked, but at the same time, I knew that it was due to my hard work and the confidence I had in myself.
Dreams do come true if people are willing to do what it takes. Never let anyone bring you down. Use peer pressure as encouragement and motivation. Some parents may say, “Your dreams are stupid, you must work hard to become a doctor,” but would anyone be happy fulfilling their parents’ dream and not their own?
Take charge of life and take a step closer by building confidence in yourself. ♦
Jacky Lee can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
(The stories in this issue are written by SYLP students, not Northwest Asian Weekly staff. Opinions herein do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of the newspaper.)