Going into the school year of 2023-2024 I hope to maintain balance as well as achieve the goals I set out. I understand that what I ask of myself is a lot but I believe (because I have done it) with proper balance it is very doable. I hope to do well on my second SAT, do great with my college applications, hit the goals that I’ve set for myself in running, get accepted into a great college, and leave a great legacy in Ripon while having a great senior year. I know that I am going to need to use my theme of “staying disciplined” in order to achieve these which I’m fairly confident in as I feel this is one of my best traits. I would like to make great memories and be amply prepared for college. I also will leave a legacy in this program as I go onto the next step. This year will be a hard working year but also a memorable year. To go into detail into some of my goals I want to do great on my college applications as well as show great improvement and make myself proud in running while maintaining a good mental health.
Part I: Favorite Quotes - Section 2
“Don’t stop when you’re tired, stop when you’re done.” - David Goggins
This quote is one of the quotes that has influenced my drive for discipline this year. Whenever I am doing a workout or am having an academic drive to succeed or just anything, I will think about this quote. Because realistically in life, 90% of people don’t care how you feel. But the majority of people care about results. So to be in the 1% of the population I need to be disciplined and not stop when I’m tired, but when I’m done.
“I shall either find a way or make one” - Hannibal This quote is once again a very disciplined quote that I saw on tik tok. It essentially means to try to live life without excuses and just make do with what you have to achieve what you want. If you live with this mindset, you are pretty much extremely likely to succeed. I would like to be a successful and happy person in life so I try to live with this type of mindset.
“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” - Benjamin Franklin
This quote is another quote that I saw on tik tok and once again has to do with my portfolio theme this year, discipline. Sleep is important me as I’m a pretty serious athlete and student and sleep drives those two. If you’re disciplined enough to get your sleep in life, you will be disciplined and wise enough to achieve other goals in life. Once again just on the road to making the best version of myself.
Part II: Quote - Section 3
“The strongest factor for success is self-esteem: Believing you can do it, believing you deserve it and believing you’ll get it.”
This quote represents the efforts I’ve placed into this program this year and also this past school year overall for me because I placed a lot of high expectations at the beginning of this year as well as put myself down a very high maintenance route. This pressure was quite a lot at some points and could be overwhelming and I don’t think I would’ve made it through this year if I didn’t believe in myself and believe in my ability to accomplish the goals I set for myself. This quote can help students in the future in moments such as homecoming when the pressure of doing well is high, people just need to remember to believe in themselves and their abilities. This simple statement can make such an impact on the future because it can reveal large pictures that people may not have been able to see before.
Part I: Goals - Section 4
Leadership Goals
I would like to put on a very great and memorable powder puff in my last year in leadership.
I would like to properly introduce and help acclimate Eric and Addyson into their position and leadership in general.
Short Term Goals
Get accepted or recruited to a school of my dreams in my senior year.
Qualify for the state meet during track season.
Get straight As throughout my senior year.
Long Term Goals
I hope to have a great college experience through the majority of things that I do.
I strive to build a great life for myself and build my confidence and create a beautiful family.
Part II: Goals - Section 5
I felt that the powder puff this year was the most memorable one that I’ve been to and I heard from many other sources that this was a common opinion so I consider this goal accomplished especially with the added aspects such as iconic announcers and a run out for the girl football teams. I put a lot of effort into making this event possible and I could say that on that night I felt proud of these efforts.
I feel that I am leaving high school with Eric and Addyson very prepared to do their jobs in leadership and I feel that I’ve taught them a lot throughout this year. I know that in whatever position they pursue in leadership these next years they will know how to do a procedure form and plan a large-scale event so I believe I have accomplished this goal.
I’d say that I’ve 80% accomplished this goal and the last 20% I am still working on but I will keep on working towards it. I say this because I am committed to Berkeley academically and after visiting I will say this is the school of my dreams and I’m very excited to attend there. However, because this is the school of my dreams, I have to keep working hard running-wise to walk onto the team as the times required to run for them are very fast. However, I don’t back down from this challenge and I’m willing to take it head on.
This goal cannot be evaluated for about another month or so.
This goal was maintained well throughout my first semester and this second semester I have allowed myself to take a little priority off of grades as I’ve got into a good college and I’ve put my efforts towards spaces like running, extracurriculars, and relationships to leave a lasting impact on my community, but I will do my best to get the best grades I can this next semester.
I feel I’ve made strides toward accomplishing this goal because I’ve chosen the college that I believe I will have the best time at as a student and am hoping for a great college experience.
I’ve taken strides towards setting up a great life for myself by preparing myself properly for my future as well as building my confidence through building the belief that I have in myself.
Role Model - Section 8
One of the biggest role models that I have had for quite a while now, that is not a role model that I necessarily know personally but am more inspired by him because of his work and how he’s expressed himself through his music. This is Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar has been my favorite artist since I’ve really started to listening to music back in 2017. He’s music instantly touched me. Living in Ripon as someone of biracial race with the dominant marker of my identity being black has caused me to be deprived of certain expressions of culture and connection with those who share the same ethnicity as me. Listening to Kendrick lamar has largely helped me deal with this deprivation. Kendrick Lamar truly writes incredible poetry and speaks of growing up in America as an African American. Lamar truly has a larger motivation than just money in his music but also to push for social justice for those of black skin all around the world. I am inspired by Kendrick Lamar and aspire to do things similair to him through things such as the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.
Inner Animal - Section 9
The animal that describes my personality the best is a golden retriever I would say. I’ve been told this by many people and I can really see the resemblance. I can sometimes be on the more obnoxious side and some would say there’s been points in my life where I act like an innocent puppy which I don’t exactly like as a description but can’t win them all I guess. A golden retriever is full of lots of energy as well and are pretty happy organisms which I think would be a good description for my personality. I also care a lot about my loved ones and spend a lot of time with them which are also things that a golden retriever does. I also feel like with my curly and fluffy hair and the fact that I smile a lot makes me kind of resemble a golden retriever. A golden retriever has an unbreakable spirit and seems to always remember who they are. This is a trait that I can easily say that I have. A golden retriever also has a lot of courage and does not let too much scare itself which I can also say that I do.
This song describes my dream for myself in the future. A large motivator behind me working hard is the goal of being successful and being proud of the success that I’ve built. Self confidence is probably one of the largest motivators for this. I want to be confident in the man that I am and proud of the life I’ve built as well as happy with it. So overall this song describes the dream that I have for myself.
Homecoming Activities Photo Gallery - Section 12
What I Like Most About Being a Member of Leadership - Section 13
One of my favorite leadership memories this year was at Core Camp when we had a rally and I went up to Elias and suggested we do shadow boxing as an activity and we made lasting memories when Isaiah got absolutely destroyed. Another one of my favorite leadership memories was Homecoming as a whole. This was a great way to end off high school and have my last homecoming with it being the best. I felt it was the most fun because automatically being seniors during homecoming makes it really fun because of the advantage in competitions as well as the quality of the events. I felt the night rally went great and was very pleased with how powder puff went and was also entertained by Perez’s commentary. And my third favorite memory from leadership this year was spending my weekend with the Kyoto kids. I’m so glad I hosted this year and we had so much fun playing soccer, swimming, and playing video games with the Kyoto students.
A Reflection of a Peer in Leadership - Section 14
The peer that I’m reflecting on this year is Isaiah Green. Isaiah and I have become quite close this year and his character never wavers. One particular time that he was being selfless was when he came to the Cross Country state meet to cheer me on as well as went up to the course with me a couple days before to run through it. He sat in a van for two hours just to support me. He went all the way out to fresno on thanksgiving break just to watch me run. I’m very grateful to have Isaiah as a friend.
RHS Pride Photo Gallery - Section 15
What I Love to Do - Section 16
What I love to do probably more than any other activity I do is to run. I fell in love with this activity when I started doing it freshman year when I tried track. I fell in love with the sport and even though I wasn’t distance running just yet, it was the act of going out everyday to work towards my goal of improving myself and getting faster that I fell in love with. And when I began doing longer distances it intensified as I was allowed to slow down and be present. I get quality time to myself and I’m able to push out the stress of the world. I also am granted such great joy when I improve and my hard work pays off. I’ve continued to work at this sport the past four years and now hold four school records. I would like to continue doing this sport in college because of how much I love it. And I’m willing to work to accomplish this goal. I love to run.
Letter to Parents - Section 17
Within these past couple months of high school, I’ve been able to reflect on all that I have been blessed with. When doing this I always think of how much you two have blessed me with. I understand that I am blessed more than the vast majority of kids my age with all that you have done to prepare me for the future and build a good life for myself. I am so confident going into my future that I will go down the right path and this solely because of what you have blessed me with. Supporting me in every step of my life, academically, athletically and socially, I feel as if I’ve developed into a proper man and I have no one better to thank than you two. I hope I have made you proud and will continue to make you proud throughout my life and I will always make sure to pay back the great blessing that you have given me. I also understand specifically the absolute blessing that 99% of kids cannot say that you will be providing my college funds and I will walk debt free. I couldn’t be more grateful for this. I love you mom and dad and I hope you know, even though I may be gone in a couple of months, I will always be your son and proud to call you guys my parents.
Love, Devin
The Ideal Leader - Section 23
An ideal leader is not defined by one single trait. Everybody’s ideal leader is different. Mine is likely much different from others. But the ideal leader in my mind is one that always has the ones that they are leading in mind. One that always is keeping the ultimate goal in their mind. This leader has the goal of always leading an excellent example for others and tries to make sure that they have the most positive impact on the group they are targeting. That is really what makes an ideal leader. One whose goal is to make a positive impact. But the ideal leader must also be able to look at themselves and accept they aren’t always going to do things right. Perfection is not a possibility and that should be accepted, but not accepted with ignorance but with accountability. With whatever failure or mistake that a leader makes they must be able to hold themselves accountable and work to improve themselves. The ideal leader should always take responsibility for their actions and not only keep their best interests in mind. By doing these things I believe that a person is truly being an ideal leader.