Helping Others by Miranda

Helping Others by Miranda - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

I was a student-athlete who trained year-round and planned everything around running. I made running my pride and joy, and I glorified it. My role on the team was to score points for Varsity races, running as fast as I could and being a strong team player. My role was quickly taken from me during the summer before junior year when I started feeling pain in my hips. I lived in pain with no answers and no diagnosis for months. I participated in physical therapy with no results, and then was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and femoral acetabular impingement, which both caused a labral tear in my hip. The most reasonable solution was to see a surgeon and he scheduled me for surgery in March of the following year. After I got this surgery date, I didn’t know what my role would be on my team. I was unable to run my upcoming Junior year cross country season, and I was devastated. I slowly took the unofficial role of team manager. I spent my time at meets recording everyone’s times during races, finding peoples’ waters, helping them warm up, guiding them in cooldowns, and organizing the schedule. I enjoyed doing this and being helpful, but it was not fulfilling me. I had no idea who I was anymore. My identity had been based on my sport and I had nothing after it was taken away from me. My ability to run was taken from me along with my ability to walk pain-free, my social life, and my happiness. As cross country’s team manager I learned more about my teammates than I had before. If someone had an injury I had increased empathy and care for them. My injury opened my eyes to the world around me and how I could use my story to serve others around me. Not being able to participate fully changed the way I viewed the whole team. I loved seeing the team from the point of view as a manager and I got to stay involved. Being a part of a team is one of the most valuable things I’ve ever experienced in my life. This role of manager made me want to become a nurse even more than before because I was able to help my friends on the team with things and just be there for them, which is a nurse’s job. I got to advocate for the athletes just how a nurse advocates for patients, and I loved being able to act as a helper and serve on my team. There needed to be a person in between the coach’s authority and the athletes to see both sides and truly understand the situation. I believe that due to my surgery, I’ve seen what it’s like to be a patient in the hospital and I will be a nurse so I can mimic that same dynamic in a different scenario. I think it will benefit me greatly knowing what it is like to be a patient when I become a nurse. Being a part of my sport helped me grow into who I am and helped guide me in my future. I was always being supported, cared for, and watched. This helped me to mature and become more hopeful for my future awaiting me. Growing in my sport grew me as a person, also. I was able to apply everything I learned to school, activities, and any situation I was put in. This taught me so much about myself and that I can be a flexible and adaptable person. Getting to help my teammates made me feel like I made a difference and truly helped people.