Anthony Haynes

Mrs. Hatch
College Forum
Personal Statement
First and foremost, I am Anthony Haynes. I would like to say I am simply an
average sixteen year-old boy, no better nor no worse than any other, however I
dont believe anyone is truly average, for within each of us is that ever-evanescent
flicker of true potential that embodies the true character of a person; hopefully in
the following words I can give some context to what that may be within me by
shading in the hollow understanding of who I am, that is simply my name.
To get things started, I am now a junior at the Academy for Math,
Engineering, and Science, otherwise simply known as AMES. Originally I adamantly
spurned the thought of attending the school, as it was something so unknown and
seemingly unnecessary when things had been going so well for me; ultimately it
was a step I took forward willingly-with a firm push from my parents-yet one that
carried the resonating feelings of having just placed one foot in the grave. Those
were the rather sickening emotions at the time in my freshmen year that I have
gladly overcame: as time progressed I learned to truly appreciate the the plethora
of opportunities that were now available to me and in turn issued in a paradigm
shift towards the way I perceived my own capability to pursue them and guided my
intentions as to what I believe I truly want out of life.
It is because of this radical change that occurred in my freshman year and
my self-development since then that I am able to take some pride in the areas in
which I believe I put great effort into. A few of my strengths for which I am most
proud of are as follows. Persistence: I constantly try to drive myself to achieve the
best that I am capable of, yet oft times I dont always meet par with the goal I had
set with myself, and in such situations I have the options to either sulk in my
failure, take the path of least resistance that is acceptance, or to identify my faults
in how I dealt with the situation, ask for input for how I might improve, and then
formulate a plan to excel over my previous attempt: I try to ensure that the latter
always takes precedence in my actions. Secondly, the pursuit of idealism and the
desire to arbitrate conflict through compassion: at times it can seem well nigh
impossible that any outcome of a positive light may yet be brought to fruition, yet
no matter the chances at times I like to maintain a path to do so, however, in the
same aspect I am not without reason and realize when the best course of action is
to reassess and return to the drawing board to fight another day the relation this
has is to the presence of constant conflict in life on both personal and even global
scales, regardless of the scale I invest myself to breach a compromise in which both
sides of the quarrel can part satisfied and on hopefully friendly terms, through
listening to the issues they feel are most pressing and trying to nurture a common

understanding. Lastly, I feel as if I have greatly refined my leadership skills: initially I

found myself following along with the decisions of another because I felt inadequate
or did not want to rise to the occasion, yet I have put genuine effort into learning to
follow for the right reasons, and to appreciate the leaders I have, while at the same
time understanding what it is within them that I admire and what it is that makes a
good leader, so that I might myself be able to effectively lead people when they
turn to me for guidance.

However, asides from this I am by no means without faults. The most

pressing of my vices is beyond a shadow of a doubt procrastination, which in turn
develops into a whole tumultuous host of other lapses and blunders. Its a
constantly gnawing little pest that I just so happen to be the ecstatic owner of, I am
quite aware of the responsibility of owning such a pet, but every so often it happens
to get the better of me. In terms of my efforts to truly mitigate the consequences of
feeding it I have began to set clear-cut priorities and the accompanying importance
of each, performing a triage upon everyday life if you will, and then making mental
concessions with myself to ensure that everything is able to be done in a timely
fashion, yet not at the cost losing all my time to the future. In this way I can still
relax and avoid burning myself out through taking time to enjoy friends and
hobbies, while attending to my other responsibilities.
I have branched out far more than I would have ever expected in the last
handful of years, however, for all the unfamiliarity that stood at the forefront, the
experiences and memories are gratifying several times over. The most significant,
more aptly put, dear to me activity, is my involvement with the American Red Cross.
I have had the opportunity to grow and take on more positions that allow me to
really bring forth and champion what the Red Cross stands for. In my time I have
learned how I as an individual may make a global impact for the better and how I
might inspire others to do the same, I am currently involved in ensuring veterans
are shown the care and support they deserve and that is held in all the hearts of the
American people towards them, I teach people the importance of International
Humanitarian Law and the role in which ARC plays, I bring to light the unfortunate
realities that many in this world have to face, and work towards accomplishing a
solution to end the accompanying suffering such as through the Measles Campaign
and so much more. And next to this is my participation in the Army JROTC program
at Taylorsville High: though I have only been in this program for a short time it has
been an incredible experience that constantly develops and tests my companions
and I, while opening our eyes to the potential we wield and how to effectively utilize
it. In essence it is an impeccable leadership refining program that allows one to
resolve pressing real world applications. In the program one is able to develop
themselves to higher and higher echelons of accomplishment and responsibility,
where they were once without direction. The multitude of subset activities allows for
a wide breadth of areas to find attention.

As I had earlier noted my outlook on life was greatly reenvisioned thanks in

part to my attendance to AMES as well as the teachers and people there, this is
most prevalent I would say in the personal and academic goals I have set for myself.
As far as personal goals go genuinely more than anything, I want to do something
that will bring hope to the lives of others and affect them for the better, keeping in
line with this I aim to always do something for others everyday, expected or not, in
hopes of gaining a smile or laugh perhaps; its a daily struggle and so it is not quite
a goal that will ever leave me. More short term personal goals of mine are to
persevere throughout this junior year by maintaining the same aspiration of As
every quarter and to fight off the encroaching grasp of Senioritis, as it is quite an
intimidating adversary at times.
My academic goals are simply expansions of those on more personal terms.
First, I direly wish to attend some very reputable schools, that are also very difficult
to gain acceptance into; I have my sights locked into place and have taken shots for
Harvard, MIT, Stanford, or West Point. All of these schools embody what I believe
the purpose of education is as well as allow for excellence at an unparalleled level,
ushering in the ability to create the grandest waves of influence. By the end of the
whole endeavor I aspire to have earned a PH.D. Perhaps not entirely related in
terms of academics, I do intend to join either the Army or the Air Force, and become
an officer in the victorious branch, reaching the rank of captain.
Regardless of the university I attend later in life, I intend to follow a learning
path in either math and physics or chemistry and biology. In terms of possible
careers I am strongly leaning towards a trauma surgeon, or the pursuit of becoming
an engineer for NASA maybe in the back of my mind are whispers suggesting
becoming a teacher at the end of it all. As such the majors I plan to study are most
likely Chemical Engineering or Nuclear Physics, as both fields of study have degrees
of influence in others interests of mine, therefore being both concentrated and
advanced studies, yet open-ended. Additionally, these both would allow me to
discover the paths to the careers I am interested in.
In ten years, I believe I would be in the military. For as it is now I have set
forth two plans that I might take moving forward: 1. I would enter into the Air Force
and be a pararescueman, as it is something I would absolutely love to do by serving
my country and saving those in harms way at any cost to myself, and then proceed
onwards to hopefully one of my top schools for my bachelors degree while doing
college ROTC in the process, and then serving as an officer the next four years. After
that I would retire from the military and pursue education from then on until I have
attained everything necessary my career and a PH.D. 2. I would head directly to
college after high school and work to receive my four year degree, and then
continue to the military as an officer for eight years as opposed to four enlisted and
four officer; after which again I would finish my education and settle into a career.

If I asked those closest and most important to me to pick only a handful of

words to describe me I would hope that they be the following: Hardworking and
Focused, Kind and Compassionate, and Inspiring and Respectable.
If I were to debrief my future college roommate and give them a little heads
up about myself, I would say I can be a bit of recluse to start, and am slow to open
up out my shell, yet when I do they will most likely be at least a tad surprised in that
I can become quite the quick friend and will be there whenever for whatever, Ill be
ready set. However, a final note is that when I want some time to recharge you
better give it to me!
Likely unbeknownst to most as its a subject I prefer to run into, bury, and
forget like it was Jumanji, I have suffered from depression for the past few years. As
of now I have made great strides to strike it down and dismember it to cut off its
ability to hold any control over my life; I refuse to play that game any longer.
Despite the hold it had on me, I found solace in friends and family who were there
to guide me through the hardships until I was able to fend for myself and finally
acknowledge all the joy in life.
I have volunteered extensively in multiple different projects, mainly with the
Red Cross, within which I have accumulated nearly a hundred hours. Now I am
involved in hosting Raid Cross, which is an IHL simulation and working towards
organizing a blood drive. In terms of internships I held a Chemical Engineering
intern position at the University of Utah, where I have put in about forty hours.
If I were accepted into any of my dream schools I would be truly ecstatic
words fail to convey the sentiment and emotions that would accompany such news.
Disbelief Shock pure and refined happiness. I would be so content with life and
take assurance in the fact that all the hard work I had put in in my youth was not in
vain, which would only be a testament of what was yet to come.