Stubborn Mistakes, Stubborn Consequences

My name is Christina Restivo and I am currently a graduate student enrolled in the TESOL program at Molloy College. Molloy has seen my worst and best days. It has become my home away from home as I have spent the past four years juggling the demands of the Elementary Ed/Special Education program and the demands of being a student-athlete dedicated to her first true love; soccer. I spent my life training to play soccer at a collegiate level and when I finally got there, hardly nothing could stop me from being focused on the one thing I dedicated my life to; not even my school work (shhhhhh). Unfortunately, within the first week of my freshman preseason I was head butted by a teammate and was diagnosed with my third concussion of my life, and first of many in my college career. Because of my stubborn and headstrong nature, I foolishly ignored my symptoms and continued playing through preseason for the next week. As a freshman who was recruited mostly because of my "run through a brick wall" style of play, I was expected to win hard tackles, use my  head as an instrument to win air balls and distribute the ball as simple and as quick as possible. I did just that for another week - and suffered the consequences. I reached a point where I could no longer get through the day suffering from symptoms such as nausea, migraines, sensitivity to light and noise, fatigue, poor balance, and irritability just to name a few. When I finally alerted my trainers I had to undergo an imPACT concussion test that would be the first of many for the next four years. To make a long story short, my stubbornness and my intense passion to play caused me to rushed the recovery process coming back to play too soon. A week later, the universe showed me that you cannot escape the cards life has dealt for you, with my second concussion in a one month span and fourth of my young life. Because of my poor decisions and judgement, this time around I really suffered the consequences - for six months. I found myself in a mild depressed state for the next six months which was caused from the combination of the symptoms I was facing. As an athlete, it was paralyzing to watch my teammates from the sidelines everyday wondering when and if I would be able to play again. As a student, it was demoralizing as my brain was not functioning the way it was supposed to. And as a freshmen student- athlete, it was something out of a horror movie. I overcame my fourth concussion six months later and was concussion free - until the following fall season of my Sophomore year. I was in recovery for another six months. Many doctors visits were involved. Many tears were cried. Many fears and thoughts raced through my head. Big decisions had to be made.

Vocabulary

Enrolled - officially register as a member of an institution or a student on a course.
Juggling - cope with many things at once by balancing responsibilities 
Demands  responsibilities of a specific job, role, etc. 
Student-Athlete - a participant in an organized competitive sport that is run by the educational institution he or she goes to school at.  
Collegiate level - belonging or relating to a college. Often used in sports to refer to high level competition. 
Stubborn - having or showing determination not to change one's attitude or position on something. 
Headstrong - self-willed. 
Preseason- The weeks a sports team spends training prior to their official start of a season. 
Foolishly - in an unwise manner; stupidly.
Paralyzing - bring (a system, place, or organization) to a standstill by causing disruption or chaos.
Demoralizing - cause (someone) to lose confidence or hope; dispirit.
Recovery - return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.

Vocabulary Exercise
Please fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.

1. After his heart surgery, my grandfather will be in __________ for 5 weeks. 
2. The boy _________ skipped class in hopes of impressing the girl he liked. 
3. Lexie plays soccer at a _____________ for Duke University. 
4. Mariella was __________ her job, school work and social life all at once. 
5. Peter is _________ in a History of New York class for the fall semester. 
6. The boys felt that the __________ of playing both basketball and lacrosse were too hard to handle. 
7. Melissa and Alicia trained all summer long so that they would be ready for the hard work of ___________. 
8. It was both ___________ and ______________ when a huge, physical fight broke out in the store leaving many innocent people emotionally and physically hurt. 
9. Professional athletes are usually ___________ which takes that from being an average player to an exceptional player. 
10. As hard as her mother tried to change her mind, Alyssa was being too _________ to listen. 
11. _________ must typically balance the roles of being a full-time student and a full-time athlete.

Writing Exercise
Have you ever wished you could go back in time? Reflect and write about a time when you made a situation in your life worse by being too stubborn. Include at least 7 sentences explaining the situation and what you would have done differently if you could go back in time.