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Thomas Watson

Angie. Smith

ENG 1010

12 Sep. 2024

A Journey of Self-Improvement

“LIGHTWEIGHT BABY!” This phrase is iconic within the gym

community, Ronnie Coleman a renowned powerlifter shouts this before he lifts. It stuck with me

because I put myself into a grind set not only to improve myself physically but mentally as well.

I used to be a fat kid during my freshman and sophomore years, it never occurred to me that I

should become more athletic since academics were my priority. As I progressed in the gym, I

realized that I could change more than just my body; it changed how I approached my lifestyle.

It all started when two senior friends invited me to the gym during freshman year. We went two

or three times a week, and they showed me the basics. At first, I was hesitant because I had never

taken working out seriously. However, after a few sessions, I quickly realized there was more to

it than just lifting weights- it was an escape and a source of personal growth. They taught me all

aspects of bodybuilding, from working out certain body parts to diets. I was not just impressed

by the physical side of things; I was fascinated by the science behind it. As I got more serious, I

benched one plate(135 pounds) by the end of sophomore year. When I finally hit that goal, it was

a big moment for me. I felt a new sense of confidence and pride in my accomplishments. It

motivated me to keep going and push myself even harder.

By junior year, though, life got more complicated. Everyone says junior year is the hardest,

they're not wrong. I struggled to continue working out because I took AP US History and joined

the wrestling team in my first year. Between school, wrestling, and trying to maintain my gym
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routine, I was struggling to keep it all together. I started to manage my time better and I had to

organize my time and plan my workouts to make sure I had time for schoolwork and practice.

Through this, I learned the value of consistency, even when motivation wasn’t always there.

Some days were harder than others, but I found myself showing up regardless, pushing through

the stress and exhaustion because I knew it would be worth it.

This routine helped me more than I expected. Not only was I managing my schedule

better, but I was handling my stress and emotions effectively. When I had events in my life that

caused stress I would go work out. Lifting gave me a break from the chaos of life and allowed

me to clear my head and put this mindset into other areas in my life. The gym taught me that

progress takes time and consistency. Just like building muscle, overcoming challenges isn’t

something that happens overnight. It’s about showing up, putting in effort, and being patient. I

applied it to school and wrestling. I started just seeing another challenge to push through, every

struggle was an opportunity to grow stronger.

Looking back, my journey with fitness and bodybuilding has been about so much more

than getting in shape or looking good. It’s taught me discipline, time management, and how I

should handle my stress. Arnold Schwarzenegger sums it up perfectly “The resistance that you

fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong

character.” Reading that quote makes me grateful for the lessons the gym has taught me. In the

end, it’s not about lifting muscle. It’s about building character through every challenge where I

had to push myself harder than I thought I could.

Thomas Watson

Angie Smith
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ENG 1010

12 Sep. 2024

Embracing my Korean-American Heritage

My mother who was born in Seoul, South Korea met my father who was born in

Bakersfield, California where they both had 2 different distinct cultures. They married each other

after meeting in Seoul when my father was on a religious mission. We lived in Bakersfield for

around 5 years but unfortunately, they divorced and my mother moved to Clarksville, Tennessee

with her sister’s family. Tennessee was a huge change for me since I had roots in both cultures,

in my years when I attended elementary school and middle school I never really fit in.

When I attended Rossview Middle School I was exposed to racism, the first time I ever

experienced it. Probably about the look of my eyes or my hair it never hurt me that much but I

always asked my mom why it happened she said “Some Americans are just ignorant.” I just

learned to ignore it but I always was pretty ashamed of my culture. I tried to surround myself

with my mother’s culture and learn Korean.

I enrolled in a Korean School in Nashville, it was on the weekends and was almost as

long as a normal school. I never mentioned to anyone that I went in fear of being made fun of for

going to school on the weekend. Learning Korean was difficult, I just wanted to make my mom

happy if I learned as well. Some teachers were friendly but others were not. I also had difficulty

in making friends since most students were fully Korean and knew some or were fluent in

speaking. I enjoyed the company of most peers since it was nice having people to relate to. I

never really had problems with anybody in the school but, one day there was one guy who made

fun of me for not fully being Korean. I was not too bothered but he mentioned something about

who my mother married and I was pretty angry. I told my mom and she unenrolled me from their
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school until it was over. It’s stuck with me over the past years and makes me think about who I

am and my identity within 2 cultures.

I was pretty lost, anytime someone brought up culture in conversations I avoided it. There

was no chance I was going to speak, it would only give me embarrassment. I had to address it

and I did, in the summer of 2022 I went to my aunt’s house on my mom's side. My cousin was

pretty cool and he was fully Korean. I asked him how should do in my situation and he

responded “You're a 혼혈(mixed blood), a lot of people are different and that’s ok you just gotta

accept that, just focus on yourself and how you think your culture is important to yourself.” I

took his advice and nothing changed from the racism at school to other full Koreans not

approving of my blood. Yet, I still learned my culture since I yearned for it.

I watched documentaries, read books, and even tried learning Korean by myself. It was

an arduous process since I had no idea where to start. I learned about the famous Admiral Yi who

saved the Joseon Kingdom. There was also the Great King Sejong who united the provinces into

a Unified Korea. Discovering historical insights of Korean history made me more proud of who I

am and appreciative of my cultural heritage.

In the end, my journey of understanding and embracing my cultural identity has been a

long and complex one. Growing up with roots in two distinct cultures- Korean and American-

often left me feeling out of place, either facing ignorance from classmates or the judgment of not

being “fully Korean" in my community. For a long time, I struggled to figure out where I

belonged, constantly fighting the feeling that I had to hide parts of who I was. I now see it as

something that enriches my life and makes me who I am proud of my Korean roots and my

American upbringing.