My Bucket List

Here is a little taste of my bucket list

1) Marry the best husband in the world

2) Find a job I love and never get sick of

3) Go on a missions trip

4) Find the end of a rainbow

5) Be able to give to a good cause consistently

6) Raise a family

7) Sleep on a beach 

8) Try exotic ice creams

9) Train a dolphin

10) Stay in a treehouse hotel

Warrior Girls

Warrior Girls By Michael Sokolove
I will be reading 28 pages per week if I want to finish by January 28
My Goal to finish this book is before Christmas

It’s crazy sometimes when you think you’re the only person who goes through certain situations. But really there’s people in the same or even worse. I’m really glad Mrs. B recommended this book to me because it did make me realize I’m not alone. The Book Warrior girls by Michael Sokolove, is about a phenomenal athlete named Amy. In the first chapter, it explains how Amy grows up into an amazing soccer player who ends up graduating high school her sophomore year and continues to play soccer for University of North Carolina and takes her classes at Chapel Hill. But where the story all begins is not just how great of an athlete she is, it’s when she first goes through the injury of tearing her ACL. 
In the second chapter, it explained more about another athlete name Leslie Gaston who also was a soccer player. She has had 12 surgeries and maybe even more. The book talked about the surgeon that helped her and gave more details to how more and more women athletes are tearing their ACL. It explained how women suffer from ACL ruptures at a rate at least eight times more than men. The injury is most likely to happen in sports like soccer and basketball because in the game there is action that could be occurring from any direction around the athlete. 

My thoughts on this book when I first started to read and figured out that it was about ACL tears and women’s injuries was that I could relate. I had been playing soccer for as long as I could remember and when it came to the time when I started playing competitive that’s when all of my injuries hit me. I guess my body just wasn’t ready for the hardcore workouts and games that had came.

I think the goal of the book Warrior Girls is to make people aware of the huge epidemic that has been happening in women’s sports. The author wrote this book because he saw the massive spread of injuries. So by reading this book, hopefully girls and their parents will think of about their training and train smarter as well as making better decisions so they do not lead up to these fatal injuries.

I think the book is spot on. I wish I would have read this book way earlier even before I tore my ACL. I am looking very forward to reading this book and unraveling the story told about Amy Steadman. It is already a very inspiring book just after the first two chapters.

UPDATE

I am currently interning at Diablo Physical Therapy in Danville. I either intern during lunch or in the evenings. I spend about 2-4 hours a week there.
I have been shadowing an inspirational physical therapist and her name is Kristy. We met in February when my athletic doctor recommended me to her so I could get rid of my scare tissue. Kristy has not only opened my range of motion physically, but she has opened my mind to new and better beginnings, like a career in kinesiology of some sort. My goal is to learn more about the bodies and certain injuries so I can be more knowledgeable if I go into the field of radiology. 
I go in about once or twice a week. Each time I go in there, there is always something different to observe. It can be anywhere from observing someone who dislocated their knee eight times, to just folding laundry with the aids. I find everything I do there a new experience and value my time with these hardworking people.
Some positives about this internship is everything! I get a taste of every little thing. Everyday is something different and even if it may seem boring it always captures my interest. I get to meet different people and get to know some of the aids. It’s very interesting because I get to ask them how they got interested in physical therapy and most of them are working up to be physical therapist, its a whole process when they tell me their journeys. 
Some frustrations is when I know Kristy is with a patient, I have to wait to ask her questions after so I don’t interrupt her and the patient’s time. But sometimes there are just times were I want to ask and know but I have to wait and I forget.
I’ve learned that I need to be more on top of time management and I should keep a list of my agenda that I need to get done. Also, I need to put over 100% to reach my goals.
One thing that I have learned and realized in my subject is that you’re going to have cases so different than each other that they are like people. Each person is unique and different so you are going to have a case just like that. Though some cases may be very similar they always have different tweaks and it’s the physical therapists job to find them and improve them. I give huge props to all the physical therapists out there because they do put their all into helping you get better, especially Kristy.
Time management can be very hard for me a lot of the times. It helps if I have a list of things to do and put numbers by them to get the top priorities done first. I plan to hopefully motivate myself better to get everything done asap during this year and to not procrastinate.

Word Cloud

Love what you do. Love your life.

Who Am I

CODES:

Holland Codes: Realistic;12 Investigative;10 Artistic;10 Social;14 Enterprising;7 Conventional;10

SRA, SRI, SRC

Myers-Briggs: Extravert(1%) Intuitive(38%) Feeling(62%) Judging(67%)

         These were my results for my personality types. I think these tests aren’t spot on to everyones personalities but close to it. It gave me the big picture in my head of all the opportunities I have for myself in the future because of who I am, not anyone else. It’s interesting to think about how there is a job out there in the world for me that can be the right fit for myself. Though a test on a computer might night tell me spot on where and what I should be, this is what makes my journey more interesting after high school to explore and find out what it is. Iv’e taken similar tests like this before that generalizes what category or what type of person you are and it also reminds me of the horoscopes people look at daily. 

When I look at my results, they gave me the picture that I was the type of person to help people, build them together to make a team. The Myers-Briggs test also told me that I was good in developing and assessing leadership skills, improving team work, and evaluating candidates for promotion. Seems like a people person but for some reason I think of myself as more on the shy side sometimes. The Holland codes gave me more of a job perspective. I was really happy when job results came up as the SRI which stands for the social, realistic, investigative. Most of those jobs consist of occupational therapy assistant, critical care nurses, athletic trainers, acupuncturists and more occupations I am interested in. Overall I think these tests are very helpful because they do open your mind up to new opportunities.

TED talks and Physical Therapy

The first TED talk that I watched was very ironic that I had watched it. Which is why I really liked it. The title of the TED talk I had watched was called the Mystery of Chronic Pain. On my second day of interning, Kristy(physical therapist) told me about chronic pain. My first thought of chronic pain was that it was an on going pain. Well it is on going pain but more of an excruciating pain. The pain that  Elliot Krane described on March 2011 at Long Beach California was the type of pain that was more than just a regular type of injury. He explained to us a patient of his who was a dancer. She had a small incident and sprained her left wrist. Her injury then soon progressed  to a severe pain, like being touched by a gentle feather felt as if she was being burned by a hot flame piercing her skin. This was known as a type of chronic pain. It was just like how Kristy told me about a patient who had the same situation but it was on their entire right side of their body. The patient grew to not even bare to look at their right side because they had so much pain just like Elliot’s patient. I thought this video was special because most people aren’t even aware of diseases of chronic pain. I don’t think people realize how lucky they are to have a healthy body and they need to appreciate what they have. I would recommend everyone to watch this video because we might have the chance of opening someones eyes to make them more aware of different diseases and the people who are diagnosed with them. 

If your heart is in your dream, No request is too extreme

Dreams, goals, aspirations, wishes, plans, desires, hopes. What do they all have in common? You have to want them, but most importantly you have to strive to make them happen. I have many goals for my senior year, my years beyond, and my IQuest internship.

1. Senior Year-

My goals for my senior year is to get the best grades possible, spend as much time with my family and friends before college, get accepted into a college that will provide me with schooling to help me thrive in my future career, and grow in my faith.

1. Years beyond-

I have many goals for my future and have no doubt that they will change because plans tend to go into different directions. That’s why I have noticed throughout my high school years you have to be prepared for any type of change and make the best out of it whether it’s good or bad.

In 1 year my hope is to be settled into my new college and also my new home for the rest of the four years. Its nerve racking and exciting at the same time to think that I’m going to be in a new setting for schooling. 

In about 5 years I wish to have graduated from my college and maybe go off to gradate school or a school for radiology. But who knows, in college my interest might completely change to what I want to study from now.

In 10 years I aspire to have a career that helps me grow as a person. A career that helps our community and world, and one that I enjoy going to every single day of my life. I also hope to have a loving husband and family that I can take care of and provide for. 

1. Internship-

For my first semester of IQuest I am interning at a physical therapy office. I’ve been lucky enough to have a physical therapist who wants me to get a taste of every part of the type of career. From a physical therapist, to the strength and conditioning, to the aids, and the receptionists at the front desk. My goal for this semester is to get the real feel of what it’s like to help a patient instead of always being one.

How can I accomplish this?

Well I have came to my senses and reality has told me this is going to be no where near easy. But to make it a little less stressful I’m going to use SMART goals:

S- specifics, what you want

M- measurement, what is the outcome you want

A- achievability, is it reasonable, what can get in your way

R- relevance, is your goal relevant with company goals

T- time bound, when do you want to reach your goal

Just do it.

5 things I have procrastinated on and plan to take action on this week are:
1) Stretching and warming up incomparably before practices, games and races.
2) Fill out my common app completely .
3) Get my teacher recommendation all straightened out.
4) Start my supplementary essays.
5)Fill out separate applications that don't attain to the common app.
going to add an extra..
6)Study for my AP psych test on Friday..

Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the others GOLD

My mom always told me to make friends who bring out the best in me since I was younger. Who knew what that meant in kindergarten? I loved hanging out with the kids with the coolest barbies for all I knew. But thinking back to her saying, "stick with the people who bring out the best in you" is probably up there with the golden rule. Since realizing the meaning of that particular saying, I have been blessed with many more than just 5 people who have been encouraging me throughout my life. But here are my fav five:)

5 Superstars in my life:
1) My Dad
Dad you have been my hero since day one. You are the first person I can come to for advice and it's always the most helpful. You have been such an uplifting father in my life, and without a doubt have taught me very valuable life lessons. Thank you for preparing me for the real world and shaping me into the person I am today.
2) My Mom
Mom even though we don't get along every single day, I still love you no matter what. You have supported and loved me through my rough and best days. Even the little things that you do for me like make my lunch, breakfast, go to my races, soccer games, saying goodnight and good morning to me show me that you love me, and gives me like daily dosage of love.
3) My Sister
Ally you are my little nugget and poo. But us sisters always have to say together. You are one of my best friends and I know I can come to you for anything(even if it's just for asking your opinion on my outfit that day) It's interesting to see you grow and I hope I'm doing an okay job at being a good role model for you.
4) Lauren Skaggs
I will never forget the day we met and all the other fantastic memories we have had together. I haven't even known you for two years, but you have encouraged me the most out of any one of my friends. I really don't know what I would do without you. I have grown so close to you, with God at our roots. Our friendship is so special because of the way God has put each other in both of our lives. I know you will always be there for me and I will always be here for you. You really are one of my guardian angels.
5)Kelly Gross
Kelly, you will always be like a sister. You have been like a family member to me and support me just like my normal sister would. You're a true friend that can bring the best out of me, and one of my pieces of gold. I feel like we both build each other up, we know each of our different weaknesses and strengths which make it easy for us to support on another.

I just want to say you all have a special place in my heart and I will always love you. I'm truly blessed.

PT and ME

Hi my name is Jessica Kroeckel and I am a senior at California High School. Sophomore year on January 3, 2012 was a day that I thought was a tragedy, but soon realized it was a blessing in disguise. On that day I had torn my anterior cruciate ligament(ACL). As an athlete this was a nightmare and I was mortified. But what I didn't realize until later on, that because of my incident, it exposed myself to the professional field of physical therapy. My interest in PT has peaked so much since then that now I am interning at Diablo Physical Therapy in Danville.
For my last year of high school I would like to make this the most unforgettable year yet. I strive to get the best grades possible, figure out what college fits me best(hopefully get accepted), and enjoy my last year. But my overall hope is get that much closer to seeking out how I am going to impact this world throughout my life.