10 OCT 2019 · As Sam Ramirez reads his personal narrative, about his disc golfing durig his summer of 9th grade, Jin Ahn asks some questions about the story. With my 9th grade school year coming to an end, everyone was talking about what they were going to do over the summer. I was talking to my friend Noah Boggs in Spanish class when he told me that he looked forward to disc golfing during summer break. I had never disc golfed before and I thought it sounded like fun so we figured out a time when we could go and play a round. When I got home, I looked up disc golfing videos and different websites explaining some basic rules and techniques. The way they demonstrated how to throw a disc differed greatly from how you would normally through a frisbee. I also found out that there were different kinds of discs that are used dependent on the distance of the shot. On Saturday that week Noah and I planned on going disc golfing however I decided to see if one of my other friends wanted to go earlier so I could get some practice. Alex Spilotro and I decided to try disc golfing on Friday that week after school. We determined that we would meet at Anchorage party store because it is near to the disc golf course and I knew that they sold discs. We are lucky because we live very near to a disc golf course and were able to bike there with ease. At the party store, they had one shelf full of discs. They were all different colors and had different profiles. Noah had told me that I should either get a putter or mid-range disc because they are good to learn with. I still had no idea which disc to get though. I asked Alex, “What disc do you think I should get?” He responded by saying, “I really don’t know either.” I then asked him, “Do you think I should get a mid-range or a putter”. “Mid-range”Alex said. I finally decided to get an orange mid-range with a rubber rim. It felt like it was a good weight and was also really sturdy.Then we went to Winstrom Park where there is a disc golf course. I had been there plenty of times before but I had never noticed there was a course there. It was in the woods behind the main part of the park where they have the tennis courts, baseball fields, playgrounds, and soccer fields. At the beginning of the course, there is a large course map and a practice basket. I decided to take a few practice throws in the soccer fields next to the course and practiced throwing into the basket. Finally, we decided to get started. We decided to play from the short tee pad to make it easier because we were both beginners. The first hole was pretty open and straight to the basket. Although it was easy, it took me a lot of throws to get to the basket but I eventually did it. The rest of the course was pretty uneventful up to hole 11. At that hole there was a creek running along side it but it was protected by trees. When I threw my disc it hit the first tree and bounced off into the creek. In my head I was wondering how I was going to retrieve it but my thoughts were interrupted … “How did you even do that?” Alex exclaimed. “I have no idea.” I responded. The disc landed right in the center of the creek out of reach because of how steep and slippery the bank was. Luckily, it was stuck on a mound of the sticks in the water so it did not start flowing away with the current. I asked Alex to help me look for a long enough stick and we eventually found one that was long enough to retrieve the disc. We continued on playing the course and on whole 14 I hit the longest putt I ever had. It was about a 30 foot long putt that was mostly just luck but it was also my first par. A par is when you make it into the basket in the expected amount of shots. “Yes”, I yelled as my disc hit the chains. Alex responded saying, “Great shot!” When we finished, we had lost track of our scores because they were so high. The next day, I met Noah at Winstrom. He had this weirdly shaped backpack that was designed for carrying discs and inside he had around 20 of them. When we started playing, I realized that Noah was insanely good at disc golf. He would get par on basically every hole and would sometimes do it in under par. He utilized all of his different discs and could throw about 150 feet more than me. On the first hole, Noah's first shot landed 10 feet away from the basket. “That is insane,'' I said. Noah responded saying, “Thanks, but this hole is really easy once you practice a little bit.” After we were done that day, with Noah’s score being under par and my score to high too remember, we biked home. Over that summer we played disc golf almost every day. I got much better and could par every hole. I could throw farther and be much more accurate. My disc collection also expanded to include many drivers, mid-ranges, and putters. That summer was super fun and disc golfing made it even better.

10 OCT 2019 · In this essay, I described my journey to accepting myself. I was born in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea but moved to the United States at only five months old. I had grown up in a small town in Oklahoma where there was little to no diversity; I was surrounded by white people and American culture. One moment that made me realize I was different was in first grade, all the kids in my grade were squished together sitting in bleachers. I remember looking down at a boy staring at me, that is when he asked me why I looked so different compared to him. Never had I noticed my physical differences till that day. Even though I was surrounded by others so different than me it never occurred to me that I stood out. After that occurrence, many insecurities arose that led to me being very inclined to see my differences. It seemed as though after that I was told by so many others how much I contrasted from them. On many occasions, another boy would ask me to speak my language. When I was asked this, I did not know how to respond since my language was English, but when I remembered my dissimilarity I made up some noises and told him that it meant something in his language. As a child I would always love looking at pictures of me with my family in Korea, seeing all the small glimpses of the life I could have easily lived. I loved seeing my small hanbok and I felt pride within it. I treasured the small things I had of my Korean culture. But as I grew older I became more interested in how to better blend in with those around me. I strayed away from the small connection I had with my motherland. From third grade, I vividly remember the question “What are you?” Sometimes I would answer with “Jin” and they would say “No, like what are you?” One specific time a woman told me that she loved visiting Chinese restaurants, that my people are very sweet. At a young age, I began to realize that to others my worth was being made up by only what they perceived of me. My determination to blend in only grew stronger and I became my biggest judgment. I remember in sixth grade, listening to Korean music and having a feeling of both shame and guilt because I understood nothing. But at the same time, I had little interest to try to grow close with my Korean culture. Though once I hit ninth grade something had changed. I went to Chicago over my summer break and there I saw a diverse set of people. I remember looking around and seeing the light turn green with cars honking and the hot breeze pushing against my face. People passing by me and feeling the weight recollect back into the world around me. For a moment I felt like I was not just one completely different person in a world full of the same exact people. Not only did I feel like less of a minority ethnically but also rationally. After that trip, I slowly started to want to become my own person and not just blend in. I began to learn Korean and understand the culture better. I embraced my Korean name and began to love it. I realized that the differences I should have embraced rather than disconnect from. To understand yourself more is a good thing. I know that within the past years I have grown into a much different person than who I was before. I’ve learned that there is no way out of being who you are. Like Sylvia Plath suggested in her quote “Is there no way out of the mind?” Be your own individual and do not allow others to make you deny it, not even yourself.

10 OCT 2019