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Our military academy
5 years ago, only a few people actually believed I would be here right now.
By that of course I mean no one thought I could actually last 5 years at MMA. Why? Because throughout my first 4 years here at MMA, I’ve had very low points. Sometimes I’ve come to the point where even I thought that I would not be able to make it to my senior year, and sometimes I’ve had challenges that I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to overcome. Yet here I am, writing on my blog, as I prepare for what should be one of the best years of life. After all the times I fell and thought I wouldn’t get up, after all of the things that I learned about discipline, and all of the success I have enjoyed for 4 amazing years, I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes I still have trouble believing it too, but hey! Here we are in the start of my senior year! By now a lot of us old boys have been here for two or three weeks, and the new boys just went through what was arguably the longest week of their life. Still, there is a huge level of excitement for this year, as we have more than enough leadership capability to make this year a great one. That of course starts with our Battalion Commander Victor Arturo Leon, who is by far one of the hardest workers I have ever met. No, seriously, he is the kind of person who will wake up at 6 am every day just because he doesn’t want to waste any time, and gets bored if he has nothing to be working on. That’s exactly why he is so great as a Battalion Commander though, he corrects every single mistake that he sees, no matter how big or small it may be. No, he doesn’t do it because he has to, he does it because he’s wired that way, wired to correct mistakes when he spots them. That’s why we need more leaders like him, we need our leaders to follow his example and strive for excellence every single time they’re on duty. I can’t ever keep up with Leon’s incessant need for perfection, but that’s what makes him special. He’s not arrogant or a show off, he just wants to improve the corps, as we all do. It’s honestly a little weird, but he’s fascinatingly productive. Of course with the end of new boy training, we come upon the start of our classes, after three weeks of doing PT and spending time running under the sun, I think we can all appreciate the tranquility of being in a classroom with AC a little more. Also, with so many new teachers this year, it really feels like this could be the beginning of something new and very special. As we all know though, with the beginning of every school year comes not only excitement but also a lot of nervousness and also a little fear. Fear that we don’t really know what’s going to happen next, but I’m really eager to find out. I mean how could I not be excited?? I have been waiting to be a senior at MMA for 5 years! Though many times I forget I’m a senior, I still sometimes find myself smiling and congratulating myself in the middle of the day just for making it here. Like I said, not many people believed in me, or thought I would be able to achieve and do all of the things that I have done since I arrived, but that didn’t matter then and it doesn’t matter now either. Regardless of what happens this year, I am sure of something. I will keep proving people wrong. Not only that, but I have complete confidence that everybody in this corps of cadets will do the same thing. We have a lot of talent already present in our corps, but all of the new boys will also bring new attributes to the corps. They bring an element of freshness and excitement in the air, many of these new cadets are so hungry and eager to learn that it won’t take long for them to surpass many of our old boys. Plus, many of them will be here for many for years, so in a way, we’re grooming our successors when we train these new boys. On a quick side note, last Friday night during halftime of our football game, I heard one of the most raw, emotional and emotive speeches of my life. One of our new boy football players, decided he wanted to address the team and try and motivate us because we were losing. He told us a story of how he never got off the bench in Mexico, how all his friends assured him that he would never play at MMA. But by pouring all of his heart into it, he was able to be a helpful player for the team. The way he started crying mid-speech, and the way he spoke with such emotion was beautiful and motivating. He made you believe in him, and on this team. That’s how special and amazing new cadets can be for our corps. With all that said, we will prove that we will be better than last year, that we will be the building block and one of the foundations to have many more great years here at MMA. This year, we’re out to prove that we can keep improving every year, and that we will build a successful foundation. We want to be the change that makes the difference. Is it going to be easy? No. It’s going to take a lot of effort and hard work throughout the whole year, and we’ll be ready for it. This is my senior year, it’s my time to shine and help make a positive change that stays here long after I graduate, and I intend on doing just that.
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