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Beginning of a New Era
On this date, I was given birth to and given the name Ilhan Zivali. I was given the name of my great grandparent and was not given a middle name. I was born in Brooklyn, but raised in Bristol throughout my childhood life. I will always call Bristol my home no matter where I am on earth. It's a special place for me and will stay in my heart. -
First day at School
The first day of school was a memorable one. It was the first time I was left alone without my parents. It was something I wasn't used to. What made this day a memorable one was the pronunciation of my name. Being a Turkish/American, I grew up knowing both languages. Although, I wasn't used to the way my name was pronounced from my teacher. It took a good 15 minutes for him to say it the way I wanted it. He ended up saying it with a Turkish accent. -
Turkish Airlines
The first time I have ever been on a plane was when I went to Turkey. I have never even been to an airport prior to my experience of traveling on a plane. I distinctly remember how crowded the airport was because it was during the summer. I was excited to mount on to the plane. It felt like a roller coaster when it was taking off and I enjoyed the entire 14 hours of flight. Although, the landing is not as fun. It was the first time I've been to Turkey and first time meeting my family there. -
My Soccer Career Begins
I have always been a soccer fan and player as well. I always played pick-up with friends and family. Having an older brother, enabled me to face competition on a higher level at a young age. I always would play with the older kids because I was more skilled than the kids my age group. One day the opportunity knocked on my door, literally. The coach of the Langhorne team came to my door. He offered my dad to join his team for free. From that day on I played on his club for 3 consecutive years. -
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Basketball Journey
I began playing basketball in 6th grade. I always loved the game of basketball and played with friends for fun. I started playing for in 7th grade. My main sport at the time was soccer but Bristol did not have a soccer team. I switched all my focus to basketball. I became a starter in 8th grade and as a freshman in HS I started for the JV team. Sophomore year I was one of three players to play varsity as a 10th grader. The following year I continued to play as a varsity player for Truman. -
Floyd Mayweather
One of my biggest aspirations is to become a complete athlete. I wanted to be successful in all sports. One of my idols as a fighter is Floyd Mayweather. He inspired me to start boxing. I thought it would help me get me in shape for other sports too. I started boxing at a gym in Bristol called Tenth Round. I was able to keep up with basketball and boxing at the same time, but later lost the privilege to box. I had gotten into a street fight that my trainer heard about and lost my boxing license. -
Truman Tigers
My sophomore year of HS was one of the biggest changes in my life. My family decided to move and sell our house and restaurant in Bristol. I couldn't fathom the idea of moving away from my friends, basketball, and the town I grew up in. My parents asked me what school I would like to go to. At the time I wanted to stay close to my friends and decided to go to Truman. It was also close for my parents and their jobs. When I came to Truman I met the greatest English teacher in the world, Mr. Crane. -
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Brooklyn Adventure
Junior year of HS was a crazy experience. I had made a sudden move to Brooklyn to live with my cousins and go to school there. I wanted to experience the city life. I also wanted to play soccer and basketball for the school team to get a better chance to get looked at by college scouts. Although, things didn't go as planned. After my soccer season, I was not eligible to play basketball. Also, my credits did not meet the requirements of the NY state law. I had no choice but to move back home. -
Senior Night Soccer
Senior year of HS was the first year I played soccer for Truman. I started dedicating my time to it and gave basketball a break. I attended the summer workouts and quickly became an asset to the coach. As the season progressed I took on the leadership role. Truman's record from the previous season was tragic. They only one a single game compared to the 5 we won my year. At the end of the year we showed progress with the wins we had. I was named 2nd team all-league for Truman and was very proud. -
Graduation
Graduation is upon us. Teachers would always say time flies by when your in HS, but I never believed it until now. I feel as if everything just flashed by. I enjoyed going to school for the most part. At times I wish I participated in more school activities other than sports. HS was a great experience and there are many more to come. In my opinion, graduation marks only the beginning of what is yet to come. Some people are too attached to HS to realize that.