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Hi, my name is Olivia Mackey. I am a sophomore here at Elon University where I plan to major
in Physical Education and minor in Psychology.
Ever since I was little I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. For the longest time I thought
that I wanted to be a regular classroom elementary school teacher, but it wasn’t until recently
(in a teaching program during my senior year of high school), that I decided to take my
teaching into the gym. I’ve always loved sports, and gym class was always the highlight
of my day growing up.
Speaking of sports... I’ve played multiple sports growing up (basketball,
ballet/dance, gymnastics, lacrosse) but only one stuck. I’ve played soccer since I was
4 years old and I’ve loved it every since. My dad was a big soccer player when he was
younger so that is how I got started with it. I played on multiple teams and multiple
levels growing up, especially through middle and high school and I now play for the soccer
team here at Elon.
Soccer is one of the most important aspects of my life. I truly believe that it has made
me who I am today. It taught me all the basic things sports teach young athletes... character,
competitiveness, drive, teamwork, and the importance of activeness and health. I think
though, I take a lot more than the average athlete does out of soccer. I don’t play
because it keeps me in shape, or because my parents want me to, or because of the “benefits”
of being a student-athlete. I play purely because I love it. I’ve never enjoyed anything
more than the feeling I get when I play soccer and I believe that will take me a long way
in life.
I feel like another reason I love soccer so much is because it’s something that brings
my family together - everyone of my siblings plays soccer competitively. We love going
to each other's games and kicking around with each other in the backyard. But soccer is
just one of the things that makes my family so close.
I’m extremely close to my siblings - they are my best friends. I tell them everything,
and they tell me everything. I love spending time with them and they mean the world to
I have two brothers - Jon & Ben. Jon is a sophomore in High School (currently 15), and
Ben is in the 7th grade (currently 12). I also have a sister, Alana. She’s a senior
in high school currently (currently 17).
I’m the closest to my brother Jon. He literally is my best friend. He’s one of the funniest
people I know, and he can always have me dying of laughter. When I’m having a bad day,
he’s the only person I want to hang out with. When I’m at home, we literally do
everything together.
Now, my family wouldn’t be the family it is without two very important members - my
dog and my cat.
I’ll start with my dog - Mia. We had Mia for 8 years, and they were the best 8 years
of my life. We had to give her away for personal family reasons last year, but that dog went
through everything with me. Like my brother, she would always brighten my day. I believe
that she is living proof that a dog really is a man’s best friend. But a long story
short, she means a great deal to me, and to my life before college.
I also have a cat named Pearl. This cat makes for all of our family jokes, and almost every
joke that comes out of my brother’s mouth. She has one of the funniest personalities
an animal can have - she’s basically a dog. I’m not usually a big cat person, but she
changed me for the better. She’s not always the nicest animal, but she tries.
My family isn’t the only thing that gets me excited to return home. I take great pride
in where I am from. I wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else to grow up. I grew up in Loudoun
County, Virgina more specifically - Leesburg, VA. And as many people already know about
me i’m obsessed with my High School. I’m extremely proud to have gone there and I just
love absolutely everything about it. I was one of those girls who was dressed up for
every spirit day, and at every sporting event possible. I was my high school mascot my senior
year (and no, nobody made fun of me for it). And I’m also one of those girls who wishes
that high school never ended.
** Those were the categories that are essential to my life - my biggest passions. And now
I’ll tell you a little about my favorites. Over this past summer I was a lifeguard. It
was my first job ever, and I don’t think I could have picked anything better. I got
to tan, make new friends, and save people’s life - I was living the life and I had a blast
doing so.
I love all kinds of music, I listen to music every chance I get. But, I am absolutely OBSESSED
with Country music. It’s always so happy, and so relaxing. I always feel like I can
relate to what these artists sing about. A few of my favorite country singers are:
- Carrie Underwood - Brad Paisley
- Keith Urban - Rascal Flatts
- Jason Aldean
If you ask my friends they will tell you that I am constantly eating. I LOVE food. But it’s
weird because I’m an extremely picky eater. I rarely try anything new. I’m a fan of
the very simple meals such as grilled cheese, pizza, and tacos - which happen to be 3 of
my favorite foods.
I have quite a few hobbies that I like to do when I’m not constantly playing soccer.
I LOVE going to the beach. My friends and I try to drive up to a beach whenever we get
a chance, it’s one of my favorite things to do is sit by the water, and/or play in
it. I also like to go to the gym or do some kind of work out. I love to sweat and I love
the feeling you get after you have just worked out really hard - plus it keeps me in shape.
I took up reading this summer as a new hobby of mine and I really like the Jodi Picoult
books. I really like the stories she tells and my favorite are love stories.
Last but not least I’m going to tell you about a dream of mine. As I told you before,
I love sports - specifically soccer and I love teaching younger kids to play them. I’ve
coached numerous times throughout high school and hope to continue doing so. One of my biggest
dreams is to travel to South Africa as a part of the “Grassroots soccer” program and
teach younger kids to play soccer. I’ve always wanted to travel to a country that
is not in the greatest economical shape and I think the grassroots soccer program would
be the perfect opportunity to do so.