MOSAIC: voices from Polson High School

Welcome to Mosaic.
Be honest. Be kind. Be temperate.

Joe’s Dream (read this or I’ll hunt you down)

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People often try to define what the “American Dream” is, but is there one right answer? Some say life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is what the American dream is all about; however, I personally believe that a persons true dream lies in his heart and is different for everybody.

My American dream starts with how my parents raised me. Education has always been very important to my family and even though neither of my parents attended any formal education after high school, they have never quit encouraging my siblings and me. They have never tried to point me in the direction that they found fit; rather, they encourage me to look into many fields and to think my way through any obstacles I may find in my journey. There have been bumps along the way and I know there will be many more to come that are much more challenging than anything I have gone through yet. I do not fear them. I know with the love and support of my family that I will be able to overcome anything life throws at me.

To further my education after high school, I plan (or for at least this moment) to attend the University of North Dakota-Grand Forks in search of a Bachelors of Science degree in their flight training program. In addition to attending college I plan to join one of the armed forces--which one has yet to be decided.
At the moment I am most interested in the United States Coast Guard or a special program the University of North Dakota offers through the Army ROTC. The best reason I have for wanting to join one of these is the fact that I want to help people in some way, and becoming a rescue pilot in either of these would certainly let me achieve that goal. The ABC program offered by the ROTC through UND will aid with flight training expenses and college tuition.

I was referred towards this program from a previous student of UND. Although he had not personally attended the ABC program, he had classmates and friends that did. He explained to me that UND is one of the finest flight colleges in the nation and joining the Army ROTC was definately a rewarding experience for him.

Along with meeting my goal, enlisting in the United States Coast Guard would quite possibly keep me near my family on the north-western seaboard. If my mind changes a million more times in the next two years, helping the public and staying close to those I love will be two constant requirements for any occupation I pursue. Family is very important to me and I plan on keeping them close in my life.

Personally I do not know if a family of my own is in my future but I am not counting it out. Children, especially infants, have an overwhelmingly positive power on my emotions. My mother runs a daycare out of our house and being able form bonds with the children as they grow from infants with their new baby smell to teenagers who believe they know it all when in reality, all they see of the world is the tip of the ice-burg, has had a very influential impact on my life. These kids have given me the opportunity to see how much people need each other to survive. I believe love is something that you can’t live without. It is necessary to find somewhere in your day to day schedule.

If that comes from creating your own family and the unbreakable love between each other, or from a single person in your life, it is essential to our survival. So far, my love consist of my family. I have developed a strong relationship with my father through hunting and it is one of the few hobbies we share with each other. My father and I have a lot in common but we see things very differently as you would suspect from the diverse ways we were raised. We both love working with our hands but I prefer to do so in a more modern way. I love power tools, table saws, routers, and using them to turn pieces of wood into something priceless yet practical. I love working on cars, doing such tasks as simple as changing the oil to those more difficult such as replacing a motor or transmission. I love my father and in result, I love hunting and working with my hands because they keep my dad in touch with each other. Along with my dad, my mom has also gotten me to love working with my hands by working in the yard and cooking with her because they are hobbies she has passed to me which keep us close.

These are nothing but hobbies. I have never had any intentions of turning these into professions. I would hate to become sick of doing them by relying on them week to week to pay the bills. I plan to do them for as long as I live for personal enjoyment and nothing less.

My dream consists of me and mine; a house with my neighbors being no closer than the horizon; a field where I can build a shop to work on any projects I can conjure up; and a life that I find just. Hoping to enjoy waking up every day, looking forward to whatever life throws at me. 

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