ALPHARETTA, GA // Heather Harman (GA // MILTON // 2012 // PENN STATE) gets names top ranking officer in her senior class.

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: Heather Harman
Scared, quiet, shy, alone. These are words that defined my life 5 years ago as I walked through the hallways at school, looked at the ground too afraid to smile for fear of being judged. I always played it safe, never reaching out to others, instead patiently waiting for someone else to make the first move. In my heart, I knew I wanted to be able to have the courage to speak out and be a leader. But who are we kidding? What kind of leader ever left an impression of insecurity or doubt in oneself? No one. Every leader, every hero, every role model leaves a lasting impression that allows us to admire them for being strong. However, in order to have others begin to believe in you, you must first believe in yourself.

While some might say that seeing is believing, I say that if you believe, anything is possible. During my first tournament on XTEAM, I had a jumble of emotions. I didn’t know whether to be happy I was playing the sport I loved, sad I was away from home, or scared of all the girls around me. I told myself to just keep quiet and smile whenever anyone said anything. But, knowing the “XTEAM way”, Crista would never allow that to happen. I remember our first task at Palm Springs was to get with a partner and learn 5 interesting facts about them. For the first time, I was being forced to break out of my shell and meet someone completely new and also have a fact filled conversation with them. And you know what? I’m still alive! I survived the task while also learning new things about a girl who lives all the way in Pennsylvania! Who would have thought I would have had so many LAUGHS! A simple task like that started my journey on becoming a completely new person. I was on a mission to one-day lead a group of people with confidence.

As the months went on I attended more and more tournaments through XTEAM. With every tournament, I set a goal for myself to meet at least one new person and know all about them - likes, dislikes, fears, dreams and more. I was determined to become a friend to all just as Crista had encouraged me to do. XTEAM helped me to find the courage inside myself and make it ok to branch out. It helped me to realize that there is more to life than just sticking to a routine. It’s about doing things that you’re passionate about and setting goals for yourself even if you feel like you’ll never reach them. You sometimes might not reach them, but knowing that you decided to FIGHT for something you love is a reward in itself. XTEAM has given me the confidence to go 100% in anything and everything I do. Even if it’s something as crazy as running for Class President.

As I’ve grown in age I have also grown into a new confident young woman. With the help of XTEAM, I have had the courage to really get to know the majority of my fellow classmates. Everyday I smile and wave to at least half our grade feeling proud of myself for overcoming the shy quiet person I use to be. This spring I decided to take a huge RISK and run for Class President. I knew the responsibilities the position held and I was positive I could do them without conflict. However, when it came time to film my speech I was overwhelmed with my old feelings of doubt. Before I stood in front of my classmates I took a second to remember all I had gone through to get there. I thought of XTEAM and what it taught me and I realized that if I could be a leader there I could be a leader anywhere.

So here I stand before my classmates today, ready to take on the world. I may have once the shy girl in math class, but now, I am Heather Harman … the new Senior Class President!

I could have never done it without the love and support of XTEAM throughout the years allowing me to reach my dream of becoming a leader. I owe it all to the coaches and players of my new family for the encouragement to believe in myself. The many LAUGHS we’ve shared, the many battles we decided to FIGHT, and the RISKS we have taken, all make us the confident young women we are today. Don’t ever doubt yourself or let others have doubt in you as well. Because at the end of the day you are who you are, so be it.