My name is Haroon Salahuddin and welcome to my blog! I am from Skokie, Illinois which is a suburb right outside Chicago and a sophomore here at North Central College. Something you should know about me is that I am a very competitive person, and I want to be the best that I can possibly be in everything that I can do. I also am obsessed over the sport of running, and that combined with my need for competition is why I decided to come to this school as a member of the cross country and track teams. My senior season of high school was very disappointing in terms of what I wanted to accomplish. So, as I sat down and thought about where I wanted to go to school I realized that I wasn't satisfied with ending my athletic career with a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to come to North Central, which is a program that is equivalent to the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Lakers in the world on Division 3 running. North Central has a history of championship success, team culture, and turning average runners into talent even they didn't believe was attainable. I wanted to keep competing and be the best runner that I can possibly be which is why I came here, and after a year I can whole heartedly say that it was the best decision of my life.
My sense of drive and excellence isn't only reserved for athletics. I also care deeply about academics and I want to be the best student I can be. I'm going to be in a lot of debt because of college so might as well get straight As right? Anyway, I know that I'm not going to go pro as a runner anytime soon so my dream job is to become a doctor. Specifically I would like to work with kids as I think they are so innocent and fun to work with, and I think there is nothing more important than the health of our children. I also worked as a camp counselor for a group of second graders this past summer and I had a blast, and I can't imagine not doing something kids as a career in my future. With that goal in mind, I know I can't slack off in school. I have a very long way to go, but I know I can do it if I put enough time in. It definitely is a grind balancing my difficult classes with athletics, but I embrace that challenge and wouldn't want it any other way. It may be tough now, but I know it will help me become a better medical school applicant and (more importantly) a more well rounded person.
Before I leave you, I need to talk about my family. I have two beautiful younger sisters and two amazing parents. Like most immigrants, my parents are both immigrants and they work there butts off for us to have the best possible life and opportunities to succeed. It's there sacrifice that makes me want to be the best version of my self that I can possibly be so I can show them that all there hard work and sacrifice was worth it. No matter how much they annoy or frustrate me, I love them dearly. As the oldest, I also take my responsibility to be an example for my sisters seriously so they can look to me if they ever need help or someone to talk too. Everything I do is for my family and the family I hope to have in the future, which is why I had to talk about them.
