All About Me

1. All About Me By: Tanner Hoffman For: Ms. Bland GLC 205 Monday March 31st, 2014

2. Coming Into This World August 10th, 1995 is a day that my family will remember and cherish forever! It was the day that I was born. At 2:10 on that warm August day, family and friends gathered at the Kingston General hospital, waiting to see me for the first time. I was born weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces, totalling 22 inches in length. I had a head full of dark hair and a smile on my face. My grandma could not stop commenting on how beautiful her first born grandson was, much to the delight of my parents who were sitting next to her. The small hospital room was soon jammed full of people as they all took turns cradling me in their arms. “Tanner James Stewart Hoffman,” is the name that was repeated hundreds of time that day. It is a name that has become commonly called by members of the Hoffman family over the last 15 years. It is the name that my parents gave me.

3. I can not say enough good things about my family. My mom Lisa, dad Brent, and brother Carter are always there for me no mater what I am pursuing. They support me in all that I do. My family is there to talk to me, play with me and help me through the hard times. They have guided me through every aspect of my life. They are even willing to go out of their way in order to make my life better. What makes my family so great is that each person has helped me in a different aspect of life. My mom has always helped me academically, encouraging me to be the best My Family that I can be. My dad has supported me through all of my sporting endeavours, being at almost all of my sporting events. And my brother has always been there to talk to, acting as a shoulder to lean on. There is nothing that I would ever want my family to change. They have been there for me through the good times and the bad. Without them I would not have developed into who I am today.

4. My Community I have only lived in two different houses throughout the course of my life, both of them being in Kingston. The first house that I lived in was located in Waterloo Village. I only lived in this house until I was two years old. For this reason I don’t remember very much about it. When I was two years old I moved from my old house to my current house which is located right around the corner from Holy Cross. This house has been ideal for me and my family as it is within walking distance of Holy Cross and my former school, Mother Teresa. I love life within my current community. I live close to many of my friends, there is a park right up the street and everyone is very friendly. The children in my neighbourhood often participate in street wide road hockey or football games. This ultimately has made the experience of living in my community even more pleasurable. There is nothing that I could ask for that would make my community any better.

5. Since the day he was born, my best friend has been my brother Carter. We are always there for each other. We play games together and help each other out whenever it is possible. I see him as being my best friend forever. Aside from my brother, I have had many other close friends My Best Friends growing up. Some key figures who I can name are Kyle Hall, Andrew Pho, and Alex Amey. I have known these three friends for a very long time, participating in either sports or school with each of them. Over the years much of my time has been spent with these three guys. It is safe to say that I have enjoyed every second with them. I have also made many friends through sports teams, socializing in my community and school. These friends number into the hundreds, making too many to mention. Despite this high number, the memories made with these friends will stay with me forever.

6. My Elementary School Days Mother Teresa Catholic School was the only school that I attended during my elementary years. During this time my main focus was on sports opposed to the aspect of schooling. I played on many school sports teams over the years at Mother Teresa. Some of these teams included cross-county, track and field, basketball and volleyball. Highlights of my elementary school career were winning the cross-county meet in grade 8, as well as winning many track and field ribbons. My favourite subject in elementary school was also sports related, as it was always gym. I loved the competitive edge, always looking forward to the challenge of the game. I enjoyed being taught by all of my teachers throughout my 10 years at Mother Teresa; my favourite teacher being Mr. Watts. I enjoyed every second spent at Mother Teresa. The people who touched me over these years will stay in my heart forever.

7. My High School Experience Since my entrance into grade 9 at Holy Cross Secondary School, my focus has shifted from school sports to academics. I now strive to achieve academic excellence in every class that I attend. Last year I achieved an average of 95%; an average which earned me an Honour Role appearance, as well as the highest mark in grade 9 English and Drama. On top of this I received the grade 9 drama award, as well as a publication in the ALCDSB young writers contest booklet. I have also played on the varsity baseball team where I received the MVP award. My favourite class in high school has been science. It is my favourite subject as it relates directly to my future aspirations of becoming a surgeon. My previous science teacher, Ms. LeRoy, as well as my current teacher, Mr. Watts have been two of my favourite teachers thus far, furthermore enhancing my enjoyment of the sciences. So far I have enjoyed every aspect of high school. I expect that my next few years at Holy Cross will hold many of the same exciting opportunities.

8. My Short Term Goals I have very high standards of myself, therefore I have set my short term goals very highly. Some of the things that I look forward to achieving over the next few years include a 90% average in every class that I attend, as well as an overall average of 95% or above at the end of each semester. I also would like to attain the top grade average in at least one of my 8 classes, along with either a sports award or some form of academic award at the end of each school year. Looking more into the future, I would like to be rewarded with an academic scholarship to Queens University in order to jumpstart my post-secondary school career. I would like to get accepted into a life sciences undergraduate program at Queens, continuing my schooling from there. Looking outside the classroom, I would like to continue to play sports at a high level over the next few years so that I can live a well rounded life.

9. My Long Term Goals My long term goals, similar to my short term goals, are based on hard work and dedication to my schooling. I would like to obtain an undergraduate degree in life sciences from Queens University, followed by being accepted into, and graduating from medical school. After medical school, I would like to complete a surgical residency in order to complete my education as a doctor. After my schooling is complete, I would like to obtain a secure, well paying job, that I can depend on in the future. I would like to settle down in a nice town, preferably Kingston, so that I can live the rest of my life in comfort. I would then like to start a family, buy a big house and a car, so that I can live the life of luxury. I one day hope to be a father who is able to provide for his wife and kids. I would like to live a long life so that one day I can become a grandfather. I would like to continue the legacy of the Hoffman family so that my children and grandchildren can be raised with the same strong morals that I have been raised with.

10. My Personal Philosophy I am a firm believer that what you get out of something what you put into it. I believe that hard work will translate into good grades and a solid foundation for the future. I personally live by the motto, “Dreaming leads to acknowledging your goals, effort leads to reaching them.” This is a saying that I came up with a few years ago when I began to think about what I wanted to do in the future. Have some pretty ambitious goals for myself, goals which came from dreaming big. For this reason, I incorporated the section about dreaming into my motto. When I go to bed at night I imagine the future and what it holds for me. For this reason dreaming is a key aspect in my life. When I wake up in the morning, the second part of my motto comes into affect. I know that in order to make my dreams come true I have to put a lot of effort into whatever it is I want to achieve. For this reason I strongly believe that effort leads to reaching your goals. Over the last few years I have found myself focusing especially on schooling and the effort I put forth academically. I work hard so that I can one day achieve my goals of becoming a surgeon.

11. How I See Myself In The Future When I look into the future, I see myself as a strong man, confidant in his abilities as a doctor, father and husband. I see myself working in a hospital as a surgeon, making a difference in the lives of those who I treat. I see myself as a man who people look up to and come to for advice and help. I also see myself as a loving husband and father to my wife and children. I see myself being there to support them through the good times and the bad, just as my parents have been there for me. When I look into the future, I see myself as being a man that my family can depend on. I see myself making a good wage and being able to support my family through every aspect of life. I want to be a man that people are proud of and look up to. I want my parents to look at me, knowing that they raised me the best that they could. In the future I see myself raising my children with the same strong morals that my parents and grandparents have raised their families with before me. I want to follow in the footsteps of my elders in the Hoffman family.