https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw By Abby Camp en-us 2019-10-01 16:28:33 UTC 2025-12-15 19:00:51 UTC hello@padlet.com camp015 https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392002572 “I knew from the beginning that this was what I wanted, this is where I needed to be.” When she was young, Makenzie O’Connell sat with the hot grains of sand under her small body. She imagined spending her life here, surrounded by the crashing waves. Her love for the water would always have an impact on her. Now, she has overcome many horrific obstacles, including being the first in her family to graduate from college in order to achieve her dreams. 

]]> 2019-10-01 16:34:43 UTC https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392002572 camp015 https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392004024 Born in the small suburban town of Hamburg, New York, Kenzie was always so close to her family and friends. Her mother taught her respect and how to treat others, because you never know how something might be affecting them. However, not many knew the things that affected Kenzie the most. In school, she feared seeing test dates on the chalk board, especially for chemistry. Neither of her parents earned more than a high school degree so school didn’t exactly come easy. Kenzie took to going out with her friends, against her mothers wishes, to try to get away from the constant torment of her class work. That’s when things started to go downhill. Makenzie’s parents watched her grades and future fall, she was forgetting about her childhood dream. 

]]> 2019-10-01 16:36:52 UTC https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392004024 camp015 https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392005611 The sight of one poster in an empty hallway is what Kenzie has credited to an epiphany. The cheer team was holding open tryouts and somehow she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. From that day on Kenzie spent her time as an athlete, learning discipline and hard work. Holding the responsibility to keep herself and her teammates on track truly helped her to get where she is today. 

]]> 2019-10-01 16:38:57 UTC https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392005611 camp015 https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392006078 From then on, high school and college were a breeze. What Kenzie always dreamed of was now achievable, she no longer feared that she would follow in her parents footsteps because she was her own person. Now with a degree in Freshwater biology, Kenzie spends all of her time at the water, forever reassured by the crashing waves she always wished to be with. ]]> 2019-10-01 16:39:26 UTC https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392006078 camp015 https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392009180 2019-10-01 16:43:42 UTC https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392009180 camp015 https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392015361 2019-10-01 16:52:28 UTC https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392015361 camp015 https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392017261 2019-10-01 16:55:23 UTC https://padlet.com/camp015/pj3lz0b8f6cw/wish/392017261