Since sixth grade, Nicholas Saberniak (12) has been involved in Cross Country and has been working to improve his time. Although he does not plan to continue Cross Country in college, he plans to study Criminal Justice at Purdue University.
Saberniak decides to study Criminal Justice because he believes that there are flaws within the current system.
“I am attending Purdue University to major in Criminal Justice. I believe that a lot of people aren’t justly given what they deserve, and the fight starts with the little guys.” Saberniak said.
During Saberniak’s time in Cross-Country, he had multiple memories, including team-bonding moments. One of these moments was in a movie theater alongside the team.
“My favorite memory is when we went to a movie theater and we taped sweet tarts to my stomach to sneak in candy to the movie theater,” Saberniak said. “It was the team bonding at that moment, and everyone was so connected and having a good time with it.”
Saberniak faced multiple challenges throughout his time in Cross Country. Saberniak mentions one of his greatest challenges within Cross Country.
“My greatest challenge was running under 20 minutes in the 5k. It was definitely very hard to do, but I got my time down to 18:14,” Saberniak said.
Through facing his greatest challenges, Saberniak reminded himself of his goals. Saberniak mentions that solely focusing on himself instead of others helped him through his challenges.
“I overcame that challenge by putting a lot of dedication into the sport, and really focusing on what my goals were,” Saberniak said. “I put myself into my thought process instead of everyone else’s.”
In conclusion, Cross Country has shaped Saberniak’s personal growth. Through the challenges he faced and the memories he made with his team, Saberniak has gained invaluable experiences and life lessons that carry over into his future.
