What does a sweatshirt, a yearbook, and a simple feather all have in common? They describe parts of my life! My name is Jordan Ernstmeyer and these are 3 objects that I think describe my life in the best way. I chose my nationals sweatshirt for the experience of playing with my team in an unfamiliar place and for explaining that sports take up a large fraction of my life. I brought my preschool  yearbook to show that I’ve been learning and growing in the faith ever since I started my education, and lastly, I brought a feather that my grandma gave me at my confirmation to remind me of a few key faith points, that I can incorporate into my day to day life.

My first object is my earliest year book from preschool. I picked this object because it lets me look back to when I first started my education and my first real faith school experience. To me it symbolizes the fact that I’ve grown up always having been in a Lutheran school, and the privilege that comes along with that is how I get to be open about my faith with my teachers and fellow peers. It also lets me look back at the fun times and good memories I had when I was 4.

The second object is my national sweatshirt to symbolize the time spent in Indiana at the National Basketball Tournament with the girls and boys basketball teams last year. Since the majority was filled with good memories, this was definitely an object I could use to represent my time spent there, but I also wanted it to, in a way, resemble all the sports I play. To me this object also shows the time and dedication my family and I have to sports whether it be basketball, volleyball, or soccer. Athletics is a very important part of my life and that is why I chose something to represent that large area in my life.

My final object was something that I didn’t think of at first. It is a feather my grandma gave me when I was confirmed this past school year. She gave it to me to be a reminder that God’s protective hand is over me at all times and He will defend me if necessary. This feather is a symbol of my faith and to me it reminds me that I always have God watching over me and through the faith I have in him, I will surely be in heaven one day.

Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoyed my speech.