What Being Tall Means to Me
by Kyle Hansen

For as long as I can remember I?ve been the tallest kid around. In Elementary School I soared above my classmates, and on through Junior High and High School I?ve been at the top of my class, literally. Throughout the years I?ve answered a million ?How tall are you???, ?What?d your parents feed you?s? , and Can you reach that?s?. I?ve had my share of tall advantages and tall disadvantages and at 6?6?, the first thing people notice about me is my height. Although the tall trait is characterized by height, I believe it al so involves a special mental aspect.

As I grow older, being tall has become less of an attribute and more of a state of mind. As a tall person I don?t just look tall, I believe I also think tall. I pride myself in being a leader, and by height has helped people respect me and look up to me as one. I reach to the highest of my abilities in everything I involve myself in./ I?ve also set high goals for myself which I hope to achieve in the future. While the mental side of being tall has helped me, the physical side has given me a distinct advantage in many activities.

I believe my height is a gift that was given to me to be used to the best of my ability. It is because of this that I have engaged myself in a multitude of sports. During my high school career I?ve taken part in 4 years of basketball and volleyball and in college I will be playing volleyball for UC San Diego. Without my height coupled with my work ethic I probably wouldn?t have had these opportunities in athletics. I can?t imagine what a different person I would be if I weren?t blessed with my height. People often ask me, ?Do you like being tall??, to which I reply ?I don?t like being tall, I love it?.