For only eighteen years of age, Gomez is the epitome of wisdom and graciousness. I have known him for nearly six years and his experiences and positivity never cease to astonish me. He was the first person that came to mind when deciding on the list of people to center my pieces for this Capstone on. Born and raised in Philly he was surrounding by a large family, but the person most present in his life was his mother. She would tell him growing up that it was important to not let others put you down. And while he held that advice close to his chest, it was obvious he spent so much time protecting himself from others, he didn't learn how to not be his own worst enemy. Ironically, his father used to advise him that friends are one's biggest enemies because they know you the best and can hurt you better than anyone. Gomez recalled how unsure of himself he could get during a baseball game. He said his biggest struggle was his sometimes failed effort at making contact with the ball at bat. He mentioned how his affirmations would not always aid in his efforts, ". . .telling myself some lies, but knowing deep down I am going to strike out and because I am scared and my left leg is shaking." Gomez after reflection that the best way to create a different outcome is to take a different approach, because false hope and being underprepared was tearing down his confidence. As he practiced more and more, he found himself making contact at batting practice in a decent fashion. Then, during one of his rounds and he had thought he hit a double, but instead it was practically a home run distance hit. This single moment gave him such assurance in his own abilities and how he could take it from practice onto an actual field. During our interview, Gomez defined confidence as : not having the voices in your head talk, but having a gut feeling. He described how relevant that is to playing sports in his everyday life and how it can be relative to non-athletes. The intimidation of performing, athletically or intellectually, is a tough issue to handle. He went on to say that confidence and assurance correlates with one's comfort. Whether it be relative to sports or simply complimenting a peer, comfort plays such an imperative role. Being aware and observant to other people's and your own comfort levels is an effective way in ensure leaving a positive impact day to day. Gomez credited the SLA community for being such a welcoming and supportive environment. He taught him to be humble and that people differ greatly in so many ways. Given the opportunity to play on a connected team filled with varying personalities but endless support. Everyone is affected by certain circumstances in unique ways, and their own self perception wavers. Yet, in Gomez's case, even the slightest inner demons can be fought off with the right support and care.