Send Relief - Puerto Rico Mission Trip

Welcome to Avery's Adventures!

I am a Midway Honors Scholar and though this is my first year at East Tennessee State University, this is my junior year in college. I went to Northeast State Community College as part of the Tennessee Promise Scholarship and then was graciously awarded the Midway Honors Scholarship. I now attend ETSU and will complete my undergraduate degree in Exercise Science so that I can go on to graduate school to become an Occupational Therapist. 

Part of one of my Honors course's requirements is to create and up keep a blog about the completion of the tasks we have been assigned, so if you were asking why a blog? There you go. 

To get things started I am going to share a little about my self and tell Who I Am. I was born and raised in the hills northeast Tennessee. I've lived here my entire life and have been fortunate enough to be given opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains, I spent a great deal of my childhood and my early adulthood life learning how to navigate the outdoors and pursue my other interests. Whenever there was an opportunity to enjoy the mountainous terrain – mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, hunting, and fishing – I would take it. Groups of friends and I have been able to enjoy multi-day backpacking trips to sections of the Appalachian Trail, including Elk River Falls and Laurel Fork/Laurel Falls, as well as hikes to White Rock, Sand Cave, Rock Channels, and the 30 mile loop at Linville Gorge. Getting out and enjoying the area I live in has taught me to use the land and its resources to its fullest potential while learning to respect all forms of life. 

         

The next thing that you guys should know is the massive role that music has played in molding my life to what it is today. Luckily, I was forced by my parents to learn to play instruments from a very young age, and wasn't given an option to quit. Even though I hated every single second I had to practice, now I can look back and appreciate it because of all the opportunities music as placed in my path. After all the long hours of practicing, I am proud to say that I am on staff with the nationally recognized Dobyns-Bennett High School marching band as a percussion instructor and have started a Bluegrass band that has had opportunities to play on televised events and even at the famous Dollywood Bluegrass and BBQ festival in less than a year and a half since it started.                  

                                 

I have been extremely blessed in every opportunity I have been given in this life, and I know that it is not any of my doing. All of my success has been orchestrated by a higher power that I am at mercy to every single day. I strive to remember Ephesians 3:20 which says, "Glory Belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine." Academically, Musically, and Spiritually I hope to never stray from his path that he has laid out me.