HAYLEE MATECKO
“Home is where the heart is”. What does this really mean? My home isn’t my house in San Antonio, the shelter that keeps out the rain. My home is not my apartment in College Station, where I go to sleep at night. My home is my family – my parents and sisters. My home is the people who surround me with unconditional love and support. My home is the ones who love me at my worst, who want nothing but the best in life for me. My heart is with my family, and my family is my home.
I could tell stories about how I cried when my mom couldn’t chaperone one of my field trips, or how proud I was that my dad coached my YMCA soccer team. I could talk about how my sister and I would put the exact same outfits (down to the underwear) on and call it the “same game”, or how my other sister told me about her first kiss before she told anyone else. But even that wouldn’t go to the lengths to describe the bond that my family shares. When we’re together, we are present in that moment. We tell each other everything, including the embarrassing things and the things we are ashamed of. We would sacrifice anything for each other, and we love spending time together.
Unconditional: not limited in any way; absolute. The love my family has for each other is unconditional. They have taught me that literally no matter what, I am their daughter, their sister, and I am still loved. They have demonstrated to me how to love, how to be honest and open, how to be silly, how to be confident. They have shown me how to be strong, how to be loved, and how to be myself. My heart is with my family, and my family is home.
One Word: A Collection of Mini-Reflections
One who is kind. One who is confident. One who does not boast, who is humble in nature. One who is influential and intentional with their actions. This is the leader I admire.
My mom is generally not at the center of attention in large groups of people. But she is still a leader. She works with people on an individual level, giving them each time and compassion, and being selfless while doing it. My mom knows so many people, and they all have nothing but good things to say about her because she is humble and kind. She is a part of so many programs at my school, and without her the programs really wouldn’t function. A leader does not have to be one who stands before the masses and announces the directives. A leader is the one who is influential in their ways, who cares about each and every individual person. A leader is the shepherd who sought out the lost sheep when the other 99 were still there.
A leader I admire is one who leads not because of a title, who is not pompous because of the name they are given. A leader I admire is one like my mom, who gives their time and love to each person and program that they touch. One who gives their all and cares so much for each member of their team, or their program. Leading people is all about being influential with your actions, just like my mom is.
As the days go by, each person gets closer and closer to retirement – and most of them haven’t started saving for it. 50% of marriages in America end in divorce, and the number one reason for that is money. These two statements alone sound to me like a cry for more education; a cry from the American people for a greater depth of knowledge. They sound like a yearning for peace, for a diversion from financial distress. In these two statements alone, I know my calling.
As a freshman in high school, I took a class where I learned about personal finances. In groups, we created a financial plan for a (fictional) family in need. My group went on to compete against other high schools in San Antonio, and after it was all said and done I realized that I had seriously enjoyed that competition. I loved finding ways to help this family find financial peace, because it meant that they could live their lives focused on their goals, and getting the most out of life they possibly could, instead of how they would provide for their next meal.
That year, I learned about the profession of financial planning. I am passionate about helping people allocate their finances in a way that means that they don’t have to worry about money. In a way that means their marriages will succeed, that their retirements will be enjoyed and will exist. I am passionate about teaching people who don’t have much how they can turn from a life of scraping by to a life of stability.
My dream is to open a non-profit organization to teach financial literacy to low income families, because I want everyone to have a chance to really live life to the fullest. Financial planning is more than a profession to me; it’s my passion, it’s my future, it’s who I am. It is the future and the lives of so many people; people who will retire with money to spare; people whose marriages will succeed and will have kids who live to tell their tale of how their parents made a great life for them. I am passionate about helping these people make their dreams a reality by making my own dream a reality.
Leader
Home
Passion
Fall 2016