Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

　　　　　　　　　　Taming the Challenges

“Donkey, come over here.” A handsome brown-red horse came close to me, very gently. I mounted Donkey with ease and elegance, and while my coach and members of the Equestrian Club gazed on, I skillfully manipulated the horse which soon started to gallop freely on the course.

But not long ago, both Donkey and the entire Equestrian Club posed daunting risks to me, a feeble-looking high school girl. I recalled the scene when I first met Donkey.

By any standard, it is definitely a major challenge for a girl to tame an unfamiliar horse. At first, Donkey refused to be cooperative. Even after the coach helped me sit astride on the horse, it kept shaking from right to left as if to get rid of me. Although somewhat frightened, I tried to calm her down by caressing and talking to her. Eventually, Donkey accepted me.

Donkey was one of the many challenges I surmounted. It was a challenge that I must face with courage. Otherwise, the Equestrian Club I launched would fall apart and my entire leadership would end up in failure. Just imagine all the turns and twists I had to undergo when I first endeavored to create the Club. There were so many doubts and questionings, but I made it.

Toward the end of 2008, stunned and inspired by the equestrian tournaments at the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing, I planned to establish an equestrian club in our school. It was a brilliantly new idea, and also very risky because in China equestrian sport is by no means popular. Therefore, at the very outset I faced two challenges—to find the right people to coach us and to attract enough members to set up the club on our campus.

Despite all the difficulties, I implemented my plan step by step. I first contacted an equestrian center in the suburb of Beijing. Taking me simply for an innocent young girl, they did not treat me seriously, but I presented them with a persuasive win-win ‘business proposal’ of advertising the center in all our school’s sports activities in exchange for their technical support and training.

But another challenge soon presented itself—how we could attract over 20 members to meet the minimum requirement for setting up a club. We attracted only 10 in the first two days and we were engulfed by an immense self-doubt. But as initiator I must persist, to dissolve all potential risks through effective leadership and organization. I gathered the recruited members and devised new publicity strategies, concentrating our campaign at lunchtime outside the canteen and making patient and detailed explanations. By the end of the week, we had 25 members. Creating a club out of nothing, I saw my big dream come true.

“Huuuuh….” I was awakened by an elongated neigh of Donkey, reminding me of its indomitable nature which almost jeopardized the whole of our undertaking. As we started our training, one member fell off from the horse and got injured. Fear became contagious within the club and some wanted to back away. To give up or to persist, we faced a dilemma like a hurdle looming large in the distance. To enhance the group cohesion, I held a meeting and encouraged members by saying that the “hurdle” must be surmounted. “We will face endless challenges in our life,” I said. “If we cannot over the difficulty this time, how can we expect to overcome the next one?” In the wake of this meeting, I decided to demonstrate that as long as we were trained in the proper way we could master the equestrian art. I intensified my training and became the first rider to control Donkey skillfully. My success rekindled the confidence of the members.

“Great, Donkey, thank you.” Amid the cheers of the club members, I came to the end of the course and dismounted. Another member mounted Donkey and started her practicing. We would spend another day training there, relishing in the joy and success of having overcome so many risks and challenges. My stamina, perseverance and leadership made possible a most unique club, giving me confidence to face future challenges and make more proud achievements.

　　　　　　　　　　　驯 服 挑 战

　　“Donkey, 过来！”一匹帅气的棕红色马儿温顺地走到了我的跟前，我轻盈而优雅地跨上Donkey，在教练和马术社队员的注视下，娴熟地驾驭着这匹曾让我望而生畏的马在训练场上自由驰骋。

　　可就在不久之前，不仅仅这匹马，还有整个马术社，对我这个弱不禁风的女孩子来说，还都是一个令人望而生畏的risk（冒险）。看着现在已成为我朋友的Donkey，我的思绪陷入了马术社刚创立时我第一次见到它的场景。

　　对于一个小女孩来说，驯服一匹和自己不熟悉的马是常人难以想象的事情。一开始Donkey并不愿意和我合作，即便我在教练的帮助下坐到了马背上，它仍左摇右晃，仿佛要把我掀下来。虽然有点心惊肉跳， 但我还是不断地抚摸它，和它说话，让它安静下来。逐渐地，Donkey终于愿意接纳我了。

　　Donkey是我驯服的许多挑战中的一个，那是一个我必须以全部的勇气来面对的挑战，否则，我所创建的马术社就会分崩离析，而我的领导力也将以失败而告终。谁都可以想象到，当初我试图发起马戏社的时候，是如何经历了各种艰难困苦。有过那么多的怀疑和质疑，但我还是成功地将社团组织了起来。

　　08年年末，为北京第29届奥运会上的马术竞技所惊艳与启迪，我计划在自己的中学成立一个马术社团，这是一个绝妙而新颖的想法，但也是一个很冒险的(risky)的想法，因为在中国，马术绝不是一项普及的运动。所以，最初的时候，对于社团能否成立，我就面对着两大挑战——一是能否找到恰当的教练来培训我们，二是如何吸引到足够数量的成员，以便得以在校园里成立我们的社团。

　　虽然困难重重，我依旧一步一个脚印，开始实施我的计划。我首先联系了北京郊区的马术俱乐部，和他们商谈合作事项。尽管他们一开始对我这么一个稚嫩的女孩不屑一顾，但是在我有理有据的说服之下，他们终于相信我的“商业企划”确是一个双赢的项目，我们可以获得他们的专业的支持和培训，而他们也能借此机会在我们学校得到极高的广告效益和人气支持。

　　但是，另一个棘手的挑战马上便呈现出来了，那就是我能否招收到新开设社团最少所需的20个成员。最初的两天，我们只招收到10个成员。这时候，所有的人都被笼罩在一种巨大的自我怀疑之中。但是，作为发起人和社长，我必须义无反顾地坚持下去，发挥我自己有效的组织能力和领导能力，去化解种种风险。我召集了所有现有的成员，重新设计我们的宣传策略和方法， 将招新方案集中在午餐时间的学校食堂外进行，向感兴趣的学生做耐心细致的说明。又经过了几个中午的招新，我们终于确定了25名会员。就这样，我看着自己的社团从无到有，巨大的梦想成为了现实。

　　“嘶！”Donkey的一声长啸惊醒了我，使我回想起这匹马儿桀骜不驯的性子，而这种桀骜不驯的性子又差一点使我们这个项目功亏一篑。当我们开始进行训练后，一个队员不慎坠马受伤。一时间，社团内部人心惶惶，甚至有人打算退出。是放弃还是坚持，我们进退维谷，仿佛面对着一个栏架，在我们的前方赫然矗立。为了增强团队凝聚力，我召开了一次会议，给大伙鼓劲，决定地说，这个跳栏必须跨越。“人生中我们将面对无数的挑战，”我说道，“如果此时此刻的这个困难无法克服， 我们又怎么能期望克服下一个呢？” 会后, 我决定利用自己的行动向每个成员证明，只要训练方法得当，就一定能掌握骑术。我增强了自己的训练强度，成为第一个娴熟操控马儿的骑手。我的成功，使信心的光芒在社员的眼中再度闪亮起来。

“好样的，Donkey，谢谢你！”在队员们的一片欢呼声中，我来到了跑道的尽头，翻身下马，换上另一个队员翻身上马，前去练习。 这一天，我们又将在马场度过一整天美好的时光，品尝在克服了如许多风险和挑战之后所带来的快乐与成功。正是我坚强的意志力，决不轻言放弃的精神，以及强有力的领导力，才使得一个最为独特的学生社团的存在成为可能，并赋予我信心，去面对未来的各种挑战，取得更让我自豪的成就。