No retreat, No surrender
Hello, my name is John Aranda, and for most of my life, I've felt overlooked by everyone around me. Ever since I was a kid, it seemed like people were always bigger, stronger, and smarter than me. Whether it was in the classroom, on the field, or in everyday life, I often felt like I was starting from behind. But instead of letting that discourage me, it ignited a fire within. I realized early on that for everything I wanted in life, I would have to work twice as hard as anyone else—and that was exactly what I set out to do. Growing up, life wasn’t easy. It threw its fair share of challenges my way, but rather than letting them define me, I chose to rise above. While others may have had a smoother path, I took pride in my resilience. I refused to be pushed around by circumstances or underestimated by those who didn’t believe in me. Every setback was a lesson, every obstacle an opportunity to prove to myself that I could make it, no matter how tough things got. High school was parti...