Student Profile: On the Value of Pushing Through the Pain

I am continuing my series on Iowa City Patch where I try to get into the schools and talk to students about their experiences and have them talk about their passions and interests and future plans in their own voice. For this week in honor of graduation, I am finishing up with profiles I did on students from City High.

I hope to expand this project next year to include more schools and even more students so stay tuned, and if you have any non senior students to recommend for my profiles drop me a line at stephen.schmidt@patch.com.

Previous Profiles:

• Student Profile: Once Shy City High Senior Found Best Buddies in an Unexpected Place
  
• Student Profile: City High School's David Maize Seeks His Next Stage
• Student Profile: City High Student Inspired to Join Naval Academy by Mission Trip to Help Wounded Veterans
• Student Profile: City High Senior Cassie Wassink Feels Compelled to Probe for Deeper Levels of Meaning

For this profile I spoke with Mohamed Traore, a City High senior who says he will be running track for the University of Iowa next fall. This interview was before Traore was a member of the 4X800 relay team that won their event at the Iowa State track meet.

In our interview Traore, whose parents hail from the Republic of Mali, spoke repeatedly about the value of his teammates and of giving the maximum level of effort possible, both in track and in life.

This is an edited and abridged version of the original interview.

Iowa City Patch: If you were going to describe what you do here at City High besides just being a student, what would that be?

Mohamed Traore: Besides being a student, I'm really involved in athletics here. I complete on the varsity teams for cross country and track at City High.

Iowa City Patch: Do you also do long distance for track?

Traore: Yeah, I do the 400 meter hurdles, the 800 meter race, and the mile competition every now and then.

Iowa City Patch: There's a difference between the sprinters and the long distance runners, not just physically but in mindset. Why do you feel like you're suited for long distance running?

Traore: Long distance is different from sprinting because in sprinting you can have a good day and get better, in long distance you're not always going to have good days, you have to persevere and push through. There's a lot more pain in long distance events so you have to overcome a lot more.

You just have to stay mentally tough, and that really works with me because  my parents have just taught me to work hard in whatever situation I'm in, always take advantage of every opportunity that I'm given.

Iowa City Patch: So you credit your parents for your mental toughness?

Traore: Yeah.

Iowa City Patch: Do you think that cross country has sort of honed that further?

Traore: I wasn't as tough of a competitor when I was younger, but going through those longer distance events really helped.

You'll be hurting a lot during the race, and your coaches will just tell you "You gotta push through, you gotta push through, you gotta run harder." And then you do, and you have this huge time drop and you think, wow, this is something where if I can put a little more time and effort in I can be really good at it.

When I first started cross country I have to admit I didn't really like it. But I just kept working at it, and realized my junior year that the work would benefit me both in cross country and in track so I put more time into it. And I just really credit my teammates for helping me keep going, they're great to be around, and the coaches here are amazing.

Iowa City Patch: It's an upfront investment of pain for a reward that's going to come later.

Traore: Yeah, I just strive to be better, I want to see how good I really can be. I feel like if I push myself hard I can really make a name for myself in track and field.

Iowa City Patch: So what type of name in track and field are you aiming for, what is your end goal?

Traore: I will be running track and field for the University of Iowa next fall. I don't know how far I will be able to take it, but by the time I am done I want people to look back on it and say "Wow, he was really good!" Not just good as an athlete but a great person as well. "He always worked hard, he was really tough." To just have the respect of people.

It's not always what you get out of it, it's what you put into it as well

Iowa City Patch: So does this work ethic, this focus affect your life outside of track as well?

Traore: Yes, I just try to maximize every opportunity that I have. I just want to work hard and have a great future.

Iowa City Patch: You say you want to have a great future, what do you mean by that?

Traore: I would say live comfortably, raise a good family, not have to worry about financial burdens and that all the time. To be able to sit back at the end of the day and think all of this hard work has really paid off for me and I've done great things for other people as well.

Iowa City Patch: So you told me earlier that your name had an origin in Mali. Are your parents from there?

Traore: Yes, both my parents were born in West Africa, in Mali.

Iowa City Patch: When did they immigrate?

Traore: My mom came here in 1995, just a little before I was born and my dad came not long after that.

Iowa City Patch: How does Mali culture play a part in your life?

Traore: My culture really plays into my life a lot. My dad's family was very poor, he had to work very hard for yers and set up his own business in West Africa before he could finally save up enough money to come to America. He worked hard to bring my mom here as well.

Just having my mom tell me the stories of what went on there and what he had to do has helped me understand that I need to take advantage of my opportunities.

Iowa City Patch: So you mentioned before that you wanted to have a great future and not have other people to have to worry about financial problems, does that spring from the experience your parents went through?

Traore: I don't want my parents to ever feel like I could have done more with my life, I want them to feel like I did everything that I could. I don't want to waste any opportunity they gave me. They worked so hard for me, they sacrificed for me, and I just want to make the most of it.

Iowa City Patch: So what are you going to study at Iowa?

Traore: Chemical Engineering.

Iowa City Patch: You may have a lot of hard work ahead of you there, too. Do you like Science?

Traore: Yeah, I really love Chemistry. Last year, as a junior, I really struggled with it but I just kept trying and I found out that I actually enjoy it quite a bit, just came to class ready to learn. It's definitely a passion of mine.

Iowa City Patch: Sounds somewhat similar to your long distance experience.

Traore: Exactly. In Science you might not get the right answer right away, you might have to go back at it and look at things a different way before you get there. I think that aspect of hard work is a big part of why I got so much out of it.