Ethan Dobberstein

What Makes Me, Me

My name is Ethan Dobberstein. Growing up, all I did was play basketball. I played basketball nonstop from October to July for 6 straight years. I eventually got to the point where I scored 1000+ points in high school and was the second leading scorer in the state of Georgia for 4A. For the longest time, I thought I wanted to play college basketball. I had a solid relationship with one of the coaches from my dream school and all was well, but the coaching staff got fired before they offered me a scholarship and that was the end of that. For the longest time I was devastated because we had talked about me earning a scholarship and playing for their team, but it actually worked out for the better.

The world of sports used to consume my life, but now that organized sports are over, I've found new things that I love even more. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every second I was playing sports, but it was definitely time for a change. I found that change through traveling and photography. Every chance I get to go to the mountains of North Carolina or even out West (which is surprisingly pretty often) I instantly take it. I feel more at peace when I'm enjoying the fresh air and taking photos of beautiful things than doing anything else.

Not only has my ability to travel shown me beauty of God's creation, it has also made me who I am today. It's pretty common for someone to say, "I'm a changed person" after doing a trip as epic as I did, but I genuinely mean it. I've seen and done so many things in the past two years, including my big trip out west, that have really changed my perspective on life. I truly am blessed that I get to go on so many adventures and see how I can survive off so little but still be so happy. I also don't think I would be as strong with my faith in God without spending so much of my time outside in his creation. As weird as it may sound, traveling has made me who I am today. I wouldn't change how my life has played out for anything.