Seniors #2 Journal--Personal Essay Warmup
Young writers who feel as if they have nothing to say to the world actually do.
You do, too.
In your short 17 or so years on Planet Earth you have already experienced people and events that have molded your image, touched you to the core, or have changed your life.
If you try to deny this, then answer this question--are you anything remotely like the helpless, crawling, bawling, slobbering infant that lay in the crib? Someone encouraged you to walk, talk, and close your mouth when you ate your food. Someone, and some key events in your life, that undoubtedly involved other people, helped you to become the miracle merging of body and soul that is you.
Bet you never thought about it that way.
So here's the journal assignment: briefly (minimum of 200 words) tell us here at Schoolsville about a person or event that deeply affected your life. I think we all can learn something from your story.
I'd like it if you used your response (if you wish) as a warmup for your personal essay, your first writing assignment reflecting on the same prompt (3-4 pages typed) that's due September 13. If I may begin with a simple metaphor, consider this journal posting a flexing and stretching of your writing muscles for that final paper.
In sharing your experience, you'll be participating in bettering the human race. That's right. You'll be educating the entire world community here at Schoolsville, a world that could stand to learn that no two people, let alone races, religions, or nations, are exactly alike. The world can learn from your story, or at least begin to develop some much needed emotions of empathy or sympathy. Wouldn't you be interested in reading about how some Afghan teen, his country ravaged by foreign and civil wars, responds to the same writing prompt that you've just been given? Would his paper help you to understand his hopelessness, his fear, his distrust of foreigners?
OK, I'm only pretending that the existence of Schoolsville, or the completion of your personal essay paper, is vital to the future of the human race. But the point of my exaggeration is this: reading what others have to say is important, whether they live on the other side of the globe or in the neighboring cul-de-sac. Understanding them might help us to decide if we want to invade their country or invite them to our Labor Day barbecue.
Communication with others is the first "baby step" in learning how to get along. If we can't "walk in someone's shoes," then at least we should be willing to slip on someone's sandals and wiggle our toes for a spell. We just might learn that everyone in the world is not wearing the same 9 1/2 B's.
Respond here before Friday, Sept. 7. I will post them for everyone to read early Friday morning. The essay is due Sept. 13.
To get some ideas, you may review the comments given by last year's seniors by visiting the archived post for September 9, 2011.
posted by JTF @ 10:13 PM
65 comments
65 Comments:
Looking back at my entire existence, there is one thing that rocks me to my core… St. Marks. From a young age, I knew that St. Mark’s would be my destiny, following the footsteps of my aunt Karen who graduated in the class of ’87, my aunt Kimmie, class of ’88, and my mom, class of ’90. The St. Mark’s Sallies rivalry hit home for me since all of the St. Mark’s girls either dated or married a Sallie’s guy. My dad told me it was an all boy’s high school, but I could not figure out why my dad went to an all boys’ school named after a girl Sally. That annoyed him a little bit, because he always was teased whenever we would go to my aunt’s house because she also went to St. Mark’s along with her sister and my mom. I never really understood the rivalry between the schools, but it was fun watching the witty banters from both sides, (mostly from the St. Mark’s side). It would take me about 10 years to become what I was finally destined to be, a Spartan, but now looking back the last three years have been filled with amazing experiences like my friends, my teachers, the clubs , and the community. My friends are supportive, compassionate, kind, and willing to help me when I am in need. My teachers have molded my mind into someone who respects the St. Mark’s values of living faith, achieving excellence, embodying humility, and upholding integrity. They have opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of my future, wherever it might take me. The clubs here are very important also because so far, I have been in over 10 clubs and sports and have met people from all grades and become real friends with them. But the thing that stands out to me the most is how we can look past the clichés and the clubs and come together as one community and help each other when they are down.
Everyone out there in this world has at least one person who has impacted their lives somehow phenomenally. And in my case, that person is my father. He was always very tough on me when I was growing up. But now I understand he did that because he only wanted the best for me, even if I had to learn things the hard way. My parents got divorced about 7 years ago when I was 10 years old, which messed up the relationship I had with my dad. My mother had full custody and for years and years, I haven’t talked to my dad much. Our relationship was slowly diminishing and wasn’t the same at all. I felt like I didn’t know him at all. I was so disconnected from him that I had no utter willingness to contact him at all. And it seemed like neither did he, since he never called. But then just over this past summer, I finally grew up and realized who I really need in my life. And it was my dad. So I went ahead and made the initiative to spend as much time with him as I could. I ended up living with him most of the summer, and vacationing in Florida with him and my step mother. I felt like I got to know my father fully for the first time in my entire life. He’s a certified tennis pro and has a burning passion for tennis; he was the one who taught me how to play that lovely sport when I was about 5 years old. He’s also a writer, and had a few of his poems published in books. He has a philosophical view on how he understands life; far more intellectually advanced than any other person I know. And for that, I have the utmost respect for him and high admiration. His spiritual self and keen deep thinking began to rub off me as him and I conversed more and more about life. I feel like I’m more aware of what life truly is about more than most people my age; that’s all thanks to my dad. He was my main inspiration to write more, become a better tennis player, and become an all around better person. This all even led to changing how I view things in general. All thanks to my dad, I learned how to abysmally analyze subjects and set my self-expectations higher than ever before. According to him, I can do anything I set my mind to. And my mind will be set for absolute success all thanks to him.
Someone who has greatly influenced my life and who I have the upmost respect for is my Grandma Flo. Ever since I can remember, she has been the most caring, optimistic, light-hearted person to everyone who surrounds her. The woman with seven children and almost twenty grandchildren, is eighty-four and is able to remember each one of our birthdays, activities, and every aspect of our lives. Family comes with my grandma, but that does not mean she stops loving people there. Every time she sees an ambulance with its lights and sirens on, she always says a prayer for the person that may be inside of it, hoping that everything will turn out all right for them. Though she is starting to slow down, she does not let anything get to her, and still goes to church every Sunday and goes to the gym almost every day. In the words of my grandpa, "Florence makes the treadmills smoke". She lives in the same small house she has lived in for over 60 years and if you ask her, she lives in the lap of luxury. She has, unbeknownst to her, taught me that life's too short to complain about what you do not have, but be thankful for what you are blessed with already and to set and strive for the goals you want for yourself. You have to keep going and moving, and never take yourself too seriously. I still am amazed by the person she is every time I get to see her, and hope that I can be half the person she has turned out to be.
During my eighth grade year I attended the 2008 SMHS cheerleading competition. My focus was strictly on the competition and my team’s performance. I remember hearing the crowd go wild and looking up thinking “who can be that good that the whole gym, rivals and all, are screaming and shouting for this one team?!” I soon realized it was the St. Mark’s Varsity squad. As these girls took the floor they looked like an army, an army of cheerleaders. I was so intrigued that I stopped focusing on my upcoming performance and watched in awe as they performed their routine to perfection. Not only did the performance blow me away, but the two captains captivated me and clearly pumped-up the girls and added personality to the routine. It was at that moment I knew I wanted to be a SMHS cheerleader but also a captain. This goal pushed me to work hard the summer leading up to my freshman year and by the time try-outs rolled around I thought I was a shoo-in for JV. I soon realized that try-outs were more about who you knew instead of how talented you were. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I worked hard on the freshman team and even harder on JV the next year. By the time Varsity try-outs started I was ready. I worked very hard at try-outs and with a little luck I made varsity my junior year. This, although, was just the beginning. I spent my whole junior year not only proving my cheerleading abilities but also demonstrating patience, responsibility, and understanding-qualities I believe make a great leader. If I wanted to achieve my goal of being captain, I had to put everything I had into proving myself. I focused on my cheer abilities and even more on my relationship with the other girls. I eventually realized that if I didn’t make captain I would still have achieved being the best cheerleader I could be. When the coach called my name as captain of the 2011-2012 team, I felt accomplished and determined. Although my inital goal was achieved, I now have several more for my team.
I was like every other teenager, complaining about the unimportant things in life and caught up in fitting in. I was all wrapped up in my own little world and when something wouldn’t go my way I was convinced my life sucked. We have all been at that stage in our life where we seem to think the world revolves around us and that nothing is ever good enough. Ill be the first to admit, I never gave a second thought about how bad other people have it compared to me. I was living my life unappreciative and taking everything that I had been blessed with for granted. But that all changed after I took a trip to Morocco with my family. Morocco had changed my whole outlook, I left there feeling guilty for not appreciating every great thing that I have been given. When we arrived it was a huge cultural shock, here I was thinking that every place is like the United States. I couldn’t have been any more wrong. Kids were out in the streets begging people for money, woman have to stay in the house all day and cannot show any skin, they live in one room clay houses with no air-conditioning, and the list goes on. There were so many things that I had taken for granted back at home, like the fact I actually get an education or that I have rights,or that every possible thing i could want is right at my fingertips. I never realized how easy my life was compared to others. Going and seeing how other people live really makes you appreciate all the little things you would take for granted. One day i would love to go back to africa and help the people that really need it.It amazes me that there are people out there who have so little but can still find reason to be happy and appreciate every little thing in there life. thats how we should all live our lives. We should never take anything that we are given for a granted because like the saying goes "you dont no what you got until its gone"
Someone doesn’t just have to come into your life at a random time to change it; sometimes they could have been there the whole time and still have made an impact. For me the person who has made the biggest impact in shaping who I am today has been in my life since I entered this world. She is the strongest and bravest person I know, and every day I learn something from her that makes me become a better human being. The person who I look up to and admire so much is my sister, Laura. My sister was born with a disability called Down syndrome, but for anyone who knows Laura she doesn’t let that stop her from achieving her goals. Laura is five years older than me, and of course we still fight and argue, but even in our fights I see her strength and determination. It would be easy for Laura to blend into the background and hide from the public’s critical eyes, but she fights for acceptance and fights to have her voice heard. She is an advocate for people with disabilities, and is in groups that show people just how amazing and talented they are. She has shaped my life with just her presence and she has shaped my life with her determination and bravery. She is my role model for so many reasons and I would consider myself lucky to have just as smidgen of the courage she has.
If I look back there are a couple of events that have changed me in a positive or negative way. One that comes to mind is the time that I broke my arm. It was not a ordinary brake i had a compound fracture with a chance of losing all feeling in my arm and possible amputation. This event had with out a doubt changed me in a positive way. I learned from this that I am not invincible and that things actually can hurt you. Before this event I used to be careless and run around without any clue of what could have actually happened. However after this event happened I changed my approach on things. Now instead of going straight into something without any worries I will take a second think what could happen if I do this and decide if its worth it or not. This not only comes into play with my physical health but also my morals. Before I do something I’ll say to myself “is this the right thing to do” “is this going to hurt other people”, and then I will make my decision. In conclusion the incident that occurred to me made me make wiser decisions.
During junior year of high school, just half a year ago, I lost one of my best friends. It wasn't a dramatic event such a a death or move; there was no fight. One of my favorite people to talk to had left me without a word. We had drifted apart over the year and the sudden lack of response was no surprise. The phone calls, texts and emails were all gone. I can still remember the first and last times I talked to him. We were introduced through a mutual friend in a class we both had gotten stuck in and ended up enjoying each other's conversation. Soon we were instant messaging and calling each other daily, having a great time. Soon high school started and the calls kept coming, except not every night. Slowly they got farther and farther apart. The last time he ever called me was a couple hours after school on a very hectic day. I was so exhausted from all my assignments and had been stuck in the gym lobby for a while but I was excited to talk to him. I immediately could tell it would be the last time he called me. The experience helped me to value my relationships with other people and work hard to stay in touch with my friends. I try to accept an invitation any chance I get and make an effort to start conversations rather than just respond. I know I can't earn back the friend I lost but he reminds me to never make the same mistake again.
In order to grow and develop into well rounded, unique individual we must go through many situations that force us to change the way we think, and our impact on others Although we may all face similair problems, the way in which we approach and resolve these issues molds our conscience into a unique trait, a trait that defines us as an individual. My situation manifested itself in the form of a span of 2 or 3 seconds behind the wheel of a car early in my driving life.
Driving is one thing I truly enjoy, and so far everything had gone off without a hitch. However one thing my dad was constantly reminding me of was that he was not worried about my driving, but other people on the road. I was about to realize just how right he was.
I had just finished rowing practice and was driving home with my dad in the passenger seat, and all my school gear piled in the trunk. I threw the car in gear and started for home. The roads were calm dry and I seemed to get every green light that night, infact I was extremely comfortable being behind the wheel at this point. As I got off kirkwood highway I was approaching an intersecting with one car in the turn lane on the opposite side and a gree light, I covered my brake anticipating a red and as I was about to enter the intersection that little gray car did the same. One thing I will never forget is that pulsing of the anti lock brakes as my body was held back by those harsh seat belts and the active head restraints pushing against the back of my head in anticipation of a t-bone crash at 45mph.
I don't know how I avoided that little gray car that night but my dad thought we were sure to hit. I had to pull over because my hands could not stop shaking and was not ready to get back behind the wheel that night. I gained a new respect for cars that night, and how they can flip your life upside down in less than a second.
I believe there is always that one person who you can go to and always know that they are there for you. That one person who you can trust with your life and can share anything about yourself. That one who pushes you to strive to the best you can even if you are falling down. This extraordinary, caring, headstrong, and generous person is my brother, Kevin. If you asked anyone in my family who is most hard-working t would be my brother, Kevin. I have never been so close with anyone else than him. Ever since we have been little we have always been there for each other. Whether it was losing a sport event, breaking up with a girlfriend, or our parents getting a divorced we were always there for one another to help each other out to get through it. Of course we had our share of fights but what brothers hadn’t? I can remember the days from when I was five and still to this day every time we play a sport against each other it always ends up with us fighting, calling each other names, and telling our dad what had happened. Even through all of those fights of playing one on one in basketball or a game in backyard wiffleball, I can honestly say I would not be the same athlete or person that I am today. Kevin never let me quit, he always pushed me to try harder, and he never let me win. Kevin and I fight, scream, push, and shove at each other but at the end of the day we are brothers and we always will be. He the best brother, the best friend I could ask for.
I entered into the Bryce Jordan Center at Pennsylvania State University and was greeted with an overwhelming amount of bright colors, heat, and noise. It took me a few moments to process all that was going on around me; the colors, which seemed to be shining as if glowing, were from the schools of people wearing a variety of matching shirts; the heat, resembling that which emanates from a furnace, from the amount of body heat the place was radiating; and the noise, a mixture of music and laughter and singing and screaming and the shuffling of bodies as they moved in rhythm to the music. I had no idea when I stepped into that chaos what I would be in store for.
I was visiting PSU with the sole purpose of witnessing and participating in THON, a student-run organization created to raising money to help conquer the battle of childhood cancer. Over the following 72 hours, I watched as over 700 dedicated dancers struggled through the 3-day dance competition, thinking not of their own aching bodies or their desire for sleep, but of the hairless children running around the dance floor not caring about the burdens they were carrying, but of simply having some fun while they could. I shed all insecurities as I cried with thousands of strangers, listening to the tales of parents whose children had not won the battle which we were all gathered together to conquer. I danced and sang and talked to people whose stories changed my life forever. I walked away from that weekend with a burning desire to be a part of something so wonderful and powerful, to do anything I could for those children. You do not know strength until you look into the face of a child battling cancer.
A voice I haven't heard in some years is that of an old man named James Cannon. One of the strongest men I have ever met in my life, he taught me all I needed to know about living a good lifestyle, and he did so without even talking about it. In fact, half the things I learned about him did not come directly from him. He grew up as a farmer, as many people did in the mid 1900's, but from there he progressed to a truck driver, to a politician, to a successful business man, to a loving husband, father and grandfather. The life he led was inspirational to me because he embodied everything I could ever want out of life. He had an aura about him that was extremely laid back and carefree. Even as an old man dealing with his third case of cancer, he enjoyed the beach, fishing, family, and sports.. To have survived a war and 2 of his 3 cases of cancer taught me that life is precious and to value every breath I take and to take care of my health. When he died 3 years ago, I realized that I wanted to live the way he lived in all ways except for developing cancer (from years of smoking). In any case, the man changed my perspective on the world. In retrospect, I have many more things I would have liked to ask him about, but the time for which he was around was sufficient.
Many people and events have had some impact on my life but one person made a bigger impact than the others and that was Mrs. DeAscanis. When I went to the St. Mark’s open house when I was in eighth grade I heard the concert choir singing and from that moment I wanted to be in concert choir. When I came in as a freshman I sang in the chorus and worked my but off practicing for the concert choir audition. After everyone audition Mrs. DeAscanis said if I wanted to be in concert choir I would have to take vocal lessons. After convincing my parents I started vocal lessons in the winter of my sophomore year. I took lessons for less than a year and tried out for all-state chorus. Two weeks before the audition I lost my voice. By the time of the audition I had most of my voice back. After waiting two very long days the list came up of who made it. I was so ecstatic to find out that I made all-state with less than a year of vocal lessons. I Ms. DeAscanis did not tell me I should take vocal lessons I would not have made all-state chorus. After all-state was done I focused on making concert choir again. After waiting seven months I finally made concert choir. Now I still work hard to better myself and hope to get into a music program in college.
I remember the day I met my nephew, so tiny and quiet sleeping in his crib at the hospital. Over the next few months I spent almost all my time at my sisters apartment helping with him. I was there for the first time he laughed, crawled, and walked. Ben became a big part of my life and I seemed to always be with him. As he started to get older we all started to notice some strange things. Ben was almost 2 when we noticed he was always jumping around, he couldn’t form many words yet so he still baby babbled, and he always was playing with his hands or punching his chin in frustration. He had many tests done and was diagnosed with delayed development but can’t be tested for autism until he was 4. He started speech therapy and occupational therapy, which had a huge impact on his communication and social skills. The improvement those therapists made in his life in such a short time made me realize that I wanted to do the same for other kids and be an occupational therapist. It’s because of Ben that I finally figured out what my future could hold.
My sophomore year, I had to make the biggest decision of my life. I had to choose between leaving my friends or staying in an environment that wouldn't prepare me enough for college. The entire sixteen years of my life I attended a public school in Pennsylvania. I had phenomenal friends, great teachers, and was involved in many activities. I was living the life. My freshman year was a breeze and all the kids who attended this public school were good for the most part. However, when I walked into my sophomore year everything changed. There were scary fights, and there was a lot of negativity in the air. I didn't enjoy being in an environment like that and school wasn't fun anymore. I remember looking for schools online that my sister and I could attend, and we both knew we did not want to go to an all girls school. We finally found Saint Marks and before we knew it we were shadowing. All of the students were so nice and everyone was so involved and extremely college oriented. It was a fresh breath of air. After shadowing, my sister and I had to sit down and really think about what we were going to do. It was final. We were officially transferring. Walking into Saint Marks in January of our sophomore year had to be the hardest thing my sister and I had ever done. Everyone stared at us and we knew we had a long road ahead. That day I learned a valuable lesson. I learned not to take anything for granted and to be thankful for the opportunities we had ahead of us.We were tremendously lucky to have parents who cared that much about our education. Transferring schools was the best decision of my life.
In a world where people are constantly looking out for themselves or aren’t always willing to lend out that helping hand I’ve never been so proud to say that I have someone that I can always count on no matter what. Even better that person has been there since the moment I took my first breath. My older sister Nichole has been my best friend since I could remember. She’s the one person that I constantly look up to and turn to for advice. She most definitely is the one who has shaped my life the most. She’s always just been two steps across the hallway from me and whenever I’ve needed her she would always drop what she was doing to help me out. All of that changed dramatically three years ago when she moved away to college. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. We had to fly down to Tampa to move her in and the whole time I had to act like I wasn’t hurting inside. Of course as a sister I was excited to see her move into college for the first time and to help her decorate her dorm room. Inside I kept thinking, “She’s no longer two steps away from me.” The worst part of the trip was the last moment standing outside the resident hall hugging her goodbye knowing she wouldn’t be boarding the flight with us. I have never cried so hard in my life. I knew that leaving my sister behind at college would only make me a stronger person but I never knew that it would make our relationship only grow stronger. Looking at us today we constantly text, call, and Skype, each other. I know that I have an amazing sister and role model and I’m so glad that we have such a close relationship with each other. Even though leaving her wasn’t a pleasant experience, it was one that we both had to go through to help us realize how important we were to each other.
As a child almost everyone has the dream of wanting to go away to summer camp, well my first time going away to camp was this summer and I was not a camper. This summer I had the chance to work at Camp Barnes, a Special Olympics summer camp for athletes with disabilities. I was asked to be the lifeguard for the camp as well as a counselor. It was exciting to see my new friends smile from ear to ear as they entered the pool for their first activity. Every camper that entered the pool waved to me; as I sat on my lifeguard stand and I heard them yell, “Lifeguard Hannah I’m ready to swim!” All I could do was smile at the enthusiasm on their faces, which made me happy for this great opportunity that we shared. It was three fun filled days of summer camp activities like swimming, fishing, and bonfires. As I look back on this experience I feel that I learned as much from the athletes as they had learned from me. I expected to go away to camp sharing my time and gifts but in the end these athletes ending up teaching me many valuable life lessons. I have stayed in touch with many of the friends I made and looking forward to attending Camp Barnes again next year.
When I think of events that have affected my life, one in particular stands pretty high above the rest. The event was when I went overseas to London and Sweden for a soccer tournament during the summer of 2008. It was a huge cultural shock for me and an eye-opening experience. I remember thinking how different their society was and how unusual they acted. I know they had the same opinion about us as well. It was interesting talking to the other soccer players about where they came from. The Gothia Cup Soccer Tournament drew teams from all over the world. Even though most did not speak good English, it was shocking to me to see how interested they were in learning about America. I was surprised to find out that they listened to the same music and watched the same movies as us. They also knew a great deal about the American celebrities. Another thing that was very different for me to experience was a socialist government in Sweden. In the area we were, most people were living in small apartments and complexes. It was a lot different compared to the big and extravagant houses we see in America. Despite our differences, there was one situation during our stay in Sweden that brought us all together. While on the bus to our semi-final game, another soccer team was accompanying us. All the sudden they started singing in a different language that nobody knew. As me and my teammates kept listening to the song, we began to realize that it was the tune to “The Saints Go Marching In”. We decided that we would all sing the same song but in English. Even though both teams were from completely different countries, this universal song was enough to bring us together and share something special. The trip made me appreciate my country and make me proud to be an American.
Everyone has that one person in their life who they can talk to about anything. That person who is there for them no matter what. Most people, however, are not lucky enough to say that person is their twin. There is no doubt, my sister and I share a bond like no other. We have gone to the same school and lived under the same roof our whole lives. In seventeen years, you learn a lot about yourself and those who surround you. My sister has helped me surround myself with people who value what is really important in life. She taught me how to ride a bike, how to toughen up, and how to climb trees. She always pushes me to work hard because she knows what I am capable of achieving. Whenever my day doesn’t turn out as planned, she knows how to make it work. Everyday she inspires me to make the best out of what life hands me because you never know what you’re going to get. She has truly affected my life in more ways than one and has helped shape the person I am today. Although we have our disagreements, I could never ask for a better sister and friend.
Every spring, a group of high school girls comes together to make up more than just a lacrosse team, but a family. This past season was especially influential for me because of one rainy game that I will always remember. This was not just an ordinary game, my team and I had been working hard for months to beat our long time rivals, Tower Hill. We worked like a well oiled machine; we were confident in our game and ready to win. The Hillers came out with the same attitude, thinking that they were better than us but we were ready to take them down. The first whistle blows and we control the game from the beginning. A whole season’s work was finally paying off, everything was coming together. We dominated the field with a ten point lead. The only problem was the weather; as the game continued, so did the rain. My white jersey was completely soaked and I had puddles in my cleats. Girls were sliding around the field, and with eighteen minutes left, the game was called off. I was in shock. Could they really take this away from us? Everything was finally right and then ripped away from us. Everyone was speechless, myself included. I got home and didn’t know what else to do, so I called my boyfriend Greg crying and he did everything he could to help. Then he said, “They might not count that as a win, but I sure do.” When I heard that I realized that we had won; we did everything right. We played as hard as we could and it finally paid off. We achieved the goal we had been working all season for. We won because we came together as a family. Whenever I think about that game or any other tough situation, I realized that win or lose, we did it together.
No one who has lived for seventeen years can truthfully say that they haven’t had at least one experience that has shaped them into the person they are today. This experience occurred for me summer before sophomore year. Although I can’t say I hated Saint Mark’s freshman year, I can’t say I had particularly enjoyed my time there that year either. As a ninth grader, I was shy and timid and therefore did not make a big effort to make many friends. I had the feeling that since everyone had their groups from the middle schools they had gone to, I, coming up from Middletown, would not meet many people at all. So, after completing my first year at Saint Mark’s, making only a few friends and feeling as though I would be better off at Appoquinimink High, where all of my friends from middle school had gone, I transferred. After only four days at this new high school, I knew that I had made a horrible decision. I longed to walk in those Saint Mark’s halls again, where people had been warm and welcoming, I just never noticed before. I learned that in my situation, it is important to have the initiative to go out and form friendships with others myself and that I cannot wait for them to take on my responsibility. Since people did already have friends from previous schools, I took it upon myself to join in conversations with them. By realizing this, my life start falling together exactly how I had expected it to my first day of freshman year. This experience taught me that I have to be proactive in my own life for good things to happen to me and that I need to open my eyes and take up opportunities while I can before they are no longer there. I got lucky when I was able to come back to Saint Mark’s so easily, but I realize now that I have to think through my decisions more carefully, because other cases like this may not be fixed so easily.
When people ask me what I did this summer, I tell them that I worked at a summer camp. Upon hearing this, they usually grimace and ask me how I liked it, in a mostly sarcastic tone, as if to say, "How could anyone enjoy spending an entire summer running around with a bunch of little hellions?" They simply assume that I didn't have a good time, which isn't true at all. It was tough at times, yes, but it was a really fun experience. Something nobody bothers to ask is, "Who did you meet?" At camp, I worked with people from the UK and one person from New Zealand. I became great friends with others from another camp called Connowingo, that were just trying to enliven their camp spirit after being kicked out of their "home" for years. Accents abounded and much fun was poked at the different customs of the over-seas girls(ketchup on everything!), but really, I discovered a better understanding of how these women lived and how it wasn't too much different from the way I did.
No one asks how the girls were, and if they do, they say it in a smug tone, as to imply that they were anything but bundles of joy, which is true, for some. There are a lot of girls that I worked with, however, that were really, truly wonderful. Even if they sometimes complained that their feet hurt from hiking trails all day, or that they had a headache from not drinking enough water, it was the times when they worked together in teams, or really did something surprising that made me realize that I wasn't so much as teaching them, they were teaching me. The things that I would say to people if they really wanted to know how my summer was are, "I whipped my hair, I got stung by tons of mosquitos, I got screamed at by five-year-olds, I made a COMPLETE fool of myself, and I loved every minute of it." Grove Point was my home for the summer, and I'll never forget the billions of memories(fond and not so much) that I have of it.
I spent one week out of the summer of 2009 working with the Pitcher & Basin group in Cambridge, Maryland working on a Habitat for Humanity project. My brother participated in the same program three years before I did and he encouraged me to participate because he told me it would look good on college applications and it’s a good source of volunteer ours for school. Of course, I begged a friend to do the program with me. I told her we’d be sleeping on the tile floors of an old classroom with a group of girls we didn’t know. I told her we’d have to participate in a nightly prayer service reflecting on the day’s work. None of this sounded like our dream vacation that summer, but we knew it would be worth it because we’d meet new people and have something to write about on our college applications. I couldn’t begin to explain the unexpected feelings of accomplishment at the end of the week, while at the same time experiencing guilt. I could not believe that the only reason I wanted to participate in Habitat was for the recognition or just to have it on my resume. The week taught me a lot and it wasn’t only about how to sand and stain stairs, lay down hardwood floors, or put up a picket fence – it opened my mind to a new world that made me realize I took the one I was living in for granted.
You can always find a person in your life that sticks out. That is not true for this man he loved to just blend in and enjoy life like a little kid. It always seems that people try to do crazy things and stick out but that, in the end is not what is important. The incredible man who influenced my life was Mr. Casini. He never judged a single person and if you needed to talk he would always lend an ear. Unfortunately this past summer he went home to heaven and I miss him terribly. He battled cancer for less than a year but it was not an easy battle he went through.
Mr. Casini became one of my biggest heroes. Even though I did not have the opportunity to know him for very long he was an amazing man. You could have known for a day and he would have touched your life. I met Mr. Casini when I was in fourth grade running brutal cross-country and from that day he felt like my best friend and almost a second dad. He was extremely supportive and caring. He had two sons but cheered for everyone and stayed till the very end of every track and cross-country meet. Mr. Casini was no concerned with first or last he loved to be there. No, he was not the screaming ripping the hair out fan like I can sometimes be rather the clapper or off to the side “good job” and pat on the back. He was my favorite person to talk to at meets because he knew exactly how to make you laugh and smile and feel better about yourself.
From knowing Mr. Casini I am a different and in my opinion better person. He exemplified his belief that others should always come first. I went and visited Mr. Casini while he was in the hospital and even then he wanted everyone to be happy and make sure they were ok not really concerned with himself.
He lived a truly simple life. He was never concerned with material things he just wanted to be around his friends and family spending time with them, that is what made him happy. That very quality he possessed made me realize how much I should appreciate all I have and never take anything for granted; just like he didn’t, he loved life and did not care what he had as long as he had family.
A person who has impacted my life is my grandfather. My grandparents live on an island in the US Virgin Islands called St. Croix. Three years ago he was in the gym running and he passed out. They took him to the hospital and discovered that he had a brain aneurism that was bleeding into his head. Then they sent him to Puerto Rico where my family was told that they would wait a couple days to see what happened. My mom, being the nurse in the family, would not accept this and convinced all her brothers and sisters to send him to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. By the time he got there, the chances of his survival were very low. He made it through the surgery but after that we didn’t know what would happen. I remember talking to him on the phone and he was telling about pink and purple turtles and how he heard the hospital was for sale and he wanted to buy it. None of it made any sense and it was hard to see him like that. After awhile he returned to normal but it was not the normal he was before. Before he was strict and quiet but now he is always singing and talking to everyone in sight. I don’t know if he changed because of the surgery or because he realized how short life can be. I wondered that for so long and I think that it might be both. He has made me realize how important my family is to me and the importance of every day.
The Italian Exchange at St. Mark’s was one of the most influential things that has happened in my life. I hosted an Italian student, Leonardo, and then went to Italy for two weeks to stay with him. I experienced a whole new culture in two ways. I saw how Italian teenagers, with about 1/3 the English most American students at St. Mark’s have, adjusted to our American way of life. I also experienced living for two weeks in a different country where I speak about 1/50 of the language that most Italian teenagers can speak (and it doesn’t help that I can’t understand their accents). The exchange also taught me how different our cultures are, even though most American traditions originate from European countries. I became great friends with Leonardo. Leonardo himself influenced me more than the rest of the exchange. He was very brave to come and live in different country without previously knowing anyone here. When I went to live with him, I already knew all of the students, though I did not know the rest of his family. His English was very good (better than my Italian), but I was able to teach him a lot about the language and about American life at school and outside of school. This exchange showed me how people think about the way we do things when it’s not their normal way of life. In Italy they stay in the same classroom for most of the day, while here in America we switch classrooms every period. I thought sitting in one classroom all day was boring (but that was partly because I had to sit through a Spanish class in which they spoke two languages I did not understand). This exchange showed me how different cultures can be even when our language, customs, and holidays usually originate from the same ancient culture.
Everyone goes through changes in their lives, whether it's from specific events, or people. These changes, experiences, and people help shape us into the people we are today. My pop-pop, the man who contributed to raising me and my four siblings, constructed me into the person I am now. As a little girl, sitting on his lap, we would sing and laugh until our stomachs ached. A grandfather is an important role model to a grandchild, but he was not only my grandfather; he was my best friend. My good morals and respect for others developed from his inspiring life lessons. Everyday sitting in the giant comfy beige chair next to him, he would talk to me about life. Hearing stories of his tough childhood and how far he came in life, inspired me to do the same. No matter how tough things were in his life, he would always have a smile on his face. His shining smile could always give me the feeling of happiness, even after the worst day. Every memory with him holds a certain place in my heart, and will never be forgotten. Because of my pop-pop I know to treat others with respect, always forgive others, to stay positive even though things can be tough, and many more. On October 5, 2008 he peacefully passed away in his sleep. Even though the experience of his death saddened me and made me feel alone, I remembered what he taught me; to always stay positive. Until this day, I remember every lesson my best friend and biggest role model taught me, and I live by it. I always will.
Everyone has at least one person in their life that has had a tremendous influence on who they are today. For me this person is my middle school basketball coach. She is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. At the time that I had met her, I had already been playing basketball for several years. I had also been playing with the same group of girls for as long as I can remember. The year I was in the sixth grade, we lost every single game ending the season with a 0-10 record. We were crushed. The next year we came out with not a lot of hope expecting the season to be similar to the last. As I walked through the door to our first practice, I didn't see the same person who had been my coach for the last few years. I saw a fresh, new coach. That season was not at all what I had expected. We did drills, learned new plays, ran a whole lot more than we had before, and we actually started winning games. My new coach never put us down. She always kept encouraging us to do our best. She taught me to make goals and reach high to achieve them - never give up. That season of basketball is one that I won't forget for a long time because of all the hard work that my coach put into us.
Everyone has that one person or event in their lives that has changed them into an entirely new being. This certain person and event happened to me on March 4, 2002. I was eight years old at the time and in second grade. I was an only child and I hate to say it, but I was spoiled. My parents had always cooked what I wanted for dinner and let me watch what I wanted on TV at night. I had never really thought about having to share with anyone else until that day. That day when my sister Hayley was born, I was changed for the better. Since that day she has taught me so many things, most of which she is unaware of. One of the most important things she has taught me is to share and consider other people’s feelings. Before Hayley, I never cared if anyone else wanted something else because it never came up. It was pretty much all about me all the time. As Hayley grew older, I began to do a little bit of growing myself. I began to realize that other people’s opinions and feelings mattered and I should care about them. I started to not want everything; instead I wanted her to have what she wanted just like I did. Yes, every now and then I get sick of her obsessive cravings for pasta or marathons of Zoey 101, but I realized if that’s what she wanted, then she should be able to have that. But since Hayley came into my life she has taught me so many lessons about life and how to treat others. I am so grateful for her because without her, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
When I was a little kid my sister was my role model. She was my best friend. I always looked up to her. When I was seven years old my sister joined a gymnastics team. I would go to her practices and watch her and the other gymnasts. They could do flip after flip. These girls could bend like pretzels. I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw. All I wanted was to be like one of them and do all the cool things they could. I wanted to be like my big sister. So I joined the gymnastics team. I lived and breathed gymnastics. It was all I ever thought about. Six years later my sister quit gymnastics. Soon after it didn't seem as important to me anymore, and I quit too. I realized that it wasn't the gymnastics that I loved, but I was just trying to be like my big sister. I never regret doing gymnastics I had a great time while I was still on the team, and it made me stronger. Gymnastics changed me physically and mentally. Once I quit I realized that I shouldn't join teams because my sister does it. I needed to be my own person because when she quits I won't be in love with that thing anymore. I'll be crushed like when I stopped doing gymnastics. I still look up to my sister and I always will. The difference now is that I take my sisters actions into consideration instead of copying them.
I was sitting in church one day, looking through the Announcements page of the bulletin, as if there was nothing better to do, when my eyes glanced across this; “Teens ages 14-16 needed: Host a Northern Irish Teen for the month of July as they explore the east coast!” Well as soon as I saw the word “Irish” I jumped. I’ve always wanted to go there and I was always interested to learn more about my Irish roots. Maybe somehow this could get me to Ireland, plus it’ll be something fun to do for the summer, oh and it would look pretty good on a college application, hey what do I have to lose? Well, little did I know that this “thing that could possibly get me to Ireland” would end up being the best experience of my life. I applied for this “exchange thing” knowing nothing about it other than the fact that someone from Ireland would come live with me for a month. But, it was much more than that. First off, I had no idea that Northern Ireland is different from Ireland, actually they are not connected much at all considering that Northern Ireland is in fact controlled by England, and ever since the British took control in this area, there has been unrest between those who are protestant (who see themselves as British), and those who are Catholic (who see themselves as Irish). The point of this “exchange”, actually called The Ulster Project of Delaware, is to attempt to settle this unrest by taking them to a place where they could work through the stereotypes they have been taught to see in each other and instead teach them how alike they are. So, throughout the month we did things like go to New York, Philly, Washington, Baltimore, the beaches and a whole lot of other great places all in attempt to build strong bonds. I met some pretty amazing people that month and by the end I considered myself lucky and privileged to call them all my friends. The experience as a whole changed the outlook that I had on myself, it gave me the confidence to embrace all of who I am. I came into the group knowing nobody, no one judged me and for the first time I felt comfortable to just show everyone who I am, and I learned to like who that was. I’m not afraid to be me thanks to the incredible friends I made that month. Oh, and if you’re wondering I did get to go to Ireland at the end of it all!
Throughout my lifetime, I have gone through many experiences, both good and bad, that have helped me to shape myself as a person. But despite all these experiences, only a handful has left me with a deep and long lasting effect on my life. The most recent event which granted me such an experience occurred during my sophomore year at St. Mark’s. I came to this realization at the end of a two-thousand meter long racing course, on a lake in Cincinnati. I had just finished the final race of my spring rowing season, and suddenly it hit me. Despite the fact that we were all in a tremendous amount of pain, my teammates and I all were rejoicing and splashing tons of water all around. Why you may ask? We had just finished the final race for U.S. Rowing Youth National Championship. Suddenly all the hard work, starting in August and continuing all the way until June, had paid off. I still cannot put into words the feeling of having ten months of hard and excruciating work all come to an end on the biggest stage there is, competing for a National Championship. This experience taught me the value of working hard to achieve a goal, and how you have must be mentally tough before you can become physically strong. This event is something I will carry with me always all throughout my life as I move onto bigger and better things.
Experiences shape who we are, what we do, and how we react to our environment in a given situation. Like three years ago, if you were to ask me if I was a runner, I’d laugh. I wasn’t a runner, I was an athlete born to play ball. Soccer and volleyball, that is. It wasn’t until last summer that I made a decision that happened to change my life forever. Joining the cross country team last fall, I thought I was insane. Coming home every day after pre-season about to burst in tears, I slowly managed to make it through the two hours of pain and horror for the next few weeks. As school began to creep its way back up, I realized how much I loved the team. The teammates were friends, family, and a wolf pack. I can never forget my first cross country race. Watching the varsity go from the sidelines, the nerves kept sneaking their way back into my mind. Shivers were sent up my spine and I can’t even remember how sick I felt. Watching the varsity girl’s stride the last hundred meters or so though really got me hyped up. They were so driven, and hardworking towards the finish line: nothing was going to stop them. I admired them for that. So when my JV A race gun blew, I was ready. I was pumped. Being my first race, I still had no clue how to race besides go with how I feel. So I did. I went out hard and fast, and stayed out. It wasn’t until the last mile where a sand covered hill stood that I was in shock. The pain had come back and I kept thinking to myself, “Why? Why had I been so crazy to even join? This is insane, the runners are insane, and I’m insane.” I had a teammate by my side at that point, and she was my savior. If it weren’t for her motivation and encouragement I wouldn’t have placed 5th overall in my race. It was then- the moment my legs became numb after I practically fell at the finish line that I realized how much I love this. I was a runner, running through anything. It was the start of a new me.
I was fourteen when I entered St. Mark’s High School, a girl of little confidence and self esteem. I had signed up for chorus and was excited to try something new, some secret passion very few people knew I had. Little did I know that that class would change me for good. Little by little I got more confidence and began to love to sing, but I would’ve never gained this confidence without Mrs. DeAscanis’ constant positive attitude. I decided I wanted to try out for concert choir. I was nervous and it showed but Mrs. DeAscanis was so kind she helped settle my nerves. I got news that I made it a few months later and I had never been so happy. Her passion for music and teaching was contagious and I couldn’t help but catch the love of music. We took a trip to a concert at Little Sisters of the Poor Retirement home. Each member in concert choir was asked to say one thing about themselves and Mrs. DeAscanis went last. “I’m Mrs. DeAscanis and I have the best job in the world.” And right then I knew that that was what I wanted to do with my life. I realized that teaching music would make happier than anything in the world. If it wasn’t for Mrs. DeAscanis I would have never fulfilled my passion. I’ll forever be grateful for her guidance.
Sitting in history class exploring the impact of famous leaders who were focused on changing the minds and behaviors of people in their community, company, or country in order to make a difference in the world made me think, how does one person inspire another to change the way they shape their lives? As I thought about this question, I realized it happened to me. My grandmother was not famous but she was a leader in our family and in her community. My grandmother, Olive, made me see the world in a whole new perspective. From growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania to attending college as an engineer major, marrying an army paratrooper/ dairy farmer, living in multiple states, becoming the President of the local school board, and playing a major role in the adoption of Title IX as well as building a successful business, my grandmother saw it all. When she married my grandfather, Bob, they both had no idea how to run a dairy farm, but somehow ended up making a farm successful. Four children and five stray dogs later, my grandmother and grandfather took a rundown farm and grew it into a model dairy farm in northern Pennsylvania. Most of my summer and Thanksgiving vacations consisted of going up to “the farm” and spending time with my grandparents. Whenever we would visit, my grandmother would take my sisters, cousins, and me out on her “grand adventures.” During one of these adventures, we rode in a paddle boat across the pond to the other side. After many strenuous paddles and a few laughs later, we would all get out and “set up camp.” This camp was not an ordinary camp, but a special place for sharing stories and life lessons while enjoying a picnic. My grandmother would pack all sorts of sandwiches, fruit, and drinks that we would all sit down and eat; and as a traditional dessert we would all sit around and try to eat the salt water taffy that would stick to the roof of our mouths making us all talk funny. My grandmother would share stories from the past and intertwine lessons for our future. All these memories, adventures, and lessons have truly inspired me to be spontaneous, live a full life, and to stand up for my principles and beliefs as my grandmother, Olive, did. She has made me a better person and I will never forget everything that she has taught me.
From the moment I was born I was stuck with my best friend, my sister, Meghan. Meghan is two years older than I am. Being the younger sister, I of course followed her everywhere she went. If Meghan played with the Barbies, I was going to play with the Barbies too. She has shaped me into the person I am today. So when Meghan started her swim lessons, I was going to do swim lessons too. In the beginning she was the one who didn’t want to get in the water, whereas I didn’t want to get out. Soon our roles reversed. Around middle school I hated going to swim practice; I wanted nothing to do with it. Meghan seemed to never want to leave swim practice. I would make up excuses as to why I couldn’t go, fake sick or complain of too much homework. While my attendance was dwindling, Meghan had perfect attendance. Years later I realize why I continued to swim even though I hated it then. Swim practice was where Meghan was. If she wasn’t a quitter, I was certainly not going to be a quitter. Today, I am thankful that I had Meghan as a role model. I’m glad that I followed her example and kept swimming. Meghan has done countless other things for me in the seventeen years I have been alive. Thankfully, God blessed me with an older sister to show me the way and to be my best friend.
The past two years I have been volunteering as a coach for the Special Olympics Swim Team. I heard about the team from a girl who I swam with in both the winter and summer season. She has a sister with Down syndrome, named Victoria, and I must say this outstanding 10 year old girl is the most dramatic, funniest, but sweetest girl you’ll ever meet. The first time I met Victoria she was 8 years old. We were at the pool and she came over towards the other coaches and me wearing a pink bathing cap and suit with a smile on her face ready to swim. I have never seen her in the water before and didn’t know what she was capable of doing. Suddenly she sprints over to the deep end of the pool, dives in and does two whole laps right away. I asked her where she learned to be so fast. The confident little girl answered in a cocky voice, “I have always been this fast.” Then she started swimming away from me again. You might be wondering what’s sweet about that, but the way she got along with her other teammates was great. She was especially sweet when she practiced with her boyfriend, Brendon. Those two were glued together. Everywhere you looked they’d be together, whether they were sitting, swimming, and she even told me they hold hands at school. This little girl’s personality is so amazing and you forget sometimes that she has a disability. And it’s not just her on the team that is so amazing. Everyone I have had a chance to work with is unique in their own way. There was one girl named Rebecca who was always stating random facts that I didn’t even know. I swear this girl can to big things in her life. Coaching these brilliant kids and giving them something to look forward to and enjoy makes me feel warm inside and like I’m a part of something special. These kids look up to me and the other coaches to give them a chance to participate in sports and other activities that are not available to them elsewhere. I’ve been inspired by all these terrific athletes and plan on sticking with the program for as long as I can.
In my 3 years at St. Marks, there has been one group of men that I have grown so close to that I will never be able to forget them in my entire life. That group of young men that I have spent numerous hours working and sweating with is my St. Marks ice hockey team. On a freezing cold morning in the middle of December, a closely knit group of kids gathered in the St. Marks parking lot, waiting for our busses to take us on a trip that would forever be one of the greatest, most memorable times in my entire life. Our destination was one of the best known hockey towns in the entire world for a hockey tournament in which we would play only teams from Canada. The town we were headed to was located in the northern part of New York. God it was cold there. But after a more that eight hour bus ride through some of the coolest roads I've ever driven along, I didn't care. I was in Lake Placid. We arrived late at night, and we were all ready to sleep. But once I woke up, I begun to realize exactly where I was and how wonderful it was. Our hotel was right on one of the biggest lakes in the town. As I woke up and walked out into the lobby of our small hotel I looked out the huge wall of glass onto a beautiful frozen lake covered by some of the whitest snow I'd ever seen in my life. I walked to breakfast with my teammates and discussed our chances in the upcoming games. We were all optimistic of our chances and still were going into the first game. We walked into the 1980's rink in which the American hockey team won the gold medal in the 1980 Olympics. It was so cool playing on that ice, knowing the history behind it. We lost the game, but it would go down as the closest game of the tournament for us and the one we should've won. After the game we played in three more games, all of which we lost. But the games were not the only thing memorable about the trip. At night, our team got to explore the small town of Lake Placid and we found an outdoor ice hockey rink, right in the center of town. We played hockey in the snow for about three hours. We didn't stop until we were so tired we couldn't skate anymore. It was about one o'clock at night when we finally went back to the hotel. That was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Through my life many people have had huge influences on me whether they were part of my family or if they were just another friend. The people who had the greatest influence on me were my older cousins. We were close ever since I was born and as I grew up I did nothing but learn from them. They would always help me when it came to school from studying for tests to explaining to me concepts that I just could not grasp. Most importantly they would always help me in everyday life by picking me back up in my toughest situations and standing behind me when i succeeded. Basically the reason that they are the biggest influence on me is mainly because they have always been there when I needed them good or bad they would always look out for me and help me through the hardest decisions that Ive had to make. I hope that if they ever need me I can be there for them because its the least that I can do for them being a big part of the kind of person that I have grown up to be.
One thing that definitely affected my life was my injury. It was the opening football game last year for saint marks against milford. I had worked so hard in the offseason and my hard work had finally payed off as I became a starter. That was my dream as a little kid to play in the big games under the lights and after 11 years of playing football it was about to come true. Everything was going perfectly, I was playing well and the team was winning 21-0 at halftime. At the start of the second half I was going to make a tackle and thats when my life changed in an instant. As I was making the tackle I slipped on the turf and the running back landed awkwardly on my leg and completely twisted. I heard a loud pop and new something was wrong. It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. I was laying on the field for a few minutes and as the trainers helped me up I tried to walk it off and convince myself that I was going to be fine even though I was lying to myself. It went from being one of the best days of my life to the worst. A week later I had gotten the results of my mri. I found out that I torn my acl and meniscus and was getting surgery the next day. I was in shock. After working so hard and pushing myself it was all for nothing. I went through surgery the next day and didnt realize how difficult it was going to be. The pain was even worse from when I first tore my acl and it took almost two months before I could even walk again. A week after surgery I started going to our football games again to support the team and it was the worst feeling knowing I could be out there living my dream instead of being on crutches and not being able to do anything about it. Since then I havent looked back and I feel like ive really grown from my experience. I got by that hard time in my life through my friends and family never knew how grateful I am to have them in my life. Overall realized that people shouldnt take playing sports or anything for granted and just try to enjoy every moment.
It was about seven years ago when my mother signed me up for a basketball team, this would change my life forever. This was not an ordinary team. We called ourselves the Newark Lighting, and I was their coach. We practiced many months in preparation for one tournament, the Delaware State Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. This tournament is held annually during the spring season at the University of Delaware’s Field House. About a hundred teams gather every year from all over Delaware to compete and have fun.
It was my Fifth grade year when I first joined the team. I was scared; I had little experience with people containing the Down Syndrome condition. Before this, I have never even met someone with this condition. On my first day I stayed quiet, I wanted to sit back and observe. I watched how the other coaches interacted with the players. As practices went on I began to start to stand out more as a leader and a coach. Because of my basketball background, the players looked to me to show them how to truly play the game. I could see their love of the game growing more and more after every practice. I began noticing there skills improving week after week. I was getting excited for the tournament, I knew they were ready. The day of the tournament came. We ended up not doing as well as we wanted this year. Our placing did not concern me however. I was happy that I was blessed with the opportunity to make such great friendships and to make a difference in someone’s life. These kids also opened my eyes to this condition. Even though we lost I was not upset at all, because I knew I would be coming back the next year.
Many events have had an effect on my life but volunteering has had a big effect. I started volunteering at Ronald McDonald House two summers ago. My mother told me about the house and it sounded like it would be fun. I went to an orientation with other teens who were volunteering during the summer. After the orientation, I started to volunteer. When I first started I didn’t like it at all. It was very different from what I had expected. I was also the only teen volunteer during my shift. It was very hard to relate to the other volunteers whose ages varied from mid-thirties to late fifties. I even thought about leaving the volunteer program. My mother told me that I should at least go one more night and then think about whether I should continue volunteering there. One night, the other volunteers starting asking me questions about my life such as school and my friends. They began to tell me their own stories and gave me advice. By the end of the summer, I felt part of the group. The volunteers were so nice and welcoming to me; I decided that I would continue to volunteer during the school year. I still am a volunteer there and have enjoyed meeting great people and hearing their stories. It makes me realize how grateful I am for my life.
Ever since I acquired a job back in the spring of 2010, my life has changed. Before that moment, I was never focused in school and did not have any long-term goals. During my first two years of attendance at St. Mark’s, I was satisfied with doing the minimal amount of work and obtaining average grades. I was never concerned about getting into college or thinking about my future. Since I was only spending my parents’ money, I did not know the value of a dollar and would be ungrateful if they would not buy me something. Then I began working at Capriotti’s, a sandwich shop. Making minimal wage, I was stunned back to reality and realized how much a dollar actually is. I became much more prudent with money. This experience was a big eye-opener for me. It helped me realize that I needed to get my act together if I wanted to be successful in life. Making sandwiches all day may seem like an easy job to do, but trust me, it gets tiring. I made a promise to myself that I would be strict about everything school related and would start saving money. From that day forward I knew that school would have to be my first priority. I set goals for myself and with the encouragement from my family and friends I should be able to reach them.
While recalling my short seventeen years on this planet, I recalled one person in particular that had an overwhelming impact in my life. This person help shape who I am today and I am so thankful for everything he has taught me. This person is my Grandfather. The funny thing is, I don’t think he realized that he was teaching me so much about how to live my life. Ever since I was younger I saw that there was that there was something about him which people were drawn to him. It could have fun his goofy personality or overall kindness to everybody. Just by simply being around him I learned that treating others with as much respect, kindness and generosity would get you much farther in life compared to money and selfishness. These traits he possessed were always showing, whether it was seen in the walks around Wilmington or when we visited the “old people clubs” like the Piedmont club or St. Anthony’s. I would sit down with all the older people and they would talk about how my Grandfather had helped them out during their life. These stories amazed me. Whether they were as simple as loaning somebody a couple dollar or giving someone a free waterice or sandwich from our shop to stories of my grandfather helping someone beat their alcohol addiction. These acts of kindness made me want to better myself and me overall a better person. It amazed me when we took those walks to see so many people saying hello to him, waving, or occasionally hearing somebody yell, “Yatz!” from down the street and it was hilarious because he would tell me he had no idea who some other these people were but he treated them like he was their good friend. My Grandfather was a very simple man: wake up, stop in at our shop, make sure everyone was doing O.K. then go to the club to play cards, but the impact he had on me, my family and everyone he knew was overwhelming. I can only hope to strive to be as generous, trustworthy, simple, kind, gentle and loving as he was in my life. I know I can never fill his shoes but I hope I can take the lessons he taught me and apply them to my life. My grandfather will always the best teacher I will ever have in my life.
Growing up around my family wasn’t always easy. I didn’t realize until I got a little older that my uncle had a severe case of autism. When I was very little, I only saw him as a man who couldn’t communicate very much at all and at that age, I was scared. I am very grateful to my grandparents, or my uncle’s parents. Without them, he would have never been able to walk or say the little words he knows or even pick up a fork. To them, they see him as their 43 year old son who has a job, loves to ride horses, play football and is amazing at putting a puzzle together. Many other people can see him as a “retarded” man who watches cartoons and looks at picture books. He stays in a group home most of the time but every weekend he comes to my grandparents’ house to visit with them. Dealing with an autistic person can include having to clean up their messes and deal with their temper. As old as my grandparents are, they still take care of him to the best of their ability. There is never a time that they want to turn away a visit with him. My grandparents have helped him grow as a person and love him just as he is. I admire them so much for that.
As I walk through the door I'm instantly greeted with an enthusiastic and very familiar "Hey"! A shower of hugs, handshakes, and kisses head my way as I catch up with everyone in the room. After convincing my Mimi that I had plenty to eat before I arrived she scurries off to the kitchen to attend to the mid-July feast she has prepared on my behalf. I sit down on my favorite chair anticipating what is yet to come, what will it be this time, what will he ask me, what story could he possibly tell me now? Just like clock-work, my Grandfather, also known as Big Guy, appears around the corner, smiles and says that he read in the paper that St. Marks soccer is looking good this year. He also points out that the Yankees have taken a two game lead over the AL East as I quickly remind him that the Phillies own the best record in all of the MLB. Now that he has been beaten he again smiles and asks me how baseball is going. I give him the run down, "My hitting has been pretty consistent this summer, last tournament I went 6 for 10 with two walks. I pitched 7 innings with 2 runs earned and 5 strike outs, my fastball has good location but looks pretty flat, the curve is 12 to 6 and is working well, but my slider is hurting my arm so I don't think I'm going to pitch this weekend."
Before big guy praises my performance he says that I would be foolish to hurt my arm pitching just for a game and that I need to develop a change up because it's the most effective pitch in the game. in the same breath Big Guy tells me a story of when he was a young boy growing up in Queens. One day he found a nickel on the ground and had an entire summer day to kill so he decided to go to the Yankees game, that nickel got him into the game with a seat in the grandstand just above the visiting team's bullpen. In the sixth inning a star pitcher Tex Houston was warming up in the bullpen so my Big Guy went down as close to Tex as he could get and asked him to sign the ticket he was holding. Just then Big Guy stopped and said "to this day I remember what Tex said back to me".
Listening intently I could only imagine what Tex could have said to Big Guy that was so important that he remembered all these years. Big Guy continued, "And you know what he said? In the thickest of southern accents he said 'I cain't, i gotta throw!". Chuckling at how anticlimactic this story was after it was delivered in the most dramatically round-about way, I saw my 77 year old grandfather laughing along with me. Seeing the time worn, wrinkled face of my grandfather, laughing, eyes squinted behind his glasses made me forget about all of the summertime teen stresses. All of a sudden school, summer reading, and college seemed to slip away from my mind allowing me to slip away and find a moment of peace again.
There have been many experiences and people that have helped make me into the person I am today, but there is one person that has had the most effect on my life and that person is my pop-pop. My Pop- pop was always there for me ever since I remember, whenever I needed to be picked up from school or was sick he was always there. He also told me many important things that I try to live by everyday, like always being happy, nothings ever as bad as it seems at the time, and no one can ever take your dreams away from you. He was one of the few people I could ever talk to and feel really comfortable with, I could always talk to him and he would always understand. I could honestly say he was my best friend, I would have rather hung out with him then my friends at school. Then on labor day weekend about 5 years ago he had a stroke, the doctors said he was recovering and they put him into rehab he then suddenly had a blood clot again in his leg and he died. I still too this day try to live by his example. He has shaped me into the person that I am today.
When I was three years old my mom dragged me forcibly to my sister’s dance recital. Of course I wined and cried because the thought of sitting still and quiet for more than 5 minutes is remote torture to a three year old, but as soon as I started watching my outlook changed. I saw my sister step out in her sparkly costumes and in that exact moment I was filled with envy. I wanted to do that. I wanted to wear the sparkly costume, I wanted to wear all the pretty makeup, I wanted to get flowers, and I wanted everyone’s eyes to be on me. I was simply jealous, but little did I know that all this jealousy would be the beginning of what soon would become my life changing passion. I have been dancing for 13 years now and I love it more than ever. I am very stubborn, and when things don’t go how I want them to I tend to give up. With dance it’s different. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how tired I am I never want to give up. I need it and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. The passion I have for dancing is irrevocable and I can honestly say it has been the biggest impact on my life.
The people you take for granted most in your life are the ones who not only love you the most, but have loved you the longest. None more so than my dad, who has gotten me through the worst of times. One Saturday morning 3 years ago was my first ever High School Cross Country race, and I was so scared. I had little faith in myself that I would do well at all, because everyone else on the team was so much faster than I was. He saw this and pulled me aside not a minute before the race was supposed to go off, and told me that I’ve trained long and hard for this and whatever happens, happens. All of this was happening while I was being yelled at by my coach because the race was supposed to start and the gun was set to go off any second. I still laugh at the image of my dad apologizing profusely to my coach and giving me the “good luck fist bump” we have done for as long as I can remember. After the race had started my nervousness went away. I knew my dad would be proud of me regardless of how I did, so that gave me the boost I needed to run faster and allowed me to run my fastest time ever. Every race I’ve been to, he’s been there to give me that “good luck fist bump” and every race I’ve gotten better as a runner, because of him.
During my Sophomore year of high school, I met a group of people that ended up becoming my best friends and still are to this date. Before I knew all of them in the group, I was only friends with one of them, Nathan. He ended up introducing me to all of them, and I will be the first to say that meeting them was awkward the first time. However, after hanging out with them more and more I grew to know and love each of them as if they were family. During these times, I would become more attached to one of them more than the others, and would end up switching who my favorite was, but now all of them mean the world to me. In a way, meeting these people has changed my life forever, in a good way. Before I met them I didn't really do anything, I kind of just sat at my house when I wasn't at school or something with my family. Becoming friends with all of them was the best thing I could have done in my life because it opened up my life in more ways than I could have imagined, or ever dreamed of doing so myself. Through the friendship I gained with these six people, I gained the opportunity to meet even more great people and be included in amazing times with everyone I have met over the past three years. The only bad thing I can possibly muster up about any of these people is that they were all one grade ahead of me. This means that they are all graduated while I am stuck with one more year at Saint Mark's without any of them. Luckily, most of them go to the University of Delaware so I can still see them a lot. Hopefully I wont lose contact with any of them, but I don't think they will because they are like family to me.
This past summer I had the opportunity to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine for 10 days. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was putting off packing my suitcase full of professional attire and ugly, uncomfortable shoes. The night before I left I kept tossing and turning. My head was filled with nervous and excited thoughts all at the same time. Finally we packed up the car and started the 45 minute journey up to Villanova where the forum was being held. Standing in line to get my room key, my hands were shaking. I didn’t know anybody there. After I met my roommate, the knots in my stomach began to disappear. We went to dinner and the opening address together, but we weren’t in med session group and we were split up. My group, Freud, and I left the conference room and headed to a small court yard where we played the dreaded “name game.” That first day was just an awkward blur. By the second day, we weren’t just a med session group but a family composed of people from all over the country and from all different backgrounds. The bond I made with the people of Freud is something you just can’t put into words. You just have to experience it for yourself. I mean it’s not every day that you get to hold a brain, see cadavers, and watch live surgery together. This experience was truly life changing. I walked in not knowing anyone as well as not knowing exactly what I wanted to do in the medical field. I walked out with best friends and with the realization that I want to go into Pediatric and hopefully work in a children’s hospital.
For some people, a person that has deeply influenced them in their current lifetime may pop in their pop up at any moment. This is not the case for me though. The person who has made a huge impact on my life and shaped me into the person I am today, has been apart of my life from even before I was born. This lovely person would be my Mom. Through thick and thin she loves me infinitely no matter what. My Mother is one of the nicest ladies you may ever meet. No matter how tough her day or even week has been, she is always brightening the world with her beautiful smile. Everyday I am blessed to wake up each morning knowing I have someone who will help and guide me through anything, no matter what. My entire life she has raised me to be a gentleman. She has taught me to always help other, sometimes even before helping myself. Even after the bumpy roads I have put her through; she has always been there for me. Her main rule for my siblings and I was always to treat others the way we would like to be treated. My mom raised 3 siblings before me and learned the true way of being the best parent she could possibly be. She continues to direct me towards a life of success and happiness.
Without my Mom deeply impacting my life each day, I would not be the young man I am today.
Many memorable moments have molded me into the human being I am now. Numerous people have come in and out of my life each one affecting it in a distinct way. When brainstorming about who I should write about for this blog entry, I was torn between a few people. Both my mother and father have raised me to the best of their abilities and provided for me for approximately seventeen years and one day as of today. My grandmother has taught me timeless virtues and morals that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I conned my sense of humor from my grandfather. My 94 year old Aunt Martha has inspired me to be a better person and embrace every moment that I breathe. So, how could I pick between all of these inspiring people? I have to give the most credit to my mom. She has spent more time with me than any of the other lovely people that I named. She carried me in the womb and then pushed in labor for 12 painful dragging hours. She has been there for most key events in my life and helped me through them. She is understanding and patient and truly wants the best for me. When it comes down to it, and I compare my life to others who are less fortunate, I thank God for giving me such a good family and mother.
It's all true that we all have had a collection of special events throughout our lives that help shape us to the people we are today. Whether it be now when we are young or in our later years, because we as humans never stop learning. And the best lessons are the ones not taught in a class room but the ones you have to live through and experience with your own body and mind. A particular one of these experiences I can recall is that of my first lacrosse coach Jason Motta. He was the kind of person you could click with immediately and would always try and help you no matter what the condition may be. Coach Motta is the person who introduced me to lacrosse at a young age in middle school and which is now a huge part of my life today. Coach Motta help shape me into the type of player I am today and help me to unlock some of my full potential and always pushed me to be my best on and off the field. I think the reason he pushed so hard and what made him a great coach was his experience in lacrosse. At the time he started coaching me he was still playing professional men’s lacrosse for the MLL for the former Philadelphia Barrage. And prior to that he was an all American his junior and senior year for lacrosse in his town in upstate New York, from there he was recruited to University of Delaware, a Division I program, where he was all American again his junior and senior year also captain senior year. So he really knew what he was talking about from being around it all his life and playing professionally. A major one of his points was dedication, to be dedicated enough to practice not only with the team but put in the work at home as well and on your free time. And his love of the game inspired me to emulate his actions and to work as hard at life on and off the field.
As I began contemplating what to write about in this journal entry I realized that I haven’t had any particularly dramatic or traumatizing events in my life. I’ve been blessed with great friends and family. I have also been blessed with the ability to live many places, including another country. From a very young age we moved a lot because of my mom’s job, it was rare that we stayed in one place for more than two years. I was born in Delaware, soon after we moved to Pennsylvania, then we moved to Ohio, next we moved to Canada, after that we moved to a different part of Ohio, and finally back to Delaware. Moving can be a truly unnerving process especially when it happens so frequently but I am proud to say I have handled all of our moves fairly well. Its always hard leaving someplace where your comfortable and have friends but I always tried to look at it as an adventure. I would have to say moving to Canada was not only the biggest change but it also had the biggest impact on my life. One of the most dramatic changes was my education. My parents choose to send me to a school that was bilingual. One week all of my classes were taught in English, the next they were all taught in French. As imaginable this was quite difficult to get used to, and with my luck I started in the middle of a “French week”. I certainly struggled in the beginning, but being that I was still pretty young I picked up the language fairly quickly and adjusted well. Another major change was the weather. An average day during the winter consisted of obnoxious amounts of snow and temperatures as low as 30 degrees below zero. One thing I noticed was that our recesses at school were much longer because they had to account for the amount of time it took to put on and take off our snow pants, jackets, gloves, boots, and earmuffs. Not only was I completely immersed in a new schooling environment but also a new culture. So much about Canada was different that in the United States from their quirky sayings like “eh” to their currency where they had one and two dollar coins called loonies and toonies. I also realized that ice skating down the canal was the thing to do. Everyone went to the canal on saturdays and ice skated for hours. I clearly remember my first trip to the canal with my dad and him buying me a Canadian cuisine called beaver tails which were really nothing more than pastry shaped as a beaver tail with cinnamon and sugar on top. These are just a few of the many things I experienced during my two years in Canada. I feel truly blessed that not only was I able to visit another Country like Canada but actually live there for two years of my life. So I may not have had any type of traumatizing or crazy experience, but I did get the amazing opportunity to live in another country and be immersed in a great culture and I will forever be impacted by and remember my time in Canada.
Without a single hesitation, there is only person I can think of that truly changed and inspired me. Most know her by Alice Betley, but I know her as grandma. Soon to be 95 in December, my grandmother is the oldest mentor I've had for my entire seventeen years. Although my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, church leaders, teachers, and many others over the years have been there for me and could help me, my grandmother just always had a way of saying it better or helping me feel better. There are so many things I admire about her. The first thing that comes to mind is her incredible strength. Now, picturing a small, 95 year old woman with muscles is kind of difficult. But I'm talking about mental and emotional strength. Having outlived her husband, her son Jack, her daughter Joan, her son Fran, her grandsons Butch and Timmy, and still being able to live each day happily is incredible to me. The second thing that comes to mind is her compassion. My grandma is always concerned about how everyone else is feeling and whether or not they are comfortable. Even during family gatherings with tons of people there (her ten kids and their families), she still continuously walks around and makes sure everyone is happy and enjoying themselves before she can relax. To me, my grandma has always been a huge mentor and inspiration to me and I want to learn to be like her and posses the same qualities of honesty, humility, loyalty, trust, faith, but most importantly love.
Everyone has that one person that they can go to with everything, that one person they can always count on. For me, that one special person is my older sister Courtney. When Courtney left for Johns Hopkins University, I was devastated.
Courtney is one of the happiest, most optimistic people I know. Her enthusiasm and positive is contagious. She just wanted everyone in the house to be happy all the time. She always gave us motherly advise, and often times I would go to her first before I went to my parents. Courtney is one of the very few people that I trust, and I confided in her with everything. Courtney’s main concern was that she always wanted to make sure everyone was close. She always communicated with everyone. She was just the peacekeeper in the house. After she left, I had huge shoes to fill.
I did not like my new position as the oldest child in the house. I felt like all eyes were on me, and I did not like it. I knew that it was my job to set a positive example for my younger siblings, and I did not want to let them down. I knew that if I screwed up, I would never hear the end of it from my parents. Before Courtney left for Johns Hopkins, I use to slide under the radar, not anymore. My parents were so focused on making sure that she was on the right track. Once she was gone, I was next. My parents started focusing more on me. It was my big recruiting year, and my parents rode me hard. I knew I had to perform out of the field, and in the classroom or else I was a goner. My mother started going on my Powerschool more often, checking up on all of my grades. If I got anything below a B, it was unacceptable. My parents demanded excellence from me because they knew what I was capable of. They didn't want me to settle for anything less than my best.
After my sister left for college, I realized how precious my time was with her. I began to cherish every moment of it. The year before she left, I spent all hours of the day with her. We went to the same school, we were on the same team, we came home, and we hung out. I never realized how special that time was until she left. My little buddy was gone, and I missed her terribly. When Courtney came home, I made sure that I made every second count because I knew that she would soon leave again.
The decisions that I see people make that hit me the hardest would be ones that involve the person showing their humility and admitting that they in fact need help, and cannot overcome their problem alone. When I was growing up, my mother constantly struggled with alcohol. She never let this change the fact that she was the greatest mom anyone could ask for. I will never forget the first night she told us she was going to a “meeting”, and we all knew exactly what she meant and were shocked senseless that after all these years, my mom was finally swallowing her pride. It has been over four years now she has been sober, and this has affected me in more ways than many people realize. Watching this, I stopped being so embarrassed to ask for help. If someone as strong as my mom could reach out and ask, then I should not be ashamed when I do the same thing. No matter how hard things got, how intense the struggle became, my mom won and still claiming that every new sober day is yet another victory over addiction. My mother is the reason that I legitimately do not drink, even at parties and situations of the sort. Knowing how hard it was for my mom to get past her dependency makes me in no way ashamed of that. Seeing her perseverance has helped me stay strong in my decisions, and in my attempts to better myself as a person.
I met her at the awkward, young age of nine. She transferred into my fourth grade class. She walked timidly and didn’t speak often. I was the complete opposite. I pranced proudly about and gabbed a little too much, especially in my teacher’s opinion. To be completely honest, I kind of wrote her off in my brain, “We could never become friends. It is just not even possible. We’re complete opposites.” Little did my young-self know, that this shy, seemingly mute girl would turn out to be one of the most amazing and beautiful people I have ever known to exist. She has the extremely rare super power to brighten my day with the blink of an eye and the flash of her smile. I don’t know how she does it. She tolerates my freak-a-zoid mood swings and doesn’t mutter a single complaint. But I’d have to say that the most amazing thing this girl does, is she stands by me every day and tells me that I’m her best friend. And I know she means it; it’s just one of those things where you know in your heart that you can trust someone wholeheartedly, without a second thought. I wouldn’t trade her for the entire world. Oh, and she does talk a tad bit more nowadays. Sometimes she goes a smidge overboard, and I end up listening to her rant and ramble about some stupid video game that her eight year old brother showed her. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
One person who has impacted my life greatly is my father. He shaped me into what I am today, not because he taught me lessons and morals as a child but because when I reflect on his life I see the world for what it really is, not the rose colored lenses many youth in middle-class, suburban, white America see through. My dad, born Edward Tudor, is the son of two Welsh immigrants; he grew up in California and joined the military when he was a teenager. He was deployed to Cambodia as a Special Forces operative during America’s conflict with the NVA. Upon returning to America he became the sheriff of the San Bernardino, California but was later discharged and did various odd jobs such as mountain rescue and carpentry. He was never married to my mother and was in prison for selling and growing marijuana when I was born. He is now retired and lives in Palm Springs, California. My dad had a tough life and this taught me to be a realist, because from a young age I was exposed to the real world. I don’t think it’s bad to be an optimist but I think that if a person lives their life with their head in the clouds that they may get chewed up and spit out by society. Because my dad wasn’t around when I was young I lived in a single parent household and had to become more independent than if I had grown up with two parents. My dad changed my life not because of what he was a great role model but because he made mistakes throughout his life that I can learn from. Sometimes I wish I had grown up with my dad around in a normal household but most of the time I’m happy I had an unconventional childhood which shape me into who I am, thanks to my dad.
To this day, I can say that if there was one person that really made an impact on my life, it would be my middle school basketball coach, JB. I had known about him through many of the kids at school, he’d even coached my older sister in track, but I’d never had the experience of working with him or even getting to know him until sixth grade. You couldn’t miss him – loud and aggressive, but in the kindest way you could imagine. I’d never played basketball before, but he saw potential in me and gave me a shot on his team, even though I may not have been the best. He always strived to make sure that we all knew that even if we weren’t playing our best, even if we sat on the bench half the game, even if we fouled out, it didn’t matter to him. He was unfailingly kind and I never knew one person that could say anything bad about him. And from all of that, he seems like a genuine, all around good guy, which he was. But he was suffering underneath it all. He had diabetes and it was a fact that he wasn’t ashamed of. He hadn’t taken care of himself in the early days like he should have which led to complications, but there he was, on his feet and coaching us like he wasn’t in pain. Over the next three years, eventually he couldn’t stand anymore and have to rely on a wheelchair for transportation, but he didn’t even let that bring him down or stop him. He was still coaching. My eighth grade year, I was all set to be on his team again when something terrible happened – we all got the call that said JB had died. I was devastated, like so many others were. I couldn’t even play that year because it hurt too badly to think about being coached by someone else. The day of his funeral really hit home for me, though. The room was filled with hundreds, literally hundreds of people; all of them there for him. He really showed me that no matter what personal turmoil you’re going through, you can power through it. You don’t have to be in a bad mood or hate the world because of something that’s happened to you. Because of his outlook on life, I think that’s why the room was so packed. Even though his life was short; he only lived until his early fifties, he made impacts on not only my life, but hundreds of other kids. He’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever known and probably will ever know.
Every once in a while I take a few minutes to reflect on those who pushed me to walk, the ones who forced me to talk, and the resources who got me to where I am today. In doing this I always seem to come back to one of the most important people in my life. For me, this person is my dad. My dad has struggled a lot in his life with a disease called Thalassemia as well as the other mini disabilities that tag along with it. My father is the one person in my life who gave me the discipline as well as the love and concern I needed as a child and still now as a young adult. Growing up with a disabled parent puts a lot of stress on me as his child. This stress is mainly caused due to the lack of respect I have for people who cannot see past his features. The constant stares and ridicule that he gets for the way he looks destroys my inner being because of this constant harassment for the way a disease makes my father look. Though my dad never lets me see his hurt and shame I know it kills him too. My dad is my hero because he never lets things get him down nor will he let things get me down. He tells me everyday, “Never give up or let yourself down.” This is a motto I live my life by, and a message I will one day get to share with my children. Yes, it is was difficult at times to understand that my family is different from the norm but through the years my father as proven to me, and most of all himself, that nothing and no one will ever stop us. My dad is my hero and the person I most admire and I wouldn’t be who I am today without him.
Throughout my seventeen years here on Earth I’ve experienced many events that have changed the way I am and how I act. There have also been numerous people that opened my eyes to the way I see life. This past summer I worked at my local pool that I’ve been going to since I was a little girl. Over the past couple of summers I had gotten closer to a twelve year old boy named Alex. Alex was born with down sydrome and eventhough he doesn’t quite know that that is, it makes his life more difficult. Still, Alex can do whatever he puts his mind too and nothing stops him. His father saw how Alex and I were together so he asked if I would teach him to ride a two-wheel bike. Alex’s father had tried to teach him but it just wasn’t working out. I was joyed he asked me and excited to help. All of Alex’s friends had already learned years ago so he was more than eager to learn. The first day we went to the park he was all ready to go. We practiced for hours and he took a lot of falls, but he was never hesistant to get right back on the bike. After we went biking we cooled off at the pool and he would talk about how excited he was to ride a bike. His first day trying was very frusterating for him but even then he wanted to learn and nothing was going get in his way. His attitude and determination was what lead him to accomplishing it. It took him about five days to get it but once I let go, he had it. He was the happiest kid on Earth that day and from the beginning of it, he was determined to learn. Alex has taught me that it’s the little things in life that really matter. Alex doesn’t have pressure or many worries in his life which is why he’s always happy and satisfied with just the smallest things. Playing a game of basketball, making sandwiches, and even just petting his cats makes him happy. He has a great life just like everyone else and it makes me appreciate the little things that I didn’t before. It made me realize what’s easy for others is difficult for some. Alex has taught me so much about life and I’m so thankful for him. He’s an amazing kid that tries hard at everything he does with a smile on his face.
An experience that has deeply impacted my life was the missions trip I went on last summer. Last summer I spent time in Brooklyn building homes and volunteering with underprivileged youth. I can honestly say this was a life changing experience. Seeing the poverty in New York City and spending time with the homeless has made me so grateful for all the blessings in my life. It deepened my passion for helping others. It shocked me to see how people who had absolutely nothing; no money, no house, no family, and had no idea where there next meal was coming from could be so happy. I felt guilty thinking about how much we take for granted, how we never really can understand what other people go through. I met a homeless man who had been eating dog food for two weeks and it completely broke my heart. One of the most important lessons to realize in life it that someone out there always has it worse than you do. So when things don't always go your way and you whine and complain, think about how lucky and blessed you are. But even more importantly, think about how you can give back, help, and love those who are less fortunate. This experience taught me that true happiness comes from bringing happiness to others. This trip has made me grow as a person and inspired me to live in Africa next summer and help orphans there.
I had trouble at first trying to think of a life changing experience that I have had. It was because I was trying to think of an experience in my life that was so important that I would never be the same. I thought of an experience but it was not until I looked at it a different way that I realized it was what I wanted to write about. The biggest life changing experience I have had was my trip to Greece on the St. Mark’s exchange program. One might think that it was because Greece is such a beautiful country and just that it was a unique experience to live as people in another country live but I have a different reason. My two weeks in Greece changed me because for the first time in my life I could introduce myself to someone and have them react the same way as if anyone else had done the same thing. I could make my own first impression. People saw me as an individual. This was never an opportunity for me because I have a twin brother. Once I meet someone here, where they know about Ryan, they have a list of assumptions that they already have made preventing them from getting to know the real me. They assume that we dress alike, finish each other’s sentences, hear each other’s thoughts, and are the exact same person or maybe worse; that we are two halves of one person. That is why my experience in Greece is important to me. For the first time, I was my own man.
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