Scholarship /
'James and in-depth version of my story' - about how someone has impacted your life. [18]
I am not a strong writer so bare with me. I would appreciate it if I could get advice from you guys. Thank You.
Here is my essay about someone who has impacted my life:
No matter how broad or minute the impact a person has on another, the results can be very astonishing. Both positive and negative impacts have the potential to assist someone to rebuild and recover their life while at the same time it also has the power to destroy lives. Throughout my brief journey on earth, I've been surrounded by numerous people who have impacted my life in various ways. As for many people, the person that has impacted them the most might be an adult of some title like a doctor, teacher, or even parents but for me that person happened to be my cousin James. Although he is about four years older than me, he has encountered the challenges that I'm facing today. I am basically following his footstep but with much more knowledge of how to react to a situation. While introducing me to invest in my future, James has prevented me from making the mistakes he did during school. Overtime our friendship grew and he became like a brother and a mentor who has always encouraged me through socially, scholastically and financially.
Although my parents have always been willing sacrifice time and money for me to be successful, they just weren't able to answer the questions that I have. I believe that it is rather a requirement job for parents to take good care of their children than decide whether to assist their kids or not. Just like other parents, my mom and dad have done a great job of raising me and helping me build my own character. They have always attempted to do help whenever they can, but they were limited to the help they can give me. The problem was my parents didn't grow up in the U.S. and they didn't know how it is like to transition from a dependent to an independent person in the U.S. However, I didn't worry much because my cousin James, who had the experience that my parents lacked, has stepped in just in time and became my mentor. Unlike my parents, my cousin had no reasons whatsoever to intrude and bug into my life but learning from his mistakes he had the desire of helping others like me to not make the same mistakes that he made.
Years before James was introduced to my life, I was just another person who didn't have any plans for the future. I was the average student who always put fun over school. Time would fly by year after year and it felt like the only thing that has changed in me was my age. It took me a long time to realize that the way I use time was a waste. I began to think about how my life would be after I leave high school. Even though my thoughts were really good when I compared my dream to reality, I wasn't doing anything to get closer to my goal. I realized that I needed to focus on academics if I wanted to be an engineer. During that time, I was questioning myself on whether my dreams will come true or will it ever be just another dream that stays a dream. In the summer of 2011, I finally met the cousin that my uncles have always bragged about. Sharing the same interest and thoughts, we quickly became close friends. After about the first few days, I asked him about his school and how he got there. He told me that he is currently attending University of Oklahoma with more than half of his tuition fees paid for. After I interviewed him he did the same to me but with a unique approach. He started by asking me "where would you be in 10 years?" That question rushed repeatedly through my head and the room was silence. It took me a while to even think about it but I answered "I would probably be at college getting my masters degree for Electrical Engineering." He moved on to another question, "what are you doing now to reach your goal?" At that point I told him that I wasn't doing anything not because I didn't want to but rather because I didn't know what to do. For the next half hour he explained what I could do to get the most out of myself and that it'll take commitment to accomplish my goals. Our discussion went on and on because I asked him almost every question that I could think of. It was one of the most important conversations that I had with anyone in my life. He had motivated me and I felt as if I was ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead.
Now three years later, we would always keep in touch through texts and emails. I would still ask him many questions and he always had a way of answering them and shared his views. When thinking back of how I changed over the past few years, my grades and commitment to school work improved while I am becoming more independent. I glad that I met a person like James because he has influenced me so much. I value James' character and desire of helping others, and I promised myself that I would help others who need someone to talk to. Because of the numerous amount of time I've texted or emailed him with question, he might think he's just wasting his time. One day when I become a successful engineer, I hope to show him my appreciation of his help by surprise and I will share a more in-depth version of my story with everyone.