In 1993, I came bounding into the world, the same year that my great-grandmother, Caramie "Meme" Roberson, turned 90 years old. Ever since then, she has been a major force in my upbringing. Meme taught me to live a respectable life, the importance of a good education and to cherish the times that my family spends together.
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While I was there, I was Meme's
I did anything and everything that she needed done when everyone else was either too busy or too tired to take care of - Possibly give some examples of what you did?
intimate family get togethers - since this is a noun, i think hyphen is needed
This sounds like a memoir of Meme, not about how she influenced you.
Include some stories about how she effected your grades or encouraged you to join a club?
I liked the introduction and the conclusion, but make sure you answer the prompt.
My Great-Grandmother Who Influenced My Life - CommonApp
A wise man once said, "Someone who influences the thoughts of the people around her influences all the times that follow. She has made an impression on eternity." My great-grandmother Caramie "Meme" Roberson was one of those people, especially for me. When I was born, in 1993, Meme was 90 years old and already made an imprint on my life; after all, I was her namesake. Throughout the subsequent thirteen years, I was blessed to have spent a significant amount of time with her and learn many lessons from her. My great-grandmother, a farm girl from Haiti, with no formal education, taught me to understand the importance of education and the significance of family.
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This was a very well written essay and I really how your writing filled me with emotion. I really liked the ending because it ended the essay nicely and showed what she ment to you and how she has affected your life.
Good luck with everything you do.
If you could read my essays it would be greatly appriciated.
2nd to last draft- common app essay
"You don't have to be a 'person of influence' to be influential. In fact the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they taught me," (Scott Adams). My great-grandmother Caramie "Meme" Roberson was one of those people, especially for me. She seemed to just be telling a story about her life and the hardships she faced, while unknowingly teaching me lessons that would shape my life forever. When I was born, in 1993, Meme was 90 years old and every moment from then on in our relationship was precious because of the limited amount of time we had left. Throughout the subsequent thirteen years, I was blessed to have spent a significant amount of time with her and learn many lessons from her. My great-grandmother, a farm girl from Haiti, with no formal instruction, taught me to understand the importance of education and the significance of family.
Meme was a woman of great courage and determination and refused to be limited by the circumstances of her life. Despite being a widow at the age of 40, Meme successfully raised her children, and later numerous grandchildren; my own mother included. As I later grew up under her wing, I realized that these burdens never fazed her. Meme always had an uplifting spirit that made people gravitate towards her no matter where she was. By her example, she was a vital influence as to how I lived my life.
Meme made sure my education came first. When I lived in Massachusetts, she considered me her "little helper". Every day I would ...
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Meme was a woman of great courage and determination and refused to be limited by the circumstances of her life. Despite being a widow at the age of 40, Meme successfully raised her children, and later numerous grandchildren; my own mother included. As I later grew up under her wing, I realized that these burdens never fazed her. Meme always had an uplifting spirit that made people gravitate towards her no matter where she was. By her example, she was a vital influence as to how I lived my life.
Meme made sure my education came first. When I lived in Massachusetts, she considered me her "little helper". Every day I would come home from school and rush through the front door only to hear her calling my name, as if she knew exactly when I got in. Although she needed my help, when my homework was in question, all her needs seemed to fade away. Since she didn't have a formal education growing up, she stressed the significance of one. She would tell me stories about her past in Haiti, and how due to an insufficient education, she wasn't able to take her late husband's place as a Haitian Congressperson. Meme decided since she couldn't help me with my homework, she would teach me what she knew: her language. We would sit for hours on end in her bedroom reciting the names of different objects in order for her to teach me. I had to make a commitment to learn the language because I wanted to communicate with Meme and she only knew two words of English, "hello" and "thanks". At times it was pretty frustrating, but in the end I was able to successfully communicate with her without running to my other family members for translation help. In addition to stressing the importance of my formal education, Meme helped me become a better-rounded student by adding Haitian Créole to my list of spoken languages.
Meme also emphasized the importance of family. She was the heart of our family and we, in turn, were her heart. We, as a family, made sure to keep the woman we loved as happy as possible, and we did this best during the holiday season. During most holidays, even though she couldn't make it down the stairs anymore, my cousins and I would help carry her down, if there was some kind of get together in the house. When she was in the midst of her family, she seemed to be at her happiest. We also would have domino tournaments and whoever was the champion amongst the rest of us was rewarded the honor of challenging Meme, the domino connoisseur. I faced her a few times and won only twice. The smile that spread across her face when someone beat her was something to be adored. Whenever we beat her, she just looked so proud, like all her work paid off. Not because we beat her in dominoes, but because we were all together as a family.
In the fall of 2007, I was living in Miami with my mother when we got the most disturbing call of our lives. Two weeks after her 104th birthday, Meme had passed away. On the day of the funeral, the church that usually housed 4,000 people, had family and friends spilling into the isles to say goodbye and celebrate the life of an amazing woman. As I watched people pay their final respects, I remembered a moment that I had with Meme that instantly brought me to tears: One day Meme called me into the bathroom to help her up after using the restroom. As I held her and waited for her to adjust herself, she looked up at me, rested her head on mine and said "Caramie one and Karami two. You have to make sure my memory lives on behind me after I go." I will never know if she knew, but the words she spoke to me marked my heart and I will cherish them forever.
Caramie "Meme" Roberson was a woman that radiated grace and poise in everything she did. She lived her life in way that allowed people to view her in a positive light and taught me to do the same. Meme also taught me not to take advantage of my education and to cherish my loved ones. I believe that if I could be half the woman Meme was, I would be a great person. Meme may have not known that all that she has said to me has affected me in such a profound way, yet, she taught me so many things that I will keep with me and pass down to my family, just like she wanted me to.