Trials and Triumphs

“If you think it’s wrong, it probably is.” This statement, told to me by my parents, has

taken the place of my subconscious throughout my life. Any decision that I was faced with

echoed my parents’ words of advice. This, among many other things, has contributed to much of

what makes me who I am.

I am currently a freshman nursing student navigating the ways of independence and the

last months of dependence on my parents. I grew up in a large, tight-knit, female dominated

family that has become one of the biggest contributing parts of who I am. My father is a

hardworking man, with a great work ethic, and pushes me to always do my best. He is a self-

employed general contractor and has continuously instilled in me his work ethic, dedication and

belief. He is one of my biggest supporters and wisest advisor. He has taught me that I can

achieve anything that I want in this world through perseverance, hard work, and dedication.

Among these traits, I also inherited his intuition of people and the surroundings, along with his

stubborn nature. Our disagreements tend to end in silence because of this and we often find that

we have to agree to disagree.

My mother is a sensitive, loving and strong woman. She has taught me how to love

unconditionally and has shown me a commitment to others. While my father worked to provide

for the family, my mother stayed at home, maintaining the household and providing office

support for my father’s business. She is my best friend and has given me the support I needed

throughout my life. Her strength has shown me what it looks like to handle anything thrown at

me. Like my mother, I am an introvert and a worrier. We tend to stress about things we can’t

change and prefer to stay home instead of surround ourselves with large groups of people.
Together, my parents created a loving and happy environment for our family. Their authoritative

style kept my sisters and I safe yet fulfilled with the joy and support given to us.

My oldest sister, REDACTED, is nine years older than me. She is married with two

beautiful girls and a baby boy on the way. Growing up, Savannah always included me in her

activities and spoiled me like you would want any big sister to do. In high school, I was her little

mini-me, never leaving her side. I would even go on weekend outings with her friends. She has

taught me how to be an independent and strong woman because she was a single mother when

she was my age. REDACTED not only raised the kindest child I know, but she also worked her

way through college and is currently the manager of the local clinic. She is a tenacious and

devoted person that never asks for help. REDACTED showed me not only how to care for

another, selflessness and inclusiveness, but also how to find my own inner strength.

My middle sister, REDACTED, is seven years older than me. She has recently married

and they are currently building a house in our hometown. REDACTED and I did not get along as

well in my younger years. I was always intimidated by her, but I have since learned a lot from

her. She is an individual that knows what she wants and doesn’t care what people think. In

middle school, I remember going to speech therapy to correct my “r’s” and I was always

embarrassed about being pulled out of class, but then I’d reflect on what REDACTED would

say, “Why does it matter what they think?” She helped me gain the confidence to be different in

that time of my life. Now, she owns her own business and is continuing to teach me how to love

and accept who I am regardless of other’s opinions.

My sisters were extremely involved in high school, both academically and athletically,

and I was always in awe of them. They were my superheroes and I had finally developed enough

motor coordination to join them. On the weekends, they challenged me to perfect my skills in
sports and provided me with the scaffolding to do so. They would hit volleyballs at me, school

me in one-on-one basketball, and play catch in the yard. Nothing was taken easy on me and I

loved every minute of it, sparking my competitive edge at a young age.

But the influence of sports didn’t end at my sisters. A large portion of my family also

lives in REDACTED, which allowed us the opportunity to grow up with my cousins, aunts,

uncles, and grandparents. We spent most of our time together for birthdays, holidays and what

felt like every other weekend for family dinner and game night. My entire family has a

competitive nature. Our game nights were cutthroat and our Fourth of July volleyball games had

to include spray painted lines in order to provide the most accurate judgment and avoidance of a

fight.

My competitive edge was a big part of my junior high and high school career. By the

time I was in junior high, my sisters had graduated high school and we all entered into our

unshared environments. I was left as the only child and losing the security of my sisters during

one of the hardest times of my social and physical development was difficult. They gave me a

model of what a high school student was like, but I didn’t know who to be in junior high. I was

lost, to say the least, and found myself in a chameleon state. My personality matched whoever I

was with in order to fit in. Unfortunately, this version of myself was not a very kind and

compassionate individual. As puberty hit, I became the definition of adolescent egocentrism. I

felt as if I was more mature than the rest of my peers, but I was also very insecure and unsure of

who I was. Navigating boys, friends, and my newfound maturity proved to be very trying for me

and I could not wait to be in high school.

During my freshman year of high school, I was on the varsity athletic teams, into the

‘popular crowd’ and had a boyfriend. This group of girls were athletic, pretty, and our favorite
pastime included long, dirt-road drives before practice. Just two days after I received my driver’s

license, we went out for our favorite activity and I wrecked my car. Luckily, no one was hurt but

my parents were crushed with the thought of losing me. That was the night that I began to realize

how my actions affect myself and those around me. I came to consciously appreciate my life; in

fact, the risk I took and its consequences shaped me into a more responsible teenager. That same

group of friends also helped me realize that I was not the person I wanted to be, so I began to

create a different story for myself.

I did not want to potentially be the reason for someone else’s bad day. My sensitivity no

longer deflected negatively onto others, but instead became a tool of compassion and

understanding. I discovered my passion for helping others by dedicating more of my time to my

family and a love for children through my role as an aunt. Academically I was always a good

student, but I started to put more emphasis on my future path and goals. I gained leadership

positions in the various clubs I was in, captain positions on sports teams, and a new attitude

towards others. I began to be someone I wanted to be around and the person I was raised to be-

kind, motivated and understanding. In retrospect, it seemed like high school was a breeze, but it

was not so simple. I struggled with bouts of mental health issues and never did quite conquer my

self-conscious tendencies. I let my fear of making a public speech keep me from being the class

salutatorian and my fear of failure keep me from collegiate level sports.

Today, I find myself in a more solidified identity. I am a loving, compassionate,

competitive, determined, sensitive, stubborn, introverted individual. My experiences have made

me stronger, kinder, and a more private person that calculates every decision I make. My

newfound faith has helped me learn that my weaknesses can become strengths and has given me

a peaceful freedom from past insecurities and fears. My family has also been a major influence
on who I am as they taught me to be a loving person, how to dedicate and motivate myself to

achieve what I want, and that I am capable of creating the life that I choose. While I still struggle

with ‘role confusion,’ I have found that I am more confident in my individuality. As I continue to

learn, grow, and write my story, I will always live by the words of my wise parents, ‘if you think

it’s wrong, it probably is.’

My comments,

Thank you for the privilege of sharing in your life story. This is a genuinely wonderful

paper. Your writing is strong, eloquent, and organized enough to truly come across as a story

rather than just a sequence of ideas. Nice work.