(A) One of my closest friends growing up was a boy named Tino. He was one class ahead of me, and I basically looked up to him. When the time came for him to go to high school, he was excited as anyone who’s aware that they are moving up in life. He lived for the growth, and sometimes we called him “old man,” because of how much he wanted to be perceived as an older person. A year later I joined him in high school although I went to a different school. It came as a shock, the following year, when he was a sophomore, to learn that he dropped out of school. I was disappointed. I don’t judge people and I never assume. I still loved my friend, and we would hang around every chance we got. I continued with my studies, and he was happy to hang around whenever I was free. Everybody called him names and thought the worst of him. I loved being in school and seeing that I was happier because of school and everything that came with it, my friend was more inclined to go back to school. He always talked about how he would like to come to my school and experience the nice things I always told him about, and work on his life again. To me, I believed he had had enough of the sitting around and he had evaluated his life and decided to be happy again. Since he stayed with his grandmother, he had to convince one of his uncles to cover his tuition and other fees. I was proud of him. Despite my best efforts and love for my friend, especially my ability to influence him to want what was best for himself, he passed away from a stroke he suffered on the eve of the new year. He was only two weeks away from going back to school and rediscovering himself again. Although my best efforts didn’t see the reward of my friend back in school again, I believe he was the happiest when he passed, and I am grateful I was there with him all the time. Even now when things get tough for me in school, I know how to persevere because I am living a dream for two. Somehow, I think if I continue to do well, I honor the memory of my friend thinking that he would be inspired if he was still around. I feel positive and optimistic about my future, and I know my friend looks out for me.
(B) The second instance I inspired someone was in high school again. Coming from a background where I didn’t have much, I understood the importance of the first chance. I realized earlier on that I might not be afforded another opportunity to work for what I want if I waste the chance I had been given. As a result, I always do things so well, or not at all. I appreciate the concept of doing my absolute best in whatever activity I engage in. My teachers were amazed by my hard work and diligence, but so were my peers. One such person was a friend of mine. All his life he had been an average scholar, and he didn’t expect much of himself. However, by being around me and seeing my work patterns, he was inspired to channel his strength and courage to do well for himself. Results didn’t come instantly but he kept at his goal even though we went to different schools afterwards. The thought of me working hard wherever I was, stirred him to not stop working and by the time we left high school he graduated with a 4.0 GPA. I felt appreciated that someone looked up to me even though I am not perfect.
(C) The last person I inspired was my own sister. My parents were not flexible enough in the way they raised their children. We either had to do what they said or risk their disapproval. I was always doing well in school and in life, so they didn’t criticize me so much. Even though I played sports and was good at them, I still managed to balance them with my studies and my parents adored me. However, my little sister is not the same person I am, as we are all unique. She played sports as well and did exceptionally well. However, she wasn’t as eager with school as she was with sports. My parents were very critical of her and demanded too much of her. This stressed her out a lot. Being in a unique position to understand my parents, I talked with my sister on multiple occasions helping her see the weakness of our parents. I opened to her about how I was always doing well but I was never given the appreciation I yearned for and approval from them. By seeing things this way, my sister understood that my parents were only trying to push us to be better and also wanted us to avoid the pitfalls they encountered when they were growing up like us. This helped her to focus on what she could do and take away the pressure she had been under to perform so well for them. In the end I felt proud that I was looking out for my sister, and this brought us closer to each other.