Prompt: Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
He had drawn me in with such a low thrumming intensity that at first I had completely missed it. Gradually though, in an almost snail-like manner, I had begun to realize just where my friendship with my best friend Bronson intended to take me. One might not expect to learn much from a mere high school relationship, but that was just what happened to me; the influence that he had on me was one that I will never cease to forget. This seemingly simple boy was a symbol of greatness and determination, and I would often find myself channeling those same impacting characteristics into myself, and the foundation on which I planned to lay for myself.
My grades leading up to my sophomore year were a tell-tale sign of just how little I seemed to care about school after my family moved from Michigan to Ohio during the middle of my 8th grade year. I always asked myself, "Why should I care?", I would never be able to live a normal life because of this tragic change; I was forsaken. I came to a realization that I had lost everything that I have learned to love and now I was thrown into Lebanon, into a new school where I was expected to move on as if nothing imperative had happened. My strong friendships from my old school had diminished and I was the outcast, the new girl with nothing meaningful left to lose. My determination fell and along with it, my once unyielding work ethic that used to come to define me. It was as if I was losing my sense of self in the process, as if I had no idea who the person in the mirror was anymore.
Sophomore year slowly came around and I became accustom to just going through the motions, I was alive but not living. However, during that year I had inadvertently met Bronson, the boy who showed me how essential it was to never give up, to strive above and beyond to meet my goals. Before I met him, I was satisfied with a B and even an occasional C, I was satisfied as long as I wasn't completely failing. Though I always heard about just how crucial my high school grades were, I was never pushed nor truly showed just how important school was until I met him. He would unintentionally tell me almost everyday that I need to try as hard as I can, that I need to push myself until I could not anymore. Whether it be by a simple, almost joking "Better get that A!" or by talking to himself about how he was going to try his hardest, I was impacted. If I were to be struggling, he would encourage me on, pushing me to study and understand everything that was thrown my way. Before I had time to realize it completely, I had become myself again and in the process, as if by fate, I had built new, lasting friendships and finally felt at peace with myself since the move.
His impact on me effected me in a way that I still struggle to put into words. He taught me just how momentous the life that I am living is. He would tell me that today was preparation for the rest of my life and what I did would pave the way; help determine just how far I would go in my life. I was brought back to life for the first time and it was all because of a boy who never gave up on himself and in the process, taught me to never give up on myself. Today I do not allow myself to simply give up and bend under life's prevailing endeavors. I am strong, I will remain strong, and I will prove to the world that I can rise up to a challenge and make a lasting impact on others just like Bronson did to me when I needed him the most.
Great essay! I really enjoyed it and it conveyed growth and change. Just a few minor things I would change, but otherwise I love it! :D
Sophomore year slowly came around and I became accustomed to just going through the motions
If I were to bewas struggling,
seems a bit wordy
and finally felt at peace with myself for the first time since the move.
Btw, if you're not too busy, could you check out my essay? :)
