Thursday 20 March 2014

My Defining Moment


My Defining Moment


My family raised me to be my own person, and not to live in someone else’s shadow. Ironically, my defining moment helped me to begin casting my own even larger shadow by learning from someone else’s experiences.

            A few years ago I attended my cousin’s high school graduation. Grade 12 graduation, to me, has always symbolized the orientation into adulthood, having to make decisions for our “grown up” lives. On the day of my cousin’s graduation, as I was listening to the students’ names being called out, I could see the sense of accomplishment in each of their faces. All their hard work paid off and now they were venturing off to pursue their future endeavors.
 
            It may seem strange that someone else’s defining moment also played a significant role in allowing me to find my own identity. But by being able to put myself in those graduates’ shoes, I realized that I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Ultimately, the graduation instilled in me the desire to achieve my goals. Similarly, after high school I will be well on my way to answering the most asked question, “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

4 comments:

  1. It's amazing how we can draw meaning from milestones that don't seem to have any impact on our lives. Do you have some answers yet to the question, "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

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    1. I most certainly looked up to my cousin and admired all her hard work. The fact she became successful with her studies motivated me to pursue the sciences also. I hope to become a surgeon and specialize in neurology.

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    2. Based on the work and connections to make in class, I have no doubt that your intelligence also translates into the sciences.

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  2. I can relate to your defining moment tons! At my cousins graduation 3 years ago it gave me a whole new perspective on the future. Realizing that will be you a lot faster than it seems was almost a reality check for me. Seeing others reach their goals and continue to go after their future ones was a big deal. With only a year & a bit left until that's us on the stage, the question of what you want to be when you grow up is becoming more important than ever in our lives.

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