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Tom Grau. A homosexual 12th grade AP English teacher with a passion for literature and a temper when it comes to bullshit. Up until I met Tom Grau I had been taught to write using big words and long sentences to convey or rather convince my audience that i knew what I was talking about, and I turned in my first essay (demonstrating those ideals) to Tom Grau with a smile on my face. When I got it back however, i had no such smile. He murdered, my writing. Picking it apart from every little thing I did wrong to the big picture ideas I botched. After I got it back, I went up to him and asked him if the essay was really that bad. He went on to say how I "failed to produce a single good idea," which is harsh but he really opened my eyes to my own writing. All this time I had been praising my work for how smart the words sounded, without actually appreciating the ideas behind them. And it turns out those ideas were garbage. From then on i've placed a huge focus on what i'm saying first, rather than how i'm saying it.

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Junior year of high school I decided to take an advanced english class. We were sitting there ready to write the first paper of the semester, it was a 50 min five paragraph essay. When the time started ticking i went straight to work making sure every sentence was absolutely perfect. I finished the essay with the best introduction i've ever wrote... and nothing else.
This event really cemented the thought in my mind that as long as I get all my thoughts on the paper, my writing will not only be complete, but my voice began to show more as well.

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He was my father's best friend and a great guy. He died from a heart attack when him and my dad were playing a game of two on two. His departure was sudden and devastating. At this time in my life my young mind was beginning to grasp the concept of death. This experience in my life gave me a mindset that is always present, and never taken for granted. A mindset that allows me to appreciate all the little things even when the big picture seems dark. Because of Jordan I view all life as a blessing that can be taken away instantaneously and should be loved for the good and despite the bad.

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My grandma used to be a millionaire. So that was nice. When I was seven she flew us to Egypt based off the reason that we might not ever have an opportunity like that again. When we got there i really found that we put an emphasis on immersing ourselves in the culture. Not only the touristy stuff but things like walking the streets and just watching what was going on around us. How people are different how people are the same, the entire experience really opened my eyes on how intricate developed and yet simple the human race and the world is.

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My dad is a nurse. He has been for as long as I remember and I was probably around eight years old when he said how he uses Spanish in his job  everyday. Whether it be reassuring a patient that she is going to be alright or communicating what an IV is, my dad really demonstrated the importance of not only speaking another language but honestly just being able to communicate with people.