College Essay

October 19, 2011

CA IV

College Essay

When people look at me they think, "Hmm, his strongest trait would probably be how nice or athletic he is". Now I am asking myself the question, what is my strongest trait? When I look back at my life and the challenges that I have been through, I would have to say it is the will to never give up and striving for the best. I have been faced with the normal obstacles in life but I have also faced some challenges.

I think back to my early life and I would say my first obstacle to overcome was my parents getting a divorce when I was five. My challenge through this experience was to stay strong for my little sister who was just 8 months old! I also had to stick by my dad and help him get through it. I realized that my parents were going through a rough time, but what I didn't realize was how bad it had gotten. I strived to make the days after the divorce easier for my dad, which I think I have accomplished.

I would I have to say that the person who has influenced my character is my father. He has gone through a lot in his life from his brothers and sisters dying at a young age to being deployed several times in within the Navy. When I think about how strong I am when it comes to never giving up and shooting for the highest goal it comes nowhere close to what my dad has done, what he is doing now, and what he will accomplish in the years to come.

Now that I am graduating the ways, for me to strive for the best and never give up has changed. During my junior year I never gave up, I was told that I would never make it to graduation, but I haven't let those comments get to me and I am striving to earn my diploma. Besides my school work, when I am at work at the local fire station I know there is no giving up there. I do volunteer service for the Cooper County Fire Department and if I had a give up attitude, I would either hurt myself, my other fire fighters or victims that we are rescuing. The fire fighters at the station I work at all depend on each other to do their job to protect and save, if someone had a give up attitude, they would be a hazard to the department.

My life so far proves that my strongest and most determined trait is the will to never give up and to strive for the best. I owe all the credit for this trait to my dad. I would like to show him that I have learned through his example. My goal is to make a living out of firefighting I would also like to show him how accomplished I can become by following his example.