Finalist: “Brother” by Dex Brooks
Dex Brooks of The St. Thomas More School (CT)
I have gone through many good and bad changes in my life. The most impactful change that I've had to go through is my little brother being born.
Once he was born, it changed my behavior and my perception of the future. I wanted to be the best role model I could for him, so him being born pushed me to change. In this essay I am going to be explaining how my little brother motivated me to become who I am today. I grew up an only child for the majority of my life, which means that I was mostly concerned for just myself. I didn't have to worry about anyone else besides me. Once my brother was born, it changed my views. I was no longer watching out for just myself, but now I was forced to become a role model for him, and it was my decision whether I became a good or bad one.
Personally I wanted to become someone he could look up to in the future. Him being born made me mature and actually care about my future. I wanted to become successful so my little brother had someone he can try and reach when he grows up. No one knows what they will be doing when they grow up, but what I do know is that I can put myself in a position to one day be successful. I want to set the bar extremely high for my brother, so he has something to work towards in his life. Another thing that changed after he was born was my perception of school.
Growing up I didn't really care much about it. I always did my work, but I never tried hard to get good grades. After my brother was born though, I took school more seriously. As a kid, school is one of your biggest responsibilities. Whether you do good or not in school can absolutely impact your future. I wanted to try my hardest in school so one day I can get into a good college and have a successful career. I also want my brother to try his hardest in school too, so I know if I don't try now, he won't try when he gets older either. Also, if you don't take school seriously, then how will you handle all of your other responsibilities in life. I know if I push myself to get good grades, it will let my brother know that it is possible.
Lastly, my brother being born also humbled me. Before he was born I was an only child, which means I really only cared for myself. I did things that only benefited me. I was living like this was my world, but he showed me that this wasn't true. He showed me that there are people in life that I have to care for other than myself. I was living my life for me, but now I'm pushing myself for him. He is my motivation in life to keep pushing forward. I want my brother to be happy, so now every move I make is to help ensure that it happens. I know that I cannot decide if I am a role model or not, so I want to be the best role model for him as possible. My little brother changed me and didn't even know it. Him being born changed me for the better. He helped me focus on what is really important in life. He was and is the biggest motivation in my life. He pushes me to be the best person that I can be, for him and myself.