An idol is somebody who you look up to, inspire to be, and an encouragement to be your best self. My personal idols are my entire family, but more specifically, my brother. My brother Jayden is 22 years old and we are 7 years apart. He has guided me through problems to make the right decisions. His success in college and sports reminded me that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. I was impacted by my brother for several reasons.

To start, my brother is a D1 athlete for the New Haven Chargers coming out of our school HHS. Watching my brother play and be successful shows me that I could too, and that the school you come from doesn’t matter; it’s the effort that you put in. I started my highschool experience at PCTI and my family told me it was for the better even though I was miserable there. One of the only people who supported my decision to transfer to HHS was my brother. He told me that as long as I get good grades and try my hardest I will be okay and that my experiences for the next 4 years do matter. This has taught me to not take things for granted and to try your hardest with the materials you have present. I’ve also learned from his own mistakes and experiences by how he went about handling them. Jayden and I are 7 years apart making our friendship stronger because it helps us see different points of view, making it a different understanding for both of us. He’s taught me the importance of respect and perseverance.