When I was little I was surrounded by positive supportive people, and I still am. Everyone was always willing to help me and be there for me. I did well in school, and I easily found hobbies and sports that I was passionate about. I had friends that I grew up with and had known since I was very young and new ones that I love just as much. Every day went the same way, I would attend school, go to practice for whatever sport I was playing, then come home and study.

But, there was someone that I grew up with, that ever since I was born we were inseparable. They were one of the only ones who could get me to stop crying when I was a baby and someone that shaped who I was from a young age. Our personalities are so similar that even my grandmother calls us each other's names. She played a huge role in shaping my personality, and it's very apparent to everyone in my family.

When I was little she would take me to the park to hang out, and now we like to take long car rides listening to loud music while running errands before she has to go back home. She changed my life in the best way possible by showing me music she and my mom used to listen to and letting me meet her friends that I absolutely adore.

I wouldn’t be who I am without her. Well, I wouldn’t be the person who I am without a lot of people but over and over again she was the one who I always adored. The way I always try my best to be outgoing and positive towards others and the way I joke around is from her and it’s the little things that stand out the most. Like, when she teaches me how to take care of my nails and hair for example.

She is the reason I want to go to medical school to become a dermatologist. Skin care has always been a struggle for me. Finding things that don’t upset my skin was never fun. I want to go to school to learn more about it. To help others with it as well.

All of our memories together have made me who I am today.

© Kiley. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.