A person that has had a lasting and significant influence on my life would have to be my mother, who is a loving and caring woman. She has invested countless hours into my studies, and my life when instead she could have enjoyed some free time. The dedication that it has taken her over the years has driven me to become the man I am today. Without my mother’s love and dedication, I would never have chosen to do so many APs; my aspirations in life would be drastically lower. Not only is she my mom, but she is also my provider. She is the very reason why I can study at a school like ICS. 

Throughout my school career, I’ve never been a studious child. Instead of studies, I would secretly hide in my room playing my Nintendo or my phone. I would avoid studying at all costs. It was my mom who pushed me to try my hardest through discipline, and love. Through taking my devices, she would stop me from playing games. However, she also praised me whenever I did something good, or finished my homework and received a good grade. She used a mix of positive and negative reinforcement which drove me to study harder whilst maintaining a healthy relationship with her.

However, her influence on me stretches beyond her being physically present. Years of conditioning and discipline has had a larger impact on me than I could ever have thought. I find myself working harder even though she isn’t physically there to monitor my every move. I know that she will be home to look through my homework, and my grades, and I work harder because of it. When I’m home alone, I would receive frequent phone calls from her asking about my work. Although sometimes I am not doing my work, she understands this. What she would do is set certain standards, and ask me to do a set of homework by the time she got home, or else I would face the consequences. More often than not this would scare me straight, and I would find myself completing that homework before returning to video games.

All in all, my mother’s influence in my life is immeasurable. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be able to study well, I wouldn’t be able to pass any of my classes, and I wouldn’t have many contributions to society.

Reflection:

When I was writing this essay, I was sitting at home, thinking about who to write about. So I first started brainstorming, as seen in my rough draft, I wrote my Mom, and my dad. To be honest, they were the only ones I could think up because they were the only ones in the room. I wrote about all that they did for me, and in the end, I decided to write about my mother. Just because she has had such an immense impact on my life, and she has contributed so much to my education. I had to write about her to be grateful towards her. Enjoy reading!