My Influence

There are times when we come to a fork on the road and do not know where to go. It is at these times when one’s true colors shine through. But the right path cannot be chosen without help by a certain person, somebody who will be there for you unconditionally. My uncle Edgar happened to be that person for me.
During Middle School, I was not the best of students. I had low grades, a poor attendance record, multiple referrals, and spent most of my time in detention. My parents were divorced so I lived with my mother, aunt, and two cousins. One day, my mom caught me ditching for the third time; that was the last straw. Hoping to give me a better future, she transferred me to a different middle school away from all the “bad” influence. Once there, I was planning to be the same kid, I really did not care much about anything. About a week later, I went to go visit my grandparents and my uncle happened to be there. He offered to take me out to eat and I was starving so I happily accepted. We went to Taco Bell and he asked me how school was going. Being the careless kid I was, I laughed at the subject. To my surprise, his face turned red with anger and he took me outside. Once he had calmed down, he started talking to me as if he were a counselor. He asked me how I was planning to be successful if I did not care about my education and all I said was, “Do not worry; it will all fall into place eventually. You did not go to college and you are doing fine.” This time, he was the one to laugh. He told me that even though he was doing fine it was not because he was lazy like I was and he started talking about how he got to where he was. When he was around 20, he was banned from playing professional soccer because he used a fake social security number and birth certificate. Because he had planned to dedicate his life to professional soccer, he did not go to college or have a back up plan. He and his wife started driving around Texas and New Mexico getting jobs, then getting fired. He had no home, he lived in his car and in any cheap motel he could find. After about 5 years of living this way, he met a medical coder. He became interested in that career and became an apprentice to his friend. He learned it quick and eventually ended up knowing more than his friend. He began a career at a hospital and has now become one of the best coders in the U.S. After that speech, I realized how important education was. My uncle had no education and was successful, but struggled for years to get to where he is. With school, I could skip all those struggles and be successful. All I have to do is try hard, never give up, and find something I actually enjoy doing, THEN everything will fall into place.
Before that talk with my uncle, I considered my life a big joke. I could not take anything seriously and thought I did not have to put much effort into anything. Talking to him was my epiphany; I learned everything I had thought was wrong. Now, I try as hard as I can in school and give 110% in everything I do. My uncle was luckily there to guide me down the right path; he did not have to Guide and counsel me, but he cared enough about me. He is why I am where I am today, doing well in school and planning for a successful career is astrophysics.

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