Personal Narrative : My Life Changer

Growing up with a father in the military, you move around a lot more than you would like to. I was born just east of St. Louis in a city called Shiloh in Illinois. When I was two years old my dad got the assignment to move to Hawaii. We spent seven great years in Hawaii, we had one of the greatest churches I have ever been to name New Hope. New Hope was a lot like Olivet's atmosphere, the people were always friendly and there always something to keep someone busy. I used to dance at church, I did hip-hop and interpretive dance, but you could never tell that from the way I look now.

When I was 13 years old, my parents started to think about moving to United States because my dad was already working here for a company. We started all the immigration related process which took a while to end. When I was 14, one day I came back from school and my parents told me we were moving to US in 2-3 months. When I heard it first, I was happy, but later I started thinking about how I will be leaving everything behind. My family, friends and neighbors whom I have been with since I was little, I will be leaving all of them in a few months. As the date approached closer, we started to pack more and more things. There was

I have been in the Marine Corps for roughly three and a half years and throughout that time I have done many things. Most of the things that I have done were with Combat Logistics Battalion 26. For three years, I worked with that unit through work ups and a deployment and I have seen and done many unique things. However, nothing I did with CLB 26 felt fulfilling, but that all changed when I changed units to CLB 8.

I would say distraction was one of the challenges I had to overcome to get where I am today. My friends, relationships, staying up late, watching television or doing something else rather than doing my work, would always back track me even if I thought “I’ll be okay” and just catch back up; it’s not that easy. I use to focus so much on other people in my life, I’d forget about myself and what’s best for me. When I was in the middle school, I would get so distracted by my cell phone, my mom would have a restriction on it so that I couldn’t send or receive text within school hours. Nevertheless, I didn’t understand, but now I see where it could hurt my grades.

Before I was born, my parents went to Bryce Canyon on a vacation. They decided that they really liked the name Bryce. And so, on September 3rd, 2002, Ryan and I were born in the Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. My parents had only wanted three kids, but they ended up with five. First, they had one kid, my sister Sierra, who is now 17 years old, and almost 18. Then my parents wanted another kid, and ended up with twins, my brother Nate and my other sister Autumn. My mom and dad decided that they could handle one more kid, but they got another set of twins, my brother Ryan and me. And so, Sierra, Autumn, Nate, Ryan, and I made up the 5 chaotic kids in the Brown family. My parents named me after Bryce

Addie and I stood in the entrance of the cafe as the rain dripped down the overhang and down the brown and red sign that read Addie’s Cafe. It seemed like it was one of those normal rainy days in Wyoming but it wasn’t. Addie’s my aunt, she took me in when my mother couldn’t and she’s amazingly generous, so you’d think over the few years everything got better, and so did I but it seemed things were only getting worse.

Veterans are people who were willing to make a difference when no one else could or would. They left their families and set everything aside to serve their country despite an immense amount of difficulty and pain. Not only did veterans selflessly offer their service, but they also went through unspeakable experiences that permanently shaped them as a person. My aunt, Darrean Ziemski, is one of these veterans who sacrificed so much when she felt like she had so little. Always a strong role model to me, she has inspired me throughout my life. I have heard her story about her service in the Army before, but it never grows old because her sacrifice is timeless.

The way I am today directly reflects the way in which I was raised. The teachings of being smart with money, always using your manners, and always doing the right thing have helped to build my character as I have grown up. The community I lived in was very enjoyable where everyone was respected and friendly toward each other. The implemented rules and things we did as a family have stuck with me and helped shape the way I am today.

Hi Ms. Reese, You probably don’t remember me and to be completely honest, I couldn’t care less if you did. But it’s me, Jasmine. You had me as a student when I was in 5th grade at Whittier Elementary. I know, you’re probably wondering, Why on earth are you private messaging me?

I drove my father to a Vietnamese auto-repair shop to ask for an estimate on his car repairs. The response was not one we expected and my dad didn’t have enough for the car replacements. “Dad, I’ve some savings from years back if you need it.” Despite my offer, my dad couldn't cover the rest of the cost and was forced to sell his car instead.

Change is inevitable and constant, even if we believe that at this moment we are finally the person we will be for the rest of our lives. As we embarked on this journey a few short months ago, how could we possibly know the changes that would occur in our everyday reasoning and thinking? These changes are not just isolated to the last few months; I personally have seen an unexpected growth in myself over the past couple of years. These changes are more evident in the capacities covered in this self-evaluation.

Growing up, I was a timid kid who was not very fond of change and trying new things in life. During elementary school, I was with my parents at their restaurant all the time because they did not like the idea of me being home alone, or with a babysitter. Constantly hiding behind my parents in front of customers at the restaurant, I hardly talked with people outside of school and my home. When I started sixth grade, a family friend came over to the restaurant one day, and told me that I should practice Taekwondo under his instruction in his dojo. I was reluctant at first, but my parents highly encouraged me that I should try it because they did not want me being at the restaurant all the time since I was a kid. Thinking it over, I saw that there was no harm in trying something new with someone I was familiar with. Within a week, I agreed and started going to the classes in hopes that it would

The sounds of sixteen children screaming and laughing. Paper money flying, the teacher making no effort to stop the commotion. Everyone smiling having a great time. Many teachers go by curriculum, but only a few take the curriculum to new places. Although some teachers have strict rules, my third grade teacher, Mrs. Rifenbark, was fun and creative, and she taught be many things that I would use for school years to come.

My childhood home was a gorgeous two story Victorian in the small rural town of LeRoy, Illinois. The 100 year old house had an empty basement cellar and an attic that over time had become home to a family of squirrels each winter. In its early days, the building was split up into two separate apartments. When the back half of the house caught fire in the 1970’s, the building was renovated and made into one home. The yard was vast and cavernous, surrounded by trees that swayed in the wind like a dancer gliding across a stage. A number of these trees were excellent for climbing as a kid. Two sets of french doors led to the family room from the deck where light seeped into the house and through the windows. In the dining room stood

Turning the page and trying to be better each day can be a challenge. At times trying to make such transformations were difficult. As an only child, I did not have brothers and sisters to turn to so quickly for help. I relied on myself and sometimes that was not the best thing for me to do. Surrounding myself with people to help me was the first thing that I did. I watched other peers throughout my last years of high school like class representatives, teachers, counselors and their staff. Although I did receive some help from my parents, the majority of ideas that I began to input into my head came from others such as my peers. I felt like I could relate better with people who were my own age and held certain positions, whether it was