Can a car be considered family? In the case of my 25 year old 4 Runner, I believe it can be. The 4 Runner has been in my family for 18 years. It has gone through so many hardships, but is still standing to this day. Never did I think a car would inspire me, but it has. I just recently took its reins from my dad after getting my license two years ago. As soon as I started driving it, I just had one thought: How is this thing still running? It has 385,000 miles on it. The car takes ten minutes to heat up every morning before I go to school. Smoke leaks out of the hood as the engine runs, which probably confuses lots of people on the road. It is rusty, it has holes, and the trunk doesn’t open. The doors do not lock, and it does not have air conditioning. The car can not even drive on the highway. Yet, it still runs almost per-fectly. My dad and I recently got an emission test for the car. We went in and the employee was shocked to hear the amount of miles it had. The 4 Runner somehow passed the test, which sur-prised us all. My dad must have worked really hard to maintain it so I could use it one day. Every mark on my 4 Runner tells a story. Something that I have realized about my car is that we are similar in many ways. I have found that some traits that my 4 Runner has also applied to me. Two traits came to mind: per-severance and reliability. My car has been through a lot; every time I think it’s going to break down, the engine comes back to life. I believe that I, like my car, show this perseverance in my life. For the past 4 years of high school, I have taken the highest classes I can. This choice cre-ated a lot of stress in maintaining my grades and paying attention in class, but no matter how difficult, I always seemed to push through. Another trait that the 4 Runner has that I can relate to is reliability. My car has helped me and my family more than someone can imagine. It’s helped me be able to attend my school, St. Rita of Cascia, since it is far from my home. My car has gotten my family through many pinches, such as when my siblings and I have multiple practices on the same day. I feel that I, like the 4 Runner, am reliable because I strive to be someone that my friends and family can rely on. For example, I always drive my friend home from school every day since his mom can not. I coach my brother’s basketball team. I know that the team relies on me to be timely, to give good advice and encouragement, and to serve as a positive role model for them as they become better players. The 4 Runner is probably one of the biggest blessings in my family’s life. These two traits of the 4 Runner are very important, as I also try to exemplify them in my life.

Leaders come in many forms. Some command the room and show large gestures. Others perform small acts, and lead by example. As I have gotten older, I have found myself in the second group. The first “dream” I had as a kid was to become a pro sports player. I played Gaelic football, baseball, and at one point was on 4 different basketball teams in one season. I spent countless hours studying the game and learning strategy to become a leader on the court. I worked hard to get to the point of playing in high school my freshman and sophomore year. But as I grew in high school, I discovered my responsibility to myself and the people around me went beyond basketball. I didn’t like being out in front on display. I wanted to excel in my honors and AP classes. I wanted to have time to continue to be present at my American Legion, where I am a SON member. And I had to be there to help my four younger siblings with homework and rides. I learned that being a leader doesn’t have to be out loud, on display for the world. I have worked very hard throughout high school and middle school to maintain high grades. I have achieved honor roll or high honor roll every trimester since 6th grade. I have also participated in the scholastic bowl team and served in the student council in my school. Outside of school, I am a member of the Sons of the American Legion and volunteer regularly at the American Legion, including bussing weekly Legion's Fish Fry during Lent. I have also been a volunteer for the Lion’s Club, Park District and Boy Scouts as Cub Den Leader of my brother’s troop. Volunteering has helped me realize the importance of the commitment of the volunteers who work to make our community a better place. For example, when I was little, I always thought that my basketball coaches got paid. It took me several years of participating in many different baseball and basketball programs to realize that they were volunteering their time and effort for me and other kids like me. This stuck with me and inspired a hope that I could someday give back in the same way all of these coaches (and my dad!) did for me. This year I am the assistant coach of my younger brother’s basketball team. It has helped me grow as a person and motivates me to be a strong leader and a positive role model for the team. Being a leader has become somewhat of a second nature to me. Leadership has always been something that I have valued and tried to exemplify. I like to be a role model for others, especially my younger brother. Being involved with lots of his activities, such as his basketball team and scout troop has given me a chance to share my knowledge and be a teacher and mentor to my brother and his peers. With these activities, I’ve become accustomed to being a leader. I hope that as I go through my years in college, I will find new ways to grow as a leader and a person.

A significant experience in my life that shaped who I am today is when I went on a scout camping trip to Philmont. The Philmont Ranch is in New Mexico, and it took us 18 hours on a train to get there. It was a backpacking trip, so we had to carry bags that weighed at least 60 pounds. We had to carry our food, tents, gear and sleeping bags through the mountains as we stopped at each campsite. We ran into a few problems during the weeklong trip. Our scout leader injured her leg right before we left so it was rough for her to walk the trails. She had been waiting for her troop to be chosen for Philmont for 10 years, so staying home wasn't an option. She needed assistance, and we were determined to help her. But it kind of made the trip very slow moving, and we weren't able to make it in time to do all our planned activities or complete the most famous hike. We talked about splitting so the group who were physically able could do the hike, but it did not feel right leaving the others behind. Another hardship we encountered was hiking through a huge hailstorm. It started hailing ice the size of baseballs about halfway to our next campsite. The temperature dropped dramatically, and while we were prepared for different weather scenarios, another leader had difficulties and got hypothermia and struggled with blood-sugar issues. We had to walk about 3 miles just to get to shelter and then convince them to let us stay and treat his hypothermia. To be honest, it was one of the scariest things to happen to me in my life. I couldn’t even see where I was walking. But I still did it and I was proud of myself. Quitting wasn't an option, and the troop needed me and other experienced scouts to stay level-headed. I think that the trip really changed me for the better. It really taught me about perseverance. When I look back at the texts I sent my parents, I laugh at my comments like “Everyone’s wet and freezing, and there are landslides everywhere” and “Dad’s a Marine, I got to shape up, lol”. And that’s how I like to live my life today. Even after all these events, I still had a great time. Life throws a lot of curveballs and the only way to get through it is to take it head on. Any problems I come across, I like to push forward, just like I did through the Philmont trip.