The dream version of my future self is a confident, ambitious, determined, and kind person who is always willing to do the right thing even when it is not easy.

On May 30th, 2017, my world stopped. My grandfather, who was my best friend, confident, and source of laughter and fun, passed away. It all happened so quickly. One day he was healthy, and the next he was in the hospital and given two options- a feeding tube for the rest of his life, or hospice care. He chose hospice. At 87 years old, I understood wanting to pass away at peace, and not wanting to live out the rest of his days having a poor quality of life. My grandpa was an incredibly inspiring man. He attended the University of Delaware in hopes of becoming an accountant. However, tragically his father passed away right when he graduated, which meant his family's dry cleaning business needed someone to take it over. As the oldest, he selflessly decided to put aside his dreams and take over the business. He ended up running the dry cleaning store until his retirement, and I heard many stories about just how great he was at his job, and how great of a father he was to my mom. He never had it easy- he grew up without a lot of money, was the first in his family to attend college, and had to deal with immense loss himself. My grandmother passed away of breast cancer before I was born after a difficult fight- all at my grandfather's side. My grandpa showed me how to be strong even through hard things. Before his death, he survived prostate cancer, open heart surgery, multiple heart attacks, a stroke, and falls. Seeing him time and time again beat the odds of survival inspired me to keep going. It has taught me to never give up, even in seemingly impossible situations. Currently, I am going into my sophomore year of college. And, it makes me happy to announce that I am following in his footsteps and attending the University of Delaware. Whenever I step foot on campus, I like to imagine my grandfather walking the same paths as me, attending classes in the same lecture halls, and studying in the same library. Whenever I am at school, I feel like I still have a piece of him with me. Choosing to persevere and finish High School, and now attend college was not easy without him. There were many milestones I experienced (and still experience) that I wish he could have been there for. Graduating with honors, college acceptances, making the dean's list, holding executive board positions in clubs, and making the Varsity tennis team. However, what makes me continue to push forward in my academic career is inspired by him completely. I continue my education because I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to do so when he did not. Although he received a college education, he was not able to pursue his dreams in his career. I am a fashion merchandising and management major, and I dream of having a job in styling, public relations, or marketing after I graduate. I want to complete my education, pursue my dreams, and make him proud, wherever he is.