My mom. My mother is the strongest, kindest, most respectful woman that I have ever known. She is a big advocate of treating others the way you would like for them to treat you. She has always taught me to never judge a book by its cover and be kind to everyone. She continually stresses that nobody deserves anything less than kindness and respect, and my whole life, I have always considered that. Even since she was my age, self-respect and control have come naturally to her. When she would go to a party or gathering with her friends, she would not dare touch a bottle or go near any drugs; she always says, “You do not need to be drunk to have a good time; and trust me Mija, the party is a lot more fun when you can remember it the next day.” And she is the poster child for that. She was always the life of the party, and her friends never had any problem with her not drinking. I admire and respect her so much for handling situations like that with such grace. Even today, I, a 17-year-old high school girl, continue to exhibit the same qualities of control and respect for myself, situations, and others. Not only has her past behavior influenced my life choices and decisions, but her present words and ability to not only read me but the situations I am in have continued to impact me. My mother has arthritis, so she gets lots of flare-ups and joint pains in her hands and knees. Since I have been an athlete my whole life, I have learned a thing or two about giving and taking a massage. One day she had a bad flare-up, and I offered to give her hand a quick massage. While massaging her hand, she looked into my eyes and told me, “You would be great at this if you were to choose it as a profession.” Before that day, I always wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals, and it would have been my dream to help them. About a month after her saying that, I had decided to rethink my professional goals and decided that I wanted to pursue physical therapy. When I told her and my father, they looked at me with such joy and pleasure! However, I could tell that she had a great deal of pride and joy that it was her words that encouraged me to look more into that profession. At first, I was a bit scared to pursue a profession that involves actual people, meaning that sometimes it can be difficult for me to read a situation. With physical therapy, you need to read a patient’s body language and how they express their pain or discomfort. However, after years of experience as an elementary librarian, she has learned how to exhibit the qualities of reading people very well. With her guidance and teaching, I have grown and learned how to express those qualities. She actively tries to aid me in reading people, reading situations, and reading body language so that when the time comes that I can help people as a physical therapist, I’m able to exhibit those qualities easily. I would never be anywhere close to where I am, whether in school, life, religious pursuits, or relationships, without my mother. She is my rock; she tells it like it is, and she loves me above all things! She has never wanted anything less than the best for me, and I genuinely thank her for everything great that is in my life.