Not just a sister

     "Without going through this hardship in my life, it wouldn't have pushed me to work as diligently in school. It made me realize how important my future is and that it is going to require dedication and plenty of struggles to get where I want to be in the future," said Courtney. Three years ago my older sister had a major problem in her life. She had just graduated from Arcadia University, and was happy to be moving on into a new chapter in her life which was graduate school. The only issue was that she had not been accepted into one yet. She patiently waited for several weeks, anticipating an acceptance letter. Eventually the letters began to roll in, however none of them had accepted her, the only option was one school where she had been waitlisted at. As the summer grew closer to the end, she still did not hear anything yet. She panicked and started to fret on what she would do, and if she had to wait another year before going to school again. Our whole family was very anxious and didn't know how to help relieve the stress that she was having during this unforeseen time. One day when I was up in my room scrolling through my phone, and I suddenly heard Courtney and my parents screaming downstairs. I sprung up from my bed and ran down the stairs to see what all the commotion was about, as I turned the corner I saw the three embracing and laughing together. Without even asking, I knew. Courtney smiled and ran over to me with her dark hair flowing behind her to give me biggest hug ever. I looked into her wide hazel eyes and saw so much happiness and relief. After we all celebrated this great news, my family and I took a deep breath as if we were the ones it happened to, and we could all finally relax together. "I remember feeling so happy with the news but also stressed because I found out I was accepted into the program just two weeks before the start of classes," Courtney told me. Now after this obstacle in her life, she is graduating with her doctorate in the upcoming spring from Drexel University. This was one of the most discouraging moments in her life, but it has motivated her to keep working towards her goals no matter what. "This taught me that everything happens for a reason and that this was just the way that my life decided to go. However, I wouldn't change it for the world," expressed Courtney. 

    

This was taken when she graduated from Arcadia University in 2019.
    

     She is very selfless and constantly put others needs before her own 24/7. Whenever she sees anyone struggling, she would immediately step in. For example at church, she would stand by the door and open it for the elderly people that are confined to a wheelchair, walker, or even just have trouble walking. She would do this every Sunday for the first 30 minutes when people would just begin to arrive for the service. This is such a small act of kindness, but they are always so grateful and it would put such a big smile on their faces. Whenever she left for college I took it upon myself to follow her actions and to do the small little things that help people to have a better and easier day not only in church, but in everyday life. She has so many admirable qualities that I strived to obtain one day. She is hardworking, optimistic, and always looking for an adventure. 

    




    Throughout Courtney's college experience, she has had the privilege's of traveling to India in 2016 and to Peru in 2018. "Traveling abroad exposed me to different types of food, cultures, and languages. I'm so grateful to those experiences because that have helped me as a Healthcare worker to empathize with patients with different backgrounds and experiences from my own. I highly recommend college students to take advantage of opportunities like this to help get a better understanding of the world around them." After coming back home, she expressed how she saw so much poverty and how we should be grateful for the way we are living our lives. She taught me to look at the bright side of bad situations because there are people out there who don't have the same opportunities that we do. Every time I catch myself complaining about something minimal, I remember this conversation and immediately stop myself, and look at the positive side instead.   

     
This picture was taken at Rainbow Mountain on her trip to Peru in 2018. 
                                            
                                           
    Courtney is about 6 years older than me so she was always by my side growing up and we were basically attached at the hip. Courtney and I have a very close relationship, and she is constantly there if I ever need anyone to talk to. She has always been someone that I have looked up to my whole life. Courtney has a very special talent of knowing how to light up a room either with her loud and contagious laughter or her very weird sense of humor that can make anyone crack a smile even on their worst days. She was one of the my main role models throughout my life growing up and now still until this day. I couldn't imagine life without her, she motivates me to become the best version of myself, to never give up on my goals and to always treat others with kindness. 
                    
                    


Comments

  1. FaithSeptember 8, 2021 at 8:37 AM

    I think the anecdote is well written but you could include some dialogue. With the dialogue it would show more about how Courtney felt and said when she got accepted into the program and you could include a little conversation with Courtney and you about how she was feeling when she got denied and waitlisted.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2021 at 8:26 AM

    I could definitely understand the significance of your sister to you. But maybe try and start out with an anecdote in the beginning to catch the readers attention. Try and show your sister more then explain her. Ex:"She has expressed to me that going through that process has made her realize how serious her future is and that she would have to put in a lot of time and effort to be successful in her upcoming career. Id say something like, "Since going through that long process, shes inspired me to work hard and be determined to accomplish my dreams and be successful". More dialogue would be good to but overall it was really nice.

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