As I thought about who had had the greatest impact on my life, I began to think of everyone who had been involved in my academic and athletic careers. I realized that I was looking in the wrong part of my life. These people have passed through my life, yet the person who had the most impact was one who affected me everyday. My mother, by far, has had the greatest impact on my life. Her heart and determination are something that I can only hope to have myself one day. I have watched her struggle with running a household while trying to balance returning to college full-time and working a part-time job. I did not realize as a young child what courage it took to take on this workload. Now, as I enter the college scene directly from high school, I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to juggle the everyday work of being a full-time mother as well as the workload of college. She never hesitated to drop everything to rush my brother and me to dance, soccer, riding, or karate. I could always look up from the sidelines of a game to see her cheering me on, while she held an armload of books and tried to occupy my brother.

My mother has shown me that with determination and perservance one can accomplish anything. As the years passed, she could be found studying for a test while sewing the sequins on my dance recital costume. She finally graduated four years later, summa cum lauda from Keene State.

Now she was faced with the task of finding a job, which proved to be even more difficult than receiving her degree. When she finally landed a job about a half hour away, never did she complain about the ride or the terrors she encountered in the classroom. She worked hard every day to provide her classroom of children the best education possible.

I have seen my mother give up as she struggled to further her education, raise a family, and find a job. She has always supported me in all my choices. She strived to make my brother and me strong people with independent minds. I look to her in hopes that someday I will be as happy, as strong, and as well-spoken as her. She has taught me the most important thing in life - never give up on your dreams. I thank her dearly for helping me become who I am today. I would have never made it as far as I have without her help.-