Nelson Mandela In my opinion, Nelson Mandela is a role model.

He is appreciated by his strenght and the desire to win the fight against racism, but not many appreciated what he wanted to do. He was a man of great personal honor, strength, and integrity, but he was always fighting for something greater than himself, and that was the freedom of an entire nation. It is painful to imagine that this man, who radiates so much love could have spent so much of his life in prison. Mandela is my hero because he triumphed over injustice, and not in a small way. Almost unimaginable just a few years before, Nelson Mandela became the first democratically-elected president of South Africa in 1994 and served in that position for five years. More than anyone in the world, Mandela embodies the hopes and dreams of a true, lasting justice and equality, not just for South Africans but for all people. Nelson Mandela has always inspired me to think beyond myself, to think of people in the wider world as part of a common humanity.