One person I really look up to and am influenced a lot by is my older brother Jake.

He

and I are pretty much twins, as people like to tell us, because we look alike, talk alike, and act

alike. This is only because he is my best friend and he teaches me things I may not know. He is

just a major part of my life and I just always need to try to be one step better than him, but it

never goes my way. Growing up with him was very competitive because we would always fight

over things, and we would always try to get each other into trouble. But now as I am older, I

realize that everytime we fight I’m able to fight back for myself. Those are memories I will

always remember.

I mean throughout high school, he just was telling the do’s and don'ts, because he was a

senior when I was a freshman so he knew everything about high school. So I was really

prepared for a change as soon as I got to school that first day of freshman year. I mean he was

just a mentor for me, I was able to visualize everything he did and didn’t do in school, on the

baseball field, at home. He just has so much energy and is very social, the kid can talk for hours.

I think he just wants to be the best at what he does, for everything. It’s just that competitiveness

in him that makes him stand out, because I have the same competitiveness. Everytime we go out

to eat with my dad, he just always talking and having a good time, so it makes me happy for him.

And I love all my siblings the same, but me and him just have this brotherly bond that can’t be

broken.

I believe my brother has prepared me for future just a bit, because he always tells me to

stand out and to not give in. I think he just wants me to be able to handle myself when I’m older,

knowing that he won’t be there just in case something bad happens. The moments and things he
taught me will never be forgotten, ​ ​I know that now in life times are going to be hard so I need to

man up and get things done, because that’s something he would tell me.