There are many different ways to describe what being a hero is.

I feel that these different

definitions come down to the characteristic of someone who is willing to take a risk to help

others with no thought of reward. Someone who I can say has done this for me, throughout

most of my life is my grandmother. As a kid she was like my best friend. I would always be so

excited to spend time with her and she practically raised me for half of my life. Me and my

grandma always had this special bond, in a lot of ways we were alike, which may have been the

reason I was named after her. My grandma taught me at a young age things that were right and

wrong. She always told me to do the right thing and that I would know when I was doing

something wrong, that there would be this feeling deep down telling me so. Whenever my

sisters would try to exclude me from things my grandma would be there to stick up for me.

When I would have a tough day she would take me out on a picnic to have me relax and forget

about things. This became a weekly routine. Since I would spend a lot of time with her when I

was little, I would observe the things she did. I noticed that she was not only a hero to me for

taking care of me because of my parents busy schedule, but also others around her. Everyday a

group of children would walk past my grandmas house as they walked home from school, she

would greet them and often give them things. She would share stories with them often

containing god. My grandmother was very religious and so she was pleased to know that they

liked to listen to these stories. She helped them learn the 10 commandments like she had done

with me and was happy when they recited them to her by memory. One day she saw how sad

the kids were being bullied about having worn down shoes. She spoke up for them and told the

children bullying them that it was not right to bully others. The next day she bought them new

shoes. Seeing this I learned to speak up for others with no expectation to receive. My grandma

was a hero to others that could not speak for themselves.

As I learned from her when I was little I saw that sticking up for people was the right thing to do

and her actions influenced my beliefs today. I feel strongly about speaking up for people and not

being a bystander. When I was little I was extremely shy. I would barely talk to people and had

my circle of close friends. Although I was shy, whenever I saw anyone pick on my friends I

would stand up for them and say something. I wouldn’t let anyone try to belittle me or my

friends. Many people in middle school didn’t like me due to the fact I would stick up for myself

when they would try to say something rude. To this day I will never let someone sit there and

talk down on me or my friends without saying something. I am the same way with family. My

sister has got into some bad situations over the years and even though I am the youngest, that

doesn’t stop me from having her back. A couple weeks ago my sister had gotten into

confrontation with a guy that resulted in him slapping her. As I stood there I was in complete

shock. My sister didn’t seem to know what to do and it didn’t take me long to move in front of

her and tell the guy off. How dare he lay a hand on my sister. I pushed him back and told him

that it was not okay for him to be hitting anyone let alone a girl, it just wasn’t right. I felt my

stomach turn with disgust. After the incident was over my sister thanked me for sticking up for

her and risking getting hit myself. I told her those who watch bad things happen and do nothing

as just as guilty as those who cause the harm. I believe in having a voice for people. I believe in

standing up.