Although most people choose one person who has had an impact in their lives, I thought it
would be most appropriate in my case if I picked two, my Granddad and my Grandmother.
You cannot have one without the other because they depend on each other and work
together to be as giving and unselfish as they can be. They are parents of eleven kids,
which could have gotten very chaotic, especially at the rudimentary states of my
grandparent's lives, but my grandparents always seemed to have the time for every one of
them. They made sure that each and every one of their children had their homework
completed, were fed sufficiently, and were driven to their extracurricular activities. Instead
of buying themselves nice things such as new cars, a big house, going on vacations, or
going out to fancy dinners, they decided it was most important if they used their money to
make sure that their kids were going to very good schools and universities.
Alongside taking care of their children, my grandparents taught them about moral
obligation and responsibility. To this day, my dad and all my aunts and uncles show a great
amount of responsibility and morality towards themselves, their children, and their
community. My grandfather’s big lesson towards their children was hard work. He told all of
them that if you work hard, and you are responsible with good moral judgment, you will
prosper.
Nono did her best to teach her kids to be giving to others and spend as much time as
you can to help them. She instilled the importance of giving back to the community. She
was and still is very involved in many charities and has served on numerous boards. My
grandparents have done many good deeds in their lifetimes, but neither one of them ever
expected anything in return. For example, my Granddad’s biggest dream in the whole world
was to own a Mercedes, since he had never owned anything other than clunkers. One day,
right when he thought he had enough money to buy the new car, the bill for the last year of
my youngest uncle’s college tuition came in the mail. Without hesitation, my Granddad paid
the bill and never bought his new car for many years later. In the end, my grandparents
accomplished an amazing achievement. They managed to send every single one of their
eleven children to outstanding universities such as Vanderbilt, Boston College, Notre
Dame, University of Southern California, Duke, Georgetown, and others, and taught them
to be very moral, responsible, and giving individuals. All my aunts and uncles, and my own
father, all have great families and are teaching all of my thirty-two cousins and I the same
traits as my grandparents did to us.
What I learned from my grandparents has become an important part in my life. I strive to
be more tolerable and giving towards others. I volunteer my time by putting together old
computers to give to the poor who could not afford to purchase a computer otherwise. It
was not easy work, I had to be very careful placing the right components in the correct
computers and sort out many print cartridges to the matching printer. My responsibility at
the moment is to make sure that I work hard and that I do the best that I can whether it is in
school or tennis or guitar or in any other area in my life. I am grateful that my grandparents
have played a major role in my life and have influenced me into becoming a giving,
responsible, and hardworking person.