What must one consist of to be considered a “good” person? Is it the way they treat those who surround them or is it what they do when no one is watching? A variety of factors determine the answers to these questions, but the best way to put it is through an example, a real life being. Elena Gilbert is the epitome of a twenty-first century role model- her natural beauty, undying compassion, and understanding make her one. Standing at five feet and six inches this nineteen year old has a thing or two everyone could learn from.

She doesn’t quite light up the room when she enters, instead she warms it. Her long chocolate colored hair is perfectly parted down the middle of her head, matching the impeccable symmetry to her face, that only then flows like silk all the way to her chest. This young woman’s frame is the healthy balance of slim, yet is still filled out in all the right places. Elena’s eyes could remind someone of earth: pure and untouched soil that glistens when placed in the sunlight. Her smile makes you smile. Her laugh makes you laugh. Her presence is simply so inviting it would be impossible to see her and not befriend the girl.

Elena’s optimistic attitude becomes contagious in a crowd, it’s unstoppable. She makes you want to be a better person. Don’t be fooled, she has experienced more grief and loss than a dozen of people combined, only it’s concealed underneath the cheerfulness in her voice. That’s what so admirable about her, the way she gets out of bed in the morning is more of an accomplishment that most people will ever know. If a friend is upset she may not always know how to comfort them, what she does know is sometimes words aren’t needed and simply sitting with the friend in silence is all that’s needed, because now they will be sitting in silence together. Her compassion is a gift it is something that will follow her so long as she walks the earth.

As a seventeen year old orphan, this worn down girl was self sacrificing to the point where it’s almost suicidal. Her first instinct is to keep her loved ones’ safe and happy even if it means endangering herself, because that’s just what she does, and she does it without question. She never allowed her mishaps to crumble her into pieces, she feeds on growth and knowledge. Her resilience is a characteristic that is seldom in the modern era, everyone seems depressed, everyone has anxiety, everyone has issues, only she is the one that learns from them.

Generally, one would trust to leave their children with Elena in a heartbeat. Her warmth, compassion, and kindness is what makes her so special and sets her apart from the majority of the population. Unfortunately she sees the good in people, this then leads to unlawful trust and eventually her own self destruction. The abandonment issues she’s had thrown at her face at eighty miles per hour is the reason why she’s so welcoming to others, it’s her duty to make no one feel the way she has in the past.