I’m a nerd, through and through, always have been. My family, friends, classmates, even my teachers, we all know it, and it is how I stand out. Even in my family, I stand out as the geeky one, which my family often has a good laugh about with me.
When I started Chemistry in 10th grade, I found that my teacher, Dr. A, seemed to understand and even embrace my nerdy ways and sense of humor more than any other teacher, and in some ways, even more than my family. As the year progressed we talked some after class and he began to mentor me in different things. It started out as chemistry help, and branched into math, English, and eventually into help with life in general. In the hardest of times, whether they are due to school work or problems in outside life, things I have learned from Dr. A; the ability to take things in stride and not allow things to affect me, the ability to analyze situations from more than just my perspective, and even the ability to accept things that I don’t necessarily understand (which has always been difficult for me). All of these things I have learned from him have eased my minor struggles throughout my career in his classes. Dr. A inspires me in another way, other than my interactions with him. Through his battle with stomach cancer, starting in the summer of 2008, nobody at school was even aware of this because through everything and the extreme hardship of the surgeries and the chemo, he still maintained his enlightening and inspiring attitude. This brings a whole new level to his influence on me because it made me realize two things: First, life could get so much harder through something like cancer, so I should really appreciate what I have instead of taking it for granted, and secondly, that through his immense pain, my mentor still maintained his warm hearted attitude toward everyone, which showed immense strength in the face of something so terrifying. This episode in Dr. A’s life, as it has changed his, has changed mine as well by showing me the kind of person I truly want to be. As junior year began, I started taking another of his classes, Advanced Computer Programming, which not only fit my interests, but also allowed me to continue working under Dr. A, who by this time had truly become a mentor figure to me. I enjoyed the class because it was right up my alley, so to speak. This year, I am taking my third and fourth class under my mentor, AP Chemistry and AP Computer Science. As the year begins Dr. A continues to be there for any help that I may need. Now that I’m in his two APs I am seeing how truly difficult his class can be, yet I am still able to succeed due to the support that he gives.

Dr. A has had a major impact in my life, because over a three year period, he has taught me more than I could ever hope to learn, about life, about work, and about living in the real world, and most importantly he helped me realize the kind of person I want to become. His mentorship and friendship, whether he knows it or not, have improved my life more than I ever would have imagined. I am a different person now because of the brilliant advice and guiding wisdom he has given me over the past few years. My greatest influence in my life, one of my good friends and the wisest mentor I could ever hope for, is Dr. A.