My Influences

1. Drawing from the chapter and the discussion they offer on Authoring Life Stories (beginning on page 5), think about your own life story.  Make a list of ten people who have coauthored with you.  Remember, “the material that comprises our life stories comes from all directions, contributed by people who care about you, are indifferent to, and feel antagonistic toward the person whose life they are helping to shape."  After you list the ten people, pick one of them (caring, indifferent or antagonistic) and write about how s/he has helped you write your story.

 

 

The Ten Most Influential People In My Life:

 

1. Mom

2. Hannah

3. Jasmin

4. Ashley

5. Brandon

6. Angelo

7. Dr. Bogad

8. Harrie

9. Dad

10. Kristen

 

 



          Most of the people in my life have helped me write my story by helping me and guiding me to keep doing better than I already am.  They have pushed me to succeed at whether it was school, or my job.  However, there is one person that I entirely owe the person I am today too.  Brandon and I met at work, and I instantly knew we would be good friends, little did I know we were going to become the best of friends.  Brandon never puts anyone before himself.  He has a way of lighting up a room with smiles and happiness.  Brandon lives his life the way Michael Jackson lived his.  He is a peacemaker and something about him always settles arguments, not that anyone could even be mad when he is around, because he just has that presence.  Brandon makes me want to become a better person and to live life with no regrets.  I lost one of my close friends six months ago and no one has made me feel "at ease" with it, than Brandon has.  I owe a lot of my recovery from that and my happiness to Brandon.  He has taught me that no matter how low you find yourself, you can always be picked back up.  If it were not for him, I truly do not know where I would be today, or how I would've ever felt like myself again.  Brandon has helped me continue my story, where I didn't know how I was ever going to continue it, he has helped me get through the toughest chapter, to date. 

What's YOUR Sign?

While working on the Youth Development Ideology, I learned so much about myself, not only as a person, but as a youth worker as well.  I am a juvenile justice concentration, so it is no surprise to me that I most connected with the Risk, Resiliency and Prevention category.  I have always wanted to be a juvenile defense attorney, so I believe these truly do  go hand-in-hand.   The idea that teens brains aren't fully functioned, is my biggest support for the reason I want to be a juvenile defense attorney.  Youth don't need jail, they need help.  

We need to be giving youth the resources and showing them how do things versus telling the.  I learned this at my job at the Y, the minute you say clean up, seems like everyone understands, however the'll keep until you actually step in and start to clean up for them to catch on.   Youth need to be guided, not just given the instructions.