As a young boy I lived in a typical suburban subdivision. It was a picturesque neighborhood with luscious green grass and blossoming flowers everywhere. Rows of uniform eggshell white houses aligned either side of the street. On the nice summer days, almost everyone played outside. Caleb, Kyle, Tony, Stacy, and Lindsey would be riding their bikes, playing tag, or using chalk to draw magnificent works of art all over the sidewalks. Meanwhile the chatter of adults could be heard in the background. All of this is going on while the aroma of cooking hamburgers floated throughout the neighborhood. Like many American kids, this was where I spent the majority of my childhood laughing and playing with friends. As a boy I did typical “boy” activities. I rode my bike, played cops and robbers, and even joined the occasional football or soccer game. Just like many other children across the country, life for me was average, except for the fact that my grandmother lived with me. To someone unfamiliar, my life may have seemed similar to millions of others, however my childhood was unique.
When I was still pretty young my grandma was diagnosed with cancer. This one experience changed my life. Although the doctors said she only had a few years to live at best, it didn’t make her give up hope. From this devastating situation, I learned to persevere and overcome any obstacle in my path.

I remember when I was little, my grandma loved to take me on hikes through the forest preserve behind my house. She and I could walk for hours endlessly along the dirt path. During the walk, she would constantly point out different types of bugs, plants, and even trees to me, making me feel as if I was in a tropical rain forest, creating in me a love for the environment. From that moment on, I become fascinated with the environment. Soon I began tuning into the Discovery and Science channels on the television. Shows that discussed the future and new forms of producing power peaked my interest. However, my favorite thing to study was how energy can be captured in urban cities such as Chicago due to urban windmills and solar panel covered roofs. My grandma’s passion inspired me to pursue a degree in engineering.
Today I still live in the same uniform eggshell white house on the same block that I did when I was younger. I still go to the park and play with my friends. The joyous laughter of children can still be heard every time I step outside my house and onto the Mona Lisa’s drawn on the sidewalk. Even the distinct smell of the cooking hamburgers still hovers over the neighborhood. However, today I see things in a different light. I no longer see my neighborhood from the perspective of a careless kid; I see it from the view of a concerned citizen. As I walk down the sidewalk, my mind is constantly thinking. I contemplate as I walk along the same streets as I did as a kid how I can help change peoples’ lives for the better. I wonder how much energy could be saved if all the street lights in my neighborhood alone were changed to LED lights. Sometimes I even wonder how much energy could be saved if all the street lights in the entire country ran on LED light bulbs. For me, these questions that some might not have even thought about for a second I have spent years thinking about.

I believe that a neighborhood alone cannot define who a person is or how it shapes them; I think that it is more important to focus on whom in the neighborhood helped influence that person. Although I may have grown up in an ordinary town in a simple plain white house just like many other kids, the people who influenced me have drastically helped me grow up to be the young man I am today.

Life is like a book, and being a kid is just the first of its many chapters. Childhood is the smallest part of one’s life, the chapter that most people seem to forget about when they are older. However I could never forget my chapter, because of the fact that its impact has influenced everything about me, who I am today, and who I will grow up to be in the future. I am unique. I stand out among the millions of other kids across the country because of the fact that my grandma has helped shape me more than my dull, run of the mill neighborhood ever could. Her philosophy of never giving up will carry on with me forever especially in my pursuit of earning an engineering degree.