Lisa Simmons
September 3, 2013
First Draft
Professor Scherf
People never think about what defines them as a person but when they do it will be clear that either there are a great deal of things or very few things that define them. Something that defines someone even if it’s as simple as how they wear their hair or the clothes that they wear every day, are still characteristics that define a person. I have given this topic a great deal of thought and the most important things that define me are my adoption, heritage, and passion for the game of softball. It is not just one aspect that defines me. It is through my past experiences, and future ones that shape who I am as an individual person.
My adoption would have to be what defines me the most because being adopted shows a person that they can’t take their family for granted. Building and keeping the strong relationship with my family is very important to me. These relationships continue to grow every day. Without my family I don’t know where I would be right now. The basically saved my life and that’s what family is for.
Another thing that adoption has taught me about is inclusion. My family took me in when I needed it the most and they didn’t treat me like I was an outsider even though they didn’t know anything about me or where I came from. Including someone is something me and my friends are doing could change someone’s life for the better. I was taught that I shouldn’t exclude anyone and if they are shy go over to them and ask if they want to join. Continuing with the family idea and the adoption, my heritage is also another thing that defines me. With being adopted I was only introduced to my adopted family’s heritage which is Irish, German, and Scottish. However, this summer I decided to ask my mom what my true heritage was and she told me that I was Greek. By me being Greek it explains a lot about my appearances. A couple of my appearances really clarify my Greek background. The first appearance that would show that I’m Greek would have to be my hair. My hair is super curly and no other girl I know has this type of hair except when I watched the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding when the main character had hair just like mine. Another Greek characteristic is my skin tone. Greeks are known to have tan skin and their skin reflects all of the harmful UV rays. In the summer I get very tan and I don’t burn at all plus I stay tan throughout the winter also.
As a member of the Heidelberg softball team we all define ourselves together as a family and one unit. My passion for the game of softball has pushed me to the collegiate level and it is the last thing that I’m going to share with you about what defines me as a person. Softball is the one thing that I love the most. I have been playing since I was four years old and playing for 15 years has not only taught me about the game of softball but it has taught me many skills that the player will need to use in their future or even in their career. There are multiple skills a person can learn like teamwork, leadership, responsibility, how to be a role model to the underclassmen, and many more, they player doesn’t only represent themselves they also represent their family, their team, and the school that they go to. There are numerous things that define me as a person. My adoption has taught me about inclusion and building strong relationships with your family. My heritage has taught me about where I get most of my appearances from. By me playing softball for 15 years it has taught me about unity, responsibility, teamwork, leadership, and how to be a role model that younger kids want to look up to.