Do What You Need To Do

My family has come a long way. As a child, I grew up in poverty, with parents who worked multiple jobs in order to keep a roof over the heads of me and my sister, and food on the table. I am told that my mother drove through snow storms to deliver mail with me in a baby seat in the back. I have clear memories of my parents fretting over whether or not they would have enough money to make house payments and pay for groceries. However, they managed to never miss a single payment, and they are currently capable of helping me get through college.

Through demonstrations of work ethic, I have learned the importance of being persistent in all aspects of life (although I have not yet achieved the work ethic my parents carry). As I hope to have children someday, I can only hope that I will be able to offer them the chance to pursue whatever path in life they choose. In order to achieve such an ability, I need to carry the same attitude shown to me as a child and work my ass off. In the back of my mind, I am always driven to study just a little bit more, although I don't always follow through (I'm just an ordinary kid). Nevertheless, I am constantly driven to become a better student, even though I may not want to be, because of how I was raised.

Regardless of What I do, I Will Always be Jewish

My name is Joseph Benjamin Shapiro. It’s hard to have a more Jewish name than that. My name is very Jewish, and I look Jewish. And regardless of how hard I try, I will always be Jewish. I grew up in the very rich, very Jewish, northern suburbs of Chicago. Being Jewish was never a big deal because of my common surroundings. I do not believe in religion, yet I am still Jewish. I don’t go to synagogue yet I am still Jewish. Even if I don’t believe in the religious beliefs, being Jewish still shapes my views on the world. I am a huge supporter of the nation of Israel. I have been recruited on campus by Jewish Fraternities purely because of my name. On my application to the U of M I never specified religion, nor have I signed up or ever really directly claimed to be Jewish. Yet I am still treated as if I have. I have yet to be discriminated against, but I know there is too much religious discrimination in the world. It took coming to a totally new environment where I truly am a minority to finally realize that being Jewish is something to be proud of. Regardless if I like it or not, I am Jewish in my name, my looks and my heritage. It is my culture.

Big Cities, Small Schools.

When thinking of everything that makes me who I am today, relationships with the people I'm surrounded by have been less important (in my personal case) than the actual events of my life. I consider myself to be a very independent person, and I think my circumstances while going through school has shaped that. I lived in the middle of a city, surrounded by four schools with 700 or more people in each class, and I chose to go to school half an hour away, with my class being about 1/6 the size of that. I remember being in middle school, declaring to my mother- very dramatically, of course- that going to school with kids who thought hearing police sirens signified the end to the world was absurd and unnecessary. She, of course, thought otherwise. I was definitely blessed with the parent who liked having her children develop life changing understandings through culturally diverse and thriving situations, so my brother and I did the only thing we could. He drove us to school in the morning, and I became friends with the only normal girl I could find- the one wearing a tutu, who wrote 'I Love Slater' over everything.

It wasn't until I got older that I realized, and came to appreciate, the details of my childhood. I grew up having a first hand seat to my classmates' grand narratives. They were planning on following in their parents footsteps, finding their high-school sweethearts and settling down in the dear town they were residing in. Not all of them, but I found a majority of them to have a huge dependence on that place, and found comfort in the 'known'. I gave them props for having that much trust in something, knowing that that's where they needed to be, but I instantly realized that wasn't at all what I wanted. I didn't want just what I knew, but I had a terrible urge to explore everything I didn't know. The situation could have played out in a various amount of ways, depending on the person I was then, and how I took everything in. I'd like to think that I always knew my home was comforting, and a place that would never be unavailable. But I think going to school in a different environment than what I grew up in allowed me to realize and actually come to terms with it- that my home was exactly that. A place that will always be there, so what's the point in having that be my one and only option?

It's interesting looking at how the same experience can shape each individual differently, and how a person embraces an experience ultimately defines who they are. Seeing, living, and being a part of completely different environments led me to be the independent person I am, and if my circumstance was different, I would inevitably be different as well.

The Temper of a German

My family is very German. This was very evident through my grandmother. Everything she did related to her heritage. One thing in particular that made me as a person today was her temper. She liked to be stubborn and not let others help her. I am also the same way and I like to do things on my own. I learned another way of life through her by playing cards. The game we enjoyed playing the most was Euchre, also a German game. I learned how to not lose through her and that is still evident in my life today. Through all my sports in high school and now in life in college, I don't like to lose. I get very mad and angry when I do lose. Coming from a winning tradition in Madison and Wisconsin as a whole, it makes it that much harder to be in Minnesota, since it is pretty obvious that it is not a winning state right now. No offense towards the Gophers... or the Vikings... or the Twins.... I like to win! If I didn't learn to play through my German grandma, I wouldn't have the same want to win. Being around her just made me more competitive in nature. She also loved her family and made sure we all loved each other. After her death, we grew even closer as a family. Now we have get togethers a lot more and they just fulfill my life so much and inspire me in so many ways. This family aspect, especially putting them first, made me the person I am today. I can't imagine living life not winning, not getting mad, and not having a family core.

Live in the Moment

I grew up in a single-parent home all my life, and it has always been my mom and i ever since i was little. Growing up in that environment taught me a lot. I learned a lot about independance, and the realities of life at an early age. I specifically remember the day my mom and I went out to eat at a little cafe in my small hometown. She explained to me what it was like getting pregnant at 16 and raising a family from then on out. I am the youngest in my family out of three kids. Shortly after i was born my parents divorced and my dad became absent from our lives. My mom started living the life of an adult at 16 years old and began her family. She has spent her entire life supporting herself, and our family. Watching the struggles she goes through day in and day out has taught me a lot about my life. I do not want to rush my life, and i do not want to live every day preparing for the future or fixing my mistakes from the past. I just want to live in the moment and enjoy my life because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Watching my mom i have seen what it is like to work your butt off to fix what was broken, and not allow things to break even more. The fact that my mom worked so hard for me to have the life i'm living gives me more reason to enjoy it, it shows her that her hard work is paying off. I guess this is an example of a grand narrative of what a child of a single parent learns from life.

Family

When I think about who I am today and how I got here, one thing comes to mind- my family. My family is definitely the biggest contributor to why I am the way I am. They are the ones who raised me. They are my role models. They taught me what is important in life and what isn't. They've been there throughout all my major life lessons. Growing up in the family I did has made me, me.

My grandparents have been married for 52 years. They still love each other more than anything, and I think that is amazing. They've taught me how to make a relationship last and how important it is to be loyal. I look up to them so much because they haven't always had the easiest life, but they are the ones who have really shaped my family and made us as strong as we are today.

My parents have always supported me in everything I've ever wanted to do. They want me to succeed and be happy, and I do everything I can to make them proud. They've always been there for me and have taught me so much about how to be the best I can be. My dad is absolutely crazy. He's the funny guy at a party who always wants attention. He's taught me the quickest way to anyone's heart is to make them laugh. He was my coach all through elementary school and my biggest cheerleader throughout junior high, high school, and college. My mom is one of the sweetest, most hardworking people you will ever meet. She's taught me that working hard now will pay off in the long run. They've always pushed me to succeed, so without them, I would not be nearly as ambitious as I am today. In my house, we always had family dinners. My mom, dad, and I would sit at the table and tell stories about our days, so we always had time to talk and catch up. I feel that having family time is very important in maintaining a close bond. My parents have taught me about work ethic, the importance of having fun and enjoying the little things, and how important it is to spend time with the people you care about.

My brother, sister, cousins, aunts, and uncles have all played a huge part in my life as well. They've taught me who I want to be and who I definitely do not want to be. I don't mean to make it sound like I have a perfect family. No one does. I'm just saying without having these people in my life when I was growing up, I would not be who I am today. They've taught me so much throughout life, and if I wouldn't have had them there for me, I would not be the ambitious, loving, trustworthy, caring, happy, goal-oriented person I am today. I would be extremely different.

In my opinion, families are what shape our lives. They're the people who make us who we are. I was blessed with a wonderful, loving, supportive family, and I know if that were different, I would be a lot different, too.

Road Trip!

During
most of childhood years, my family relocated a lot. My parents, sister, and I, have lived in 5
different states: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia, and of
course Minnesota. On top of living in these regions my family would also travel
extensively, visiting almost every state along the Atlantic coast. Planes were
never an option when we traveled either driving was always the case. Road trips
were definitely a norm in my family, that’s why I absolutely love traveling with
a passion and plan on continuing well into my older years. My parents showed me
the value of hitting the road in a car to get to your destination. It was definitely
a bonding experience for the family as well as tour some parts of our beloved
america. We had plenty of time to spend together in the car doing sing-alongs,
cracking jokes, telling stories and catching up on anything that we needed to.
It also gave us a chance to check out the scenery/landmarks on the road. My dad
would drive while my mother occupied the passenger seat and I would be in the back
with my sisters. I was very observant, even as a kid I would observe the areas
and try to pick up anything I could. Street names, city, state, even toll
booths I would keep track of how many. I
was one of the last people to fall asleep in the car and would always try to stay
up until we reached a new state or saw the sign. “North Carolina Welcomes You”
or “Welcome to the Peach State, Georgia” would always get me excited because we
had entered a new territory in anticipation of seeing new things. Traveling is definitely
something I continuously do till this day, recently traveling to Boston this
past summer. It has definitely shaped me into who I am today, which is a die-hard
traveler.