Carrie Kurpershoek

There are many people who have influenced me in my life, but my mom has been the most inspiring. She is an amazing role model and the right person to look up to. She knows the values in life and lives up to what she says. Whenever I am not sure about something, my mom is always there, ready to give advice. There is a lot she does for me, but I think the most important are her character, how hard she works, and when she saved my life.

Being a tutor is one example of how compassionate and caring she is. My mom helps kids who have trouble understanding subjects, such as reading or writing. She is patient with them and takes her time in explaining and will help the kids in any way she can so they will succeed. My mom believes in being yourself and definitely follows through with that statement. She does not let anybody judge her and knows that being unique is how she has gone this far in life. Lastly, she is caring. She watches over me and my sisters all the time. If something is not safe or if we are doing something wrong, she will take action. Sometimes it might annoy us, but we know she only acts that way because she loves us and she knows best.

Hard working is another trait my mom displays. Not only does she work hard for herself and her family, she also does time consuming volunteer work. Everyone in my family is lucky to have her; she is what holds everything together in our house. My mom works all the time whether it is a paid job or not. Household chores constantly need to be done, and my mom is always there. Another long, hard activity my mom does is she coordinates a lot of a huge softball league. All of my sisters and I play softball and she found a way to be involved and share the same passion as us. Her job on the committee is she is chief player agent, meaning she is in charge of all of the players and their situations. She also helps a lot with the snack bar. It may sound easy, but taking care of the snack bar is a ton of work. It is an all day event and consists of waking up at the crack of dawn to drive all the way to the other side of Roseville, setting up the snack bar, buying and stocking the inventory, sales, and money management. My mom does most of it by herself.

Another reason why my mom is so important is because she saved my life. I was born with a heart condition; I had three holes in my heart which made me very fragile, little, and I had trouble breathing. I had to stay in the hospital for a little longer than scheduled. At first, the doctor was just supposed to give me a medicine to close up the holes, but instead of getting better, I started doing worse. My mom noticed the significant change and brought it up immediately. I was transferred to another hospital where I had to undergo a surgery. My mom was there all the time watching over me and making sure I was okay. Thanks to her, I survived and I am able to do anything, such as sports, and I have never had another problem.

My mom will always be there for me no matter what. She knows what to do and can make the right decision in a split second. She is cunning and sweet and there is no one else like her, or that I could look up to. My mom will always be my hero, and I will look up to her and ask her for advice. She could never be more inspiring than she already is and is the best influence I could possibly imagine.