John Hovsepian

My dad doesn't wear a cape, with a big S on his chest and spider webs shooting out of his wrist. Instead, he has his own superhero powers with a tremendously caring heart and much love for not just me, but others as well. Through all the tough times, he has always been there for me, leading me by my side. He has been through so much, yet holds his head up high. I admire him in every way there is always and forever.

My dad, John Hovsepian, was raised in a town called Basra, Iraq. He was the third son in a family of five. When he turned six, his family moved to Baghdad and he went to school there for three years. After three years, he moved back to Basra and continued his school there for five years in high school. When he turned seventeen, it was a law that he had to serve in an army. Meanwhile, his family was planning to come to America. He left the country in 1973 and came here in 1975, in the month of March. He needed a job to raise some money, so he attended a night school to learn English at Glendale High School. Not long after, he worked as an auto mechanic for thirty-four years and now, he visits Iraq every six months to work for the American Government as a translator for the foreign soldiers.

I look up to my dad in many ways. To begin with, he has done so much for my family and even though he had a rough start, he is always optimistic and stays positive for whatever the case is. He has been and still is the dad that a girl can ever dream of and I'm so thankful for that. He knows how to give good advice when I'm in the need of some help. In the seventh grade, my cell phone accidentally fell out of my hands and down in the sewer! It stayed there for a while and I didn't know what to do, so I told my dad the story and he actually came with me to where it got dropped and went inside the sewer. I could never forget that day, he saved my cell phone.

My dad has helped me in so many ways and he always somehow has a way of making me laugh and telling me things I've never heard of before. My dad will always be a hero to me. He stays true to his heart and loves caring about people. I know if there's anything he needs, I would be there for him just as he has done for me.