Jack B. Patel

A hero is someone that helps make a positive change in your life and someone you can look up to. They are people you can learn from and admire. Martin Luther King followed the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi in the act of fighting for rights without using violence. A hero doesn’t always mean being a famous celebrity. Heroes can be people from your everyday life. For me, my hero is my daddy. He is the most important man in my life and has had a huge impact on me throughout my life. My dad, Jack Patel, was born on November 14 in a small village in India. He grew up in a two bedroom house with 10 other family members. My dad had two older brothers and one younger brother that I also respect for their achievements in life. As a young teenager, after school, my dad helped my grandfather out in the farms owned by our family. My dad attended a local school that wasn’t very affluent, but he managed to use all the sources he had available. The students there went to school for 6 days, Monday through Saturday and the teaching was very challenging. My dad walked to school everyday, rain or shine. Despite all the hardships, he still made the best of it.

My dad had a dream to come to the United States ever since he was a child, and at age 15, that wish came to reality. When he first immigrated to the U.S, he lived in Chicago for a year and then seized business opportunities with his parents and moved to Nashville. When they were settled in Tennessee, they operated a Dunkin Donuts. Since his parents didn’t know much English, my dad had to help out in the business operations at a young age. I think that’s where he got his business skills. My dad graduated from Hillsboro High School and went to Tennessee State University. While at TSU, he worked at Nashville Electric Service as a Trainee or co-op intern. NES really became his dream. After finishing college, he attempted several times to get employed at NES. He always believed never to give up, and he never did. Finally, in 1995, he accomplished his dream and started working at Nashville Electric Service, while still running the family business. My dad also had a vision to build a hotel and a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in 1996 at Comfort Inn in LaVergne, Tennessee.

Today, my dad is a proud multi-unit operator of 29 Subway stores across the states, and a successful hotelier. He sold Dunkin Donuts in 1998. He has been in the Subway franchisee since 1996. As for his job at NES, he was promoted to a supervisor in six years. My dad is my hero because he showed how to become very successful in life. He has very high expectations for me. My dad doesn’t smoke or drink because he wants to set a good example for me and my brother. One thing my dad says that I really admire is that he says he cannot tell me not to do something he has done. My dad is also my number one motivator. He pushes me to do new things and I usually end up enjoying them. My dad lets me make mistakes so I can learn from them. He lets me fall down, so I can learn to get up by myself. My dad, Jack Patel, is my hero.