Jefferson Perez

(www.msn.com)

My hero's name is Jefferson Perez. He was born in El Vecino, one of the traditional neighborhoods in Cuenca, Ecuador in July 1974, the son of Manuel Jesus Perez and Maria Lucrecia Quezada. His brother is Fausto Perez. In his primary studies, he attended the elementary school, Eugenio Espejo. Now he is an athlete for the Olympic Games.

My hero has made many contributions to society. For example, he established a foundation in Ecuador. He gives money to people in need. Jefferson had a major struggle when he broke his clavicle. He also suffered a dangerous injury to his back. The obstacle that held Jefferson back was that he lacked money and had to work to earn it.

My hero is an important person because he is an Olympic athlete. My hero was able to accomplish his first excellent goal by winning the bronze medal in 1990. He became the first champion in the 20 km race walk by winning the juvenile word title in Seoul, Korea.

Three characteristics make this person a hero. First, he is a humble person because he helps people who don't have money. Another characteristic is he is a very sincere man because he has a foundation in Ecuador for the homeless children, and third, he is intelligent because he studied in school very hard. I admire that he is more successful and has more money than before. He is aware where he came from and is not different in heart than before. Jefferson Perez has made a difference in my life by inspiring my interest in sports. I now enjoy them more than before. He also made a difference in my life by encouraging me to follow all my goals and dreams in life.

My views have not changed from before I reached him, because he is still humble and a beautiful person at heart just the way I knew he was in his life. If I could say anything about my hero, I would say I hope there are more people like him in the world because he is a good son, brother, friend and person. I feel this hero is an important person to meet because he represents Ecuador.