Here is a picture of Rachel Joy Scott

The definition of a hero to me is someone who isn’t afraid to maintain what their beliefs are, and who is an impressive role model. One of my heroes is Rachel Joy Scott. She was incredibly heroic, thankful, and courageous. When Rachel was alive, she trusted that everyone could make a difference in this world. Rachel always believed that each person should be respectful to others. Even though she is not with us today, she is still remembered as a remarkable and talented person.

Rachel was shot (April 20th, 1999), while eating lunch with a friend; Richard Castaldo on the school lawn when she was approached was two men, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who were the one’s who killed her. She was murdered by multiple gunshots wounds to the head, arm, chest, and leg. After the first shot hit her leg, they asked her if she still believed in god and she replied with the answer,” Yes!" which made the men keep shooting her until she was dead. She was only 17 years old, but only believed that she would die young. After her death, her car was turned into a flower bedecked memorial in the school's parking lot by students of Columbine High School. Rachel was a wonderful and beautiful girl who will always be remembered as a girl who wanted to give an act of kindness to the world.

For Rachel, sometimes it was hard to make a decision. One day, when she was working in subway, she saw an old, homeless woman walk into the shop. It was a cold, winter and the woman looked sick and hungry, Rachel started to make her a sandwich. Then she thought that maybe the woman was faking the whole thing to get free food, so she stopped making the sandwich. Then, another woman came into subway, and when she saw the old woman, she ordered two meals, one for herself and one for the old woman. Rachel felt so terrible that she couldn’t help the woman that day. Later on, when Rachel was cleaning the shop, she found these gloves that belonged to the old lady, so she kept them behind the counter to see if the woman would come back to get her gloves, but she never came back. Rachel kept the gloves and put them on her dresser as a reminder to always help someone in need.

Rachel always knew she wasn't perfect. But everyone isn’t perfect. Some people will say things like it need to be perfect, or I want perfection. There’s no point of even trying to get perfection because you’ll never reach it. Rachel also believed that she would die young. No one knew why she wanted to die young, but that’s just what she believed. In the end, that’s exactly what happened. Even though she died young, she still put an impact on the world.

Today we have a program called, "Rachel's Challenge." This program is about Rachel’s legacy and how she changed the world with her act of kindness. Rachel was always kind to others, if they weren't kind to her. When Rachel was in high school, there was a bully named Valerie and she would hurt people in so many ways. Either calling people named or beating them up. Every time Valerie and Rachel passed each other in the hallway, Valerie would give a mean look while Rachel would give a smile of kindness, which was definitely one of Rachel’s best traits. When Valerie heard that Rachel died in the massacre, she felt so terrible that she couldn't go back to her and say sorry for all the mean things she did to her. Valerie then became a better person and always remembered Rachel as an incredibly kind girl.

Rachel and her whole family always believed in god as an important person and still do. Her whole family is Christian and they care a lot about there religion. her mother always said, "God will never let you go hungry and will always keep you safe under this roof top." Her father once worked in a church until he and Rachel’s mother got a divorce when Rachel was seven years old. It was a very hard time for Rachel and her family, but she got to see both of her parents almost every week. Rachel loved her family so much and would always pray for them to keep them safe and out of harm.

Rachel Joy Scott was a beautiful 17 year old girl who always wanted to give an act of kindness. She would always care for others no matter what. She knew that god would try his best to take care of the world and everyone in it. I feel that Rachel's death had a very big impact on the world and that her acts of kindness did not go unnoticed. Rachel was only 17 years old but she accomplished more in her 17 years than most people do in their lifetime and even though her life was cut short, she left the world believing in god and with no regrets.