Countless people look up to a role model for guidance throughout the course of life. In fact, Merriam-Webster defines the term role model as “someone whom other people admire and try to be like.” However, the stoic words in dictionaries often fail to encompass the whole meaning of an expression. A role model is not simply someone whom other people aspire to imitate but is someone who helps other people become better than himself regarding a specific set of skills. Jack Jackson, my teammate and friend, is my role model since he has helped me become even better than he with respect to several skills: work ethic, motivation, and humility.
No one can question Jack’s work ethic; he is always the first one in the pool and the last one out. Accordingly, …show more content…
Before Jack became one of the state’s best swimmers, he struggled with arrogance. Anyone who was a part of the Jesuit swim team two years ago could tell you precisely how many points Jack had scored in high school meets, for he broadcasted these statistics nearly every day. However, as he became more successful, Jack also began to bear more responsibility. More eyes were looking in his direction, so he could not afford to set a poor example. Jack began to cultivate a strong sense of humility. For example, he has one quarter of an All-American time, but no one would know after having a conversation with him. However, he balances humility with confidence in order that he does not stress before races. I hope that someday I, too, might learn how to maintain a similar stability between the two qualities. Jack Jackson is certainly an exemplar of the ideal swimmer; he works hard, motivates himself and others, and does not boast about his success. However, he is my role model not because of the way he can serve as an example but because of the way he teaches me to develop the same skills as those for which I admire him. Clearly, a role model is not simply someone another person aspires to be like. Rather, a role model is someone who helps another person epitomize the skills he once
No one can question Jack’s work ethic; he is always the first one in the pool and the last one out. Accordingly, …show more content…
Before Jack became one of the state’s best swimmers, he struggled with arrogance. Anyone who was a part of the Jesuit swim team two years ago could tell you precisely how many points Jack had scored in high school meets, for he broadcasted these statistics nearly every day. However, as he became more successful, Jack also began to bear more responsibility. More eyes were looking in his direction, so he could not afford to set a poor example. Jack began to cultivate a strong sense of humility. For example, he has one quarter of an All-American time, but no one would know after having a conversation with him. However, he balances humility with confidence in order that he does not stress before races. I hope that someday I, too, might learn how to maintain a similar stability between the two qualities. Jack Jackson is certainly an exemplar of the ideal swimmer; he works hard, motivates himself and others, and does not boast about his success. However, he is my role model not because of the way he can serve as an example but because of the way he teaches me to develop the same skills as those for which I admire him. Clearly, a role model is not simply someone another person aspires to be like. Rather, a role model is someone who helps another person epitomize the skills he once