Bobby

Ever since I can remember my big sister, whom I now like to call Bobby, has been my role model and the one of the greatest influences upon my life. As the oldest of seven children, Sarah always provided me with a sense of security. This reassurance is one that only a big sister can provide, I think. It is the kind that stems from knowing that whichever waters life demands that I charter, Sarah has chartered them first. Sarah’s passion for life, her love of books, her pursuit of excellence, her desire to affect change, and her love for people rubbed off on me at a pretty early age. In 2002, Sarah graduated valedictorian of her high school class, and four years later I did too. In the spring of 2006 Sarah graduated magnacumlaude from Amherst College and that same fall I enrolled as a freshman at Amherst. Many people still ask me what it’s like to be trapped in my sister’s shadow, to walk in footsteps that are not my own. To these inquiries I seldom answer a word. Rather than stifling my individuality, Sarah has given me the courage to explore various dimensions of myself. For me and for my siblings, Sarah has shown us that we too can soar above our circumstances to heights that others deemed impossible.