My Role Model

Being a younger sister is really fun. Many people think otherwise, but I say it is because I have the best role model ever to look up to... my sister, Ashley. Growing up with her is amazing. She always takes care of me, and teaches me all the tricks and skills. She plays with me, watches TV with me, dances with me, eats with me, and laughs with me. She's truly the best big sister ever. Even though she's 8 years older than me, we still have so much in common.

Swimming has always been a big thing for the both of us. Ashley started swimming when she was 4 years old and swam competitively when she 7 years old until she graduated high school. I started swimming when I was 4 years old and have been swimming competitively since I was 6 years old. My sister's best stroke was breaststroke, and when I was little, I wanted to be just like her. Whenever someone asked me what my best stroke was, I would say breaststroke. Later at one meet, I got my first A Time (State Championship cut) in the 50 meter butterfly, and I decided that my best stroke would be fly. I started focusing and training harder in fly, and two years later, I broke my first Oregon State Record in the 50 yard butterfly. To this day, I have broken 9 Oregon State Records. It hasn't always been easy though. I always have to be self disciplined and determined to win, but there is something else that is extremely vital to my success in the water: my family. My dad, mom, and sister are always there in the stands, cheering me on the entire meet. My parents record every single race, and now they're all saved on a computer at home. They are always packing my swim bag, making my snacks, buying the newest fastest tech suits, and driving me everywhere. I can't explain how grateful I am for all of them.

“Sometimes life seems unfair. It always rains the hardest on the people who deserve the sun.” -Unknown
Like most siblings, not everything is easy or fair. Sometimes my sister and I disagree on things which lead to arguments, and sometimes she gets to do things that I can't do yet, and vice versa. Life isn't always fair and doesn't always go your way. In the end, we always get along though. My sister and I are happy together a lot more than we are mad at each other.


My sister graduated from high school in 2015. Before she left for her first year of college, everything went by so quickly. I wasn't ready for her to leave. I felt like I was forlorn because I've never lived without my sister being at home with me every day. The day we said bye to her and left her dorm room, I was only thinking about what to do next. How to live a good life without my sister back at home. It was a rough transition at the beginning, but later I got used to it, and became excited for the days when she would come back home for Thanksgiving, a 5 week winter break, and a long summer vacation. Even though she wasn't physically here with me, she was always with me in spirit. Last year for English class, we had to write a sonnet, and I wrote one about her:

My Awesome Sister

My sister, Ashley, is swell and the best
But she is leaving for New York right now

She’s going to a college, a tough test

I hope she does amazing and says wow

It feels strange seeing only two sweet kins

It is unusual to not see her             

I peek in her room, and see empty bins

I crave to go back to how great things were

My family and I’ll not at all stress

It has been almost three years since she left

We are all celebrating her success

She’s doing well and is still very deft

I know I’ll have to wait another year

But when she graduates, we will all cheer


Sometimes I think about what it would be like to be her for a day. Would life be easier or harder? More fun or more stressful? Occasionally when I don't know what to do next, I ask myself "What would Ashley do?" and I get through hard times just like that. Being a younger sister is a little stressful when being compared to my older sister, but at the end of the day, we both know that we will be on each other's side, love each other, and laugh together, just like we always do. 


Sister's Cheering
Graduates Throwing Caps
Heart