Role models are a large part of who you are and offer a lot of support by giving you an example. They become the goal to which you aspire. So... who were the people who were important in your life? And, if you think you see someone who wasn't a role model for YOU but who IS becoming a role model for others, add that person into the mix!
My personal role models? I have a few.
My father was my first role model. He was a fireman when I was in grade-school and kept at it until I was in junior high. His knees gave out so he switched over to the local government's Roads & Bridges group in the sign-making shop. He knew how to do commercial art and was familiar with silk-screening techniques as a way to make a lot of signs. He worked for a long time before finally retiring. He waited until I earned my PhD and finally decided he could relax. He was the source of my work ethic. He taught me the hardest but most important life lesson when he passed away and left me to take care of my mother. It was THEN that I learned the meaning of being responsible for someone else's life.
I found a role model in my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Mario P. Benitez (now deceased). He was a brilliant guy who was afflicted with one of the many forms of palsy. He couldn't walk very well and one arm was almost (not quite) useless. But he was a good teacher and a good guy who didn't let his affliction stop him from performing a useful service - teaching.
In college, my first professor of organic chemistry was Al Meyers (now deceased). If ever there was an enthusiastic teacher, he was. He inspired me to consider grad school even though my subject wasn't organic chemistry. (I was always the analyst.) He had enthusiasm for life.
And one last person who wasn't a personal role model for me but IS a role model for the current generation of young USA football fans. Drew Brees, the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, set the league record for the most career passing yards for a quarterback. He did that last night on Monday Night Football. He needed 35 yards for the record but in true Drew style, he threw a 63 yard touchdown pass. The stadium was in pandemonium and the game stopped for a few minutes. The NFL commissioner's office retrieved the ball he threw so they could place it in the Hall of Fame along with Drew's uniform jersey. But the part that was MOST impressive was when the game stopped, his wife and kids were on the sidelines. He went over and told his three boys "You can do anything you want to do if you work for it hard enough." The daughter was too young to be anything but overwhelmed by it all, so Mrs. Brees just held her. But it was a beautiful moment for a classy guy to give a good message to his kids - and to the kids of any other parents watching the game.
If you aren't familiar with Mr. Brees, look him up. Take a GOOD look at the records he holds. But don't expect sensational headlines because of some supermodel wife or some off-the-field shenanigans. Drew plays the game as a pro. He has adopted New Orleans and we have adopted him. He is a role model for kids and young adults alike.
My personal role models? I have a few.
My father was my first role model. He was a fireman when I was in grade-school and kept at it until I was in junior high. His knees gave out so he switched over to the local government's Roads & Bridges group in the sign-making shop. He knew how to do commercial art and was familiar with silk-screening techniques as a way to make a lot of signs. He worked for a long time before finally retiring. He waited until I earned my PhD and finally decided he could relax. He was the source of my work ethic. He taught me the hardest but most important life lesson when he passed away and left me to take care of my mother. It was THEN that I learned the meaning of being responsible for someone else's life.
I found a role model in my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Mario P. Benitez (now deceased). He was a brilliant guy who was afflicted with one of the many forms of palsy. He couldn't walk very well and one arm was almost (not quite) useless. But he was a good teacher and a good guy who didn't let his affliction stop him from performing a useful service - teaching.
In college, my first professor of organic chemistry was Al Meyers (now deceased). If ever there was an enthusiastic teacher, he was. He inspired me to consider grad school even though my subject wasn't organic chemistry. (I was always the analyst.) He had enthusiasm for life.
And one last person who wasn't a personal role model for me but IS a role model for the current generation of young USA football fans. Drew Brees, the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, set the league record for the most career passing yards for a quarterback. He did that last night on Monday Night Football. He needed 35 yards for the record but in true Drew style, he threw a 63 yard touchdown pass. The stadium was in pandemonium and the game stopped for a few minutes. The NFL commissioner's office retrieved the ball he threw so they could place it in the Hall of Fame along with Drew's uniform jersey. But the part that was MOST impressive was when the game stopped, his wife and kids were on the sidelines. He went over and told his three boys "You can do anything you want to do if you work for it hard enough." The daughter was too young to be anything but overwhelmed by it all, so Mrs. Brees just held her. But it was a beautiful moment for a classy guy to give a good message to his kids - and to the kids of any other parents watching the game.
If you aren't familiar with Mr. Brees, look him up. Take a GOOD look at the records he holds. But don't expect sensational headlines because of some supermodel wife or some off-the-field shenanigans. Drew plays the game as a pro. He has adopted New Orleans and we have adopted him. He is a role model for kids and young adults alike.