Defining Moment: student example

Bianca RamirezHumanitiesBrooke GonzalesSeptember 22, 2011Defining MomentA lot of my defining moments were last year. Last year was full of change fromthe very beginning to the very end. The biggest change was the death of my friendSean Fuchs. I was jogging the Bonita Golf course and I saw helicopters , newsmen, andpolice everywhere. There was yellow DO NOT CROSS tape around a house. I didn’tknow what happened so I was kind of worried. When I got home I had 7 missed callsand several texts from people telling me to call them. I called my friend Sianna to askher what was happening. When she answered all she said was “Sean is dead,” andthen she had to leave.I was in complete shock. It was unbelievable. I ran in my mom’s room and toldher what had happened and then just laid down in bed. I couldn't think and my headhurt. There was a feeling in my stomach that I had never felt before. Later that day, Iwent to the Candlelight Vigil at his house. To see how many people this effected wasdevastating.He was the guy I saw everyday that would stare at everyone with a serious faceand make them laugh. I had projects with him, I texted him sometimes, and he was myfriend. That moment defined my life so much. I thought about everything differently afterthat. It made me appreciate my life, my family, and my friends. It made me think aboutso many things I never thought about before. What if I hadn’t ever talked to him ? What

if I had been mean to him? That moment has made me want to be friendly towards allpeople, no matter who it is. I feel like that tragedy made our class bond in a way theynever had before. Because of that moment, I don’t want to take advantage of anythingin my life. I am grateful for everything I have and it made me realize that at the end ofthe day it doesn't matter what you have, what kind of clothes you wear, or who you hangout with. What’s important is the people you care about and the things you do to standup for what is important to you. In the future, I want to make a difference I’d be proud totell my kids about.