Family Influence

Over the past 18 years my parents have constantly encouraged me to work hard, get an education, and to do the things that I am passionate about. They raised me to be independent and taught me how to form my own opinions and decisions. They want me to be successful in life, but they believe that success comes in many forms and takes hard work to achieve. My dad grew up in a military family and had to move all over the world, therefore he never had a solid group of friends throughout his childhood. He attended Hillsdale College for four years and got his BA in English. He had a dramatic lifestyle change after staying at Hillsdale for four years because he was able to form a group of people that are still his close friends today. Because of the positive social experience my dad had at school, he believes that going to a four year college or university is an important step in life that everyone should experience.

My dad is aware that I am attending Butler University for an education, but he also wants me to experience all of the social aspects as well. Later my dad obtained his JD from the University Of Tulsa College Of Law and is now a partner in the Litigation Practice group at Freeborn & Peters LLP. Watching my dad with his career has sparked an interest in law, but I am not sure what majors I need to go to a law school or if that is even a career that I would want to be seriously dedicated to. My mom grew up in a split household and was the oldest of four. She went to Miami University and graduated with a BA in public relations. After marrying my dad she worked multiple part time jobs to pay for him to go to law school. Once my dad’s career had started she became a “stay-at-home” mom and raised me and my two brothers. Having a family and raising my children is a very important aspect of life for me, which is why I would either want to have a career that is flexible or to have a career that I can retire from early. I see myself in my mom’s position more than my dad’s, but I’m hoping to find something in between. My parents have spent a tremendously large amount of time balancing their work lives with their home lives in order to raise their children and spend time with their family.

In my adult life I would like to have the luxury of being able to make the same accomplishments. I agree with my parent’s values of family come first, working hard, and living a well-balanced life. My parents have not really helped me or pressured me into selecting a major or a career choice because they believe that I should be able to find it on my own and make the right decisions. At home I have two brothers, Michael and Nick. Michael is 21 years old and goes to Eastern Illinois University and Nick is 16 years old. Being the middle child and being the only girl has had positive and negative effects on me. I’ve learned how to entertain myself or be social and make friends. Whenever there was a family outing (like a vacation) I usually would get stuck by myself so I had to make friends. But at the same time it has had its negative effects. Because I am the only girl I never had to share anything so I’ve had to adjust. My brothers have affected my actions and how I deal with certain situations, but they don’t play a huge role in my decision making. I have learned from my older brother’s mistakes from his first couple semesters in college, so he has affected my decision making when it comes to studying. My family holds one very strong belief and that is that family comes first.

Whenever there is a family issue that needs to be dealt with my dad will always take time out of his day to talk on the phone or come home from work if necessary. My family all goes to each other’s sporting events, ceremonies, etc. to cheer and support each other. I’ve never felt like my parents didn’t have time for me or that I wasn’t important to them. It is something that I have taken for granted over the years, but as I’m getting older and making my own life decisions I am learning to appreciate that more. This is definitely a belief that I hold and will want to carryon into my adult life because I have learned the importance of family and how nice it is to have that support system, which is what I would like to have for my own family someday. One of the traditions that my family holds is Catholicism. I was raised Catholic, but it has not had any effect on my college and/or career decisions.

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