"What three people have changed your life most significantly?"

An essay by Jennifer Small
Fall 2009: LL57 (Fundamentals of College Writing) – Professor Jonathan Howle

In my 20 years of life I have met and seen a lot of faces. Some faces I have seen and may only see once, but sometimes in life you luckily meet people who stick by you and make an impact on your life in such a way you cannot help but pass the love on. The three people who have made an impact on my life are Ms. Valentine, Sarah Ledbetter and Janiya Small.

Ms. Valentine was my first grade teacher. She was one of the nicest and most patient teachers I have ever had. She didn’t mind answering a million and one questions and was also very beautiful. Ms. Valentine taught me all of my basic skills that I wasn’t able to learn at home, such as tying my shoes and counting to one hundred. She also taught me the importance of never giving up on anything. When I first started learning to tie my shoes, it was a very difficult task. Not only did I have no idea what I was doing, but it scared me because it was something I had never done before. Ms. Valentine always helped me with my shoes, and she never made me feel bad for not knowing. When I finally learned to tie my shoes, Ms. Valentine bought me an ice cream cone. Right before she handed me the ice cream cone she said, “There is always a sweet treat after every hard task.”  Those simple yet powerful words molded me into the woman I am today.

Sarah Ledbetter was my adopted mother. She took me into her home and heart and treated me as if I was her own child. She always had this poem she would say to me almost every day. It went like this: “Good, better, best, never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better best”. It took me a long time to figure out this poem, but when I did I was so inspired. Those simple words told me to always try harder and never just settle for my good. Now I strive for the best. I live my life by those simple words and put my “Best foot forward” in everything that I do.

Finally my two year old princess, Janiya-Nicole Essence Small, is my most cherished inspiration. Janiya was born on March.24, 2007, and from that day on, my life has never been, and never will be the same. It took me almost a week to realize that I was really a mother. To see this innocent little baby who depends on me for her survival meant that I had to get my life together quickly. I knew that I didn’t want her to need or want for anything, and I knew that making minimum wage wouldn’t satisfy us for much longer. That was the day I called Plaza College and made a commitment to myself that I would graduate. Without Janiya as my inspiration, I do not think that I would be the student I am today. I push myself to be better in everything I do. I know that I am the only person who holds my future, but I strongly believe that she is the angel that has been guiding me every day.

All of these people have inspired and shaped the mother, student and woman that I am today. Their efforts will always have a lasting effect