I am the one that got awkwardly hugged and told I was loved by someone that I just met… How our friendship has developed over time never ceases to amaze me. And yes, I am the butt-shaker in the picture. No regrets

Buddy the Bunny

Today Angels On Call (my a cappella group) performed in the waiting room of the University of Michigan Hospital. We made patients, friends, families and doctors cry, smile, laugh and generally, have fun. After the performance, one elderly woman came up to me and asked, “Your group’s performance and energy today is one of the best I have ever seen… and I come here every Thursday! What makes you different?”

At that moment the only response I could think of was to smile and say Thank You and say that we just love performing; however, as I thought about it throughout the day, I realized it goes much, much deeper than that…

It still amazes me that something that got started on a whim became this successful and such a big part of my life. Freshman year, a group of my friends and I were hanging out in the dorms just talking, when we all…

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What it means to be looked up to. A college student’s perspective.

Today, a high school student from my hometown sent me a Facebook message, completely out of the blue. The first words after his greeting were “What is it that drives you?” He said, “I honestly look up to you…” Boom. I read those words and instantly the waterworks commenced. Granted, I’ve been having an emotional night, but these were tears of joy. I was affirmed that all of the hard work I put into my life, all of the sacrifices that go unnoticed by almost all of my friends and family, make a difference to someone. I don’t live the average college lifestyle. I work my butt off day in and day out. I don’t get enough sleep, or enough exercise. I don’t spend as much time with my friends as I would like to. I spend more time at the hospital doing research than I do watching TV, leisure reading, or socializing. But knowing that my drive has inspired someone else to be like me makes it all worth it. It inspires me to keep going, to keep working, and to keep dreaming of my goals in life, because I will get there some day. I challenge everyone to be a person that can be looked up to.

So what’s the message from this? For those of you out there who go unnoticed working yourself to the bone to achieve your goals, know that there is someone out there who looks up to you, and admires that drive. It’s a trait that not many possess, but those who do should definitely share it.