She is my mother, the greatest influence in my life. Not only as a mom but also as a friend. A time that is really prominent in my mind, that I hope I will always remember, is the year when I was doing poorly in English class and I wanted to drop it. The “easy way out” as my mom called it. She helped me realize that I was intelligent enough to be in the class that is why I was put in it, and that I could do anything I put my mind to. The talk with my mom helped me tremendously. Not only because she gave me good advice but because she was talking to me like a friend would, being understanding of where I was coming from and about my feelings.