“If you try hard you’ll succeed, just keep on trying,” my mother always says. As far back as I can recall, my parents have always said remarks such as this one. They have always been major influences in my life, giving me enthusiasm, courage, strength, and the ability to keep progressing forward. Another influence in my life is my boyfriend, James a.k.a. “Buddy”, who has showed me the outcome of hard work. Whenever I am down or need a little encouragement, Buddy has always been there to push me in the right direction. There are many instances in which I can recall Buddy getting me out of a jam or helping me out with a problem, whether it be serious or sometime minute. As I grew up, I have experienced many trials and triumphs. Also, I have discovered who and/or what friends really are. After many times soul searching I have found out that my parents are the only ones who will always be there for me. They have persuasiveness that makes reach all my potential despite the many barriers in my path. My mother dropped out of school when she was 16, and my dad dropped out when he was 14. When they had kids, it was expected for us children to accomplish what our parents never did. I find it a challenge to make them understand that it can be done. They’ve influenced me to become the person that I am today, and the person I want to become.I met my boyfriend roughly two years ago. He was not a very bright student, academically, in high school. By the time his senior year came around he changed his attitude. He wanted to do something with his life and become somebody. After a year of hard work and dedication, he ended up in a junior college in California. He’s in his second year of college and doing well academically. His dedication and hard work in the past two years have rewarded him with a football scholarship to LSU. Football has always been a major goal in life for him. My boyfriend, Buddy, has persuaded me in so many ways that it pays off to work hard. He’s always set an example for me and says, “If I can do it, so can you.”In life, you encounter many different types of people that can sometimes change your attitude in certain situations or towards certain people. In my experiences, I’ve found that the only people that can influence me are the ones that will always be there for me. In my case, it’s definitely my parents and my boyfriend, Buddy. So no matter what problematic situations may come in my path I always recall a certain quote, “the only time one really loses is if they do not try at all.”