A standard definition of a hero is a person who is admired for brave acts and extraordinary qualities. My mother, Laurie Ann, is the most impactful woman in my life but is also my hero. Laurie, who is a sister, a mother of two, a girlfriend, a friend, a daughter, and a leader for her company, exemplifies main qualities of a hero in her own life. Throughout my mother’s life, she has graduated from East Jefferson High School, attended Delgado, and Charity Nursing School for college. She soon began a career as a nurse practitioner at East Jefferson General Hospital for twelve years, establishing the Sports Medicine program. While working at the hospital, she also attended school to earn her bachelor's and master's degree, which led her to become a senior director at a consulting company called the Advisory Board.  My mother Laurie is the definition of my own personal hero through her strength, generosity, and her wisdom she shows towards others, her friends, and her family.

My mom shows she is a hero through many traits, but the first trait she shows her heroism through is strength. First, she shows her strength through being a single mother most of my life and raising two daughters, me and my sister Tori. When we have been weak, she has been our stronghold. My sister and I have rarely had to be there to pick my mother up because of how strong she is. More specifically, another time my mom was strong was when she had to work all day as a nurse practitioner at the hospital, then go to school to acquire her master's degree at Loyola for a good portion of the night. Another example of my mother’s strength is the moments she had to be the mother and the father for me and my sister when our dads were not there for us. Her strength also teaches me to be strong for others and my family, which helps me in many situations with my friends and family. These moments of strength showed how selfless and willing my mom is to be strong for her family so that we can have easy and filled lives like we do today.

The next trait that shows my mom is my personal hero is through her generosity. She shows this generosity through dropping everything to help someone she does not even know, her family, and her friends. An example of how she shows generosity to people she does not know is through the kindness she shows to people working outside around our house, by doing something as simple as buying packs of popsicles for them, or pouring them big glasses of cold water so they feel better in the heat. My mom shows her generosity to my sister and me and her family through dropping anything to be there, or do something for us. For example, when I was just having a stressful week last year and just had a lot going on, my mom stayed home that week from work to make sure I was okay and settled. She says she never likes to leave to work out of town without making sure her two girls are well attended to, in a good place, and ready for the week ahead. The last example of how my mother shows generosity towards her friends is how for the past year, she has helped and guided my godmother through a tough divorce and battle to get where she needs to be in her life, and with her children. Overall, my mother shows her family, friends, and others support and aid through her acts of generosity, small or big.

The last trait in which makes my mom my personal hero is through her wisdom she shows in every situation that my sister and I face, her family faces, or even her friends. My mom always has the right advice or right remedy to my situation or circumstance. For example, when I was going through a really hard time with a breakup this summer, she always had the right thing to say or had the best advice on how to handle certain situations. Her wisdom helped and still helps me shape who I am today. I know she is truly wise because of how knowledgeable and intelligent she is through the mere fact that she has three degrees but has also been through hell and back and still blows me out the water with her special traits that make her a hero to me. Her real situations of breakups, fights with friends, and rocky relationships with siblings has taught me everything I know about how to handle situations gracefully, much like she does. Other than helping me with her wisdom, she helps her friends who struggle with relationships, children, and themselves. Her wisdom not only gives people good advice but lifts them up and makes them feel good about themselves or the situation they are in. In conclusion, my mom’s wisdom in friends, family, and relationships is a main trait that not only defines her as a person but as my hero.
  My mother Laurie is the definition of my own personal hero through her strength, generosity, and her wisdom she shows towards others, her friends, and her family. First through her strength, my mom helps others push through situations they never thought they could, raised two well-rounded daughters on her own, and is also the backbone to herself, always keeping herself up and breezing through life gracefully and with pride. Next, she is my hero since through her generosity she shows in small acts of helping others in need, making sure her daughters are well taken care of, and giving up significant amounts of time to make sure friends in need are okay and doing well. Lastly, my mom shows her heroism through her wisdom she shows towards her daughters, her family, and her friends through her real knowledge of how to handle situations, feelings, and events that she experienced in her own life. Overall, my mom never fails to amaze me through these main traits of strength, generosity, and wisdom, and that is why I would pick her over anyone else to be my personal hero.