Life Event that Has Had The Most Influence on You

The Everchanging Influence of Life Events

Life is a journey that is constantly changing and developing, everything has a beginning and an end. Some say that life is like a rollercoaster, it’s always up and down; but we’re always going through it. Each individual a perspective on how they want their life to be. Many events that have taken place in my life have been significant significant and have helped me grow stronger. As I prepare my lifeline of interlocking trajectories, each sector is important in my life, from family to education to work.

What Had the Most Influence on My Life: Family

When I think about my life interlocking trajectories, family involvement plays an important role in life. My family has made me who I am today, without my parents pushing me to excel in school and my siblings’ guidance, I would not be where I am today. They challenged me, inspire me, and guide me through any obstacles in life. My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1985 as refugees after the Vietnam War. This life event turned my parent’s life into a better perspective and opportunities. Similar to Mahdi Madhi’s Shared Journal, each immigration journey is unique (Hutchison, pg.6). Growing up, my parents would tell me stories about living in Laos, the resources they lack such as education, jobs, homes, and food sources. The stories they tell will always remain in my life as an eye-opener. In today’s society, we have many different varieties of resources given to us. Even though I may not have lived the harsh lives my parents did, this is a huge life event in my life, that I am happy they have the opportunity of coming to the U.S to give us the resources we have today and a future for us. According to Hutchison, each transition changes family statuses and roles and generally is accompanied by family members’ exit and entrances. (Hutchison, pg.15). By the age of adolescent, my older sister got married, when she left, I felt this was a life event for me. I felt that I lost a sister and a best friend who wouldn’t be sharing the same household as me. During the same time when my sister got married, my only brother at that time left home for college, this transition almost everything in my life. My two oldest siblings are on their path while I am behind; however, even if they are near or far, their guidance will remain with me. As I’m thinking about my future, I hope my family will continue to live up until the age of 100 and on to see me achieve more in life. I hope to start a family of my own and teach my children wisdom and continue to share my parent’s stories how they immigrated to the U.S for opportunities and a better future not only for them but also for us.

Education: Foundation for Success

Education plays a key role in shaping individuals that are successful. Education is more than learning from books, it also shows how the older generation can pass down their life wisdom to their children. My father always told me, “Education will always take you higher in life.” My father came to the U.S. for better opportunities such as education, career, housing, and for our future. With the lack of resources he had when he was growing up, his hard work till this day remains genuinely appreciated. Education is an important priority in my life, being able to achieve one step higher as I get older, it lays the foundation stone for my future. This was something my dad wished he had when he was younger. As I look upon my life interlocking trajectories, graduating high school was a big turning point in life as I am entering adulthood in college. Leaving home and my parents behind to attend college at the age of 17 was a transition for me. Similarly to Mahdi who is excited about the transition from high school to college (Hutchison, pg. 14). As the years pass by I will be done with college, graduating with a Health & Human Services degree by the age of 22. The life course is full of transitions in roles and statuses; graduating from college is an important life transition that opens many opportunities for future statuses (Hutchison, pg.14). As I continue on my education, I plan on transitioning my bachelor degree by achieving my next step with nursing. Furthermore, if I feel like I am not done pursuing my education, I would love to continue my nursing path with a master degree. Education is an important part of one’s life, it leads us to the right path and gives us a chance to pass on our wisdom to the next generation.

Influence of Career on My Life

There are two types of people in life; those who work hard to achieve something they desire and those who sit around and wait for things to be given to them. When I turned 14, I got my first job and receive my first paycheck, this transitions me into becoming more independent and taking more responsibility at a young age. At the beginning of college, I stop working I wanted to focus on my education, this took a toll on me especially since I moved away from home and my parents, I was not financially stable. After a few years, I was ready to get back to working and learning how to balance work and education, this was definitely a challenge for me; however, I did not give up and was able to land a job as a seasonal associate, with hard work and dedication, my work was appreciated and I was promoted to a keyholder manager position. As I look into my life interlocking trajectories, I hope my occupational events will be as bright as it is right now, no matter where we end we always begin from the bottom and work our way up. No matter where we start from, I believe each job will teach us the value of working hard to achieve something we want. In the next few years, I hope I will become a nurse and help those in need until I can fulfill my lifeline. 

Works Cited

1. Hutchison, Elizabeth D. Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment. SAGE Publications, 2021.