Katie Jeffress World History 3 CCOT Essay 24 September 2010

My life began on August 4th, 1995. During my fifteen years of life, the birth of my baby brother, Ashton, and my introduction to music were the two most important changes throughout the years. Although these two events changed my ambitious goals and learning style, my positive attitude and love for learning still remained. My life was turned completely upside down when my baby brother arrived from the hospital. As soon as he was brought through the door, I knew that I had to change to become a better role model for him. I began to seek out new activities and tried my best to dominate in every single one of them. By sixth grade, I was involved in soccer, kickball, swimming, math club, piano lessons, and other miscellaneous clubs and activities. I became highly ambitious and set high goals for myself, usually reaching almost every one of them. I spent any free time I had practicing sports, studying for tests, or improving various skills. Even though I was pushing myself to the limit, my positive attitude never changed. Warding off negative thoughts helped me to improve many skills and maintain an eagerness to succeed. My ambitious goals resulted in many awards and helped me to earn respect from my peers and family members. Another event that altered my lifestyle was my introduction to music. My first piano lesson in second grade seemed to awaken a whole new section of my brain. From that moment on, I began to notice more details in life. I suddenly become aware of small things, such as the intricate patterns on the living room rug or tiny holes in the trees outdoors. As my musical knowledge progressed, I began to learn information in a different way. Math seemed to make more sense

than before and reading became significantly easier. Music altered my learning style, resulting in the improvement in many of my core classes. Although the discovery of music changed my education style, my desire to discover remained the same. Learning new information had always been a hobby of mine, and the discovery of music seemed to make acquiring knowledge easier. These two important events caused significant changes in my life. Without these occurrences, my life would be exceedingly different today. My introduction to music and the birth of my baby brother altered both my ambitious goals and my learning style. However, my positive attitude and love for learning has remained present throughout my fifteen years of age.