As the shortest member of my family, it is inevitable that I have to look up to everyone, but it is no coincidence that my brother is the tallest member; after all, I look up and admire him the most.

My brother not only jump-started my indestructible love for competitive swimming but also taught me how to dive through many obstacles and persevere despite the amount of water that filled my lungs. Through his difficult experiences growing up, be built up his resilience and further encouraged me to get back on my feet quickly. I admire his dedication and discipline that drives him to achieve his life-long dreams. After being rejected from his top college choices, he ended up going to his last choice of college. If he had the opportunity today to change which school he attended college, he would not have changed a thing.

After working hard through college, he was admitted to Baylor College of Medicine, then admitted into Harvard as an Emergency Medicine Resident where he will graduate this June and continue for his Masters. Through the many sacrifices he has made, he finally achieved his dream of becoming the best doctor he can be in order to help serve those around him. He truly inspires me to chase my dreams no matter how big they may be. My brother opened my eyes to the real world around me and helped me realize how fortunate I am with an amazing family and the gift of compassion. Through witnessing his passion to help others as an emergency physician, he inspired me to work hard and use my gifts to help others.

Despite his high achievements, he never looked down upon anyone else. His humble nature rubs off on me. I learned how to be humble through him by opening both my mind and heart to my surroundings. He helped me understand that Africa is not a name of a starving little boy, but rather the name of a continent that has one of the highest concentrations of those in poverty. I now understand that North Korea lives in an isolated, brainwashed world. He inspires me to change the world.

My brother never fails to encourage those he loves. He inspires me to become the best version that I can be, and he pushes me to strive for my passions so I can make my own dreams come true. He constantly challenges me to go out of my comfort zone so I can learn new lessons for myself and better understand how the world around me works. Of course, we would be like any other siblings and argue with one another, but despite those moments, he always forgives me no matter what had been said and done. Through him, I have built the person that I am today. Without him, I would not be the same person you would see standing here.

Despite our twelve year age gap and over thousands of miles away from one another, we are inseparable. He has a unique way of making his love known to those around him without any verbal or physical communication. We have many similarities because he is the one that has shaped me and my character. We both have enormous hearts that want to always care and tend for those around us, we are both hard working and would not stop at anything to achieve something that we really want, and we are both quite lazy and messy when time allows us to be.

My brother brings me more laughter than when he tickles me, and he inspires me to bring that kind of joy to the rest of the world. He is not only my brother but my mentor, role model, and best friend. Although I may not grow to be as tall as him, I hope that my heart will grow to become as compassionate and kind as his.