Older brothers can be quite a pain in the a** sometimes. They are who teaches you to fight because they love to pick arguments. They often don't censor what they say to you, especially since you're younger. However, despite all the bad times my brother and I have gone through together, he is one person I know I could not live without. He has taught me many valuable lessons about life that I could never learn from anyone else, nor would I want to. He was my first friend and understands me inside and out. He has had my back from day one just as I have had his. We support each other through thick and thin. Here are some of the many things he's taught me:

1. Family Comes First

Being of Sicilian and Puerto Rican descent, the concept of family is a very important component of life. it is the backbone of what makes you, you. The saying “blood is thicker than water” is a motto that we strive on. The family that we were born into automatically means that, no matter what, we need to do what it takes to support each other. Oftentimes, I would try to be the “black sheep” or do my own thing, but my older brother always reminded me who ultimately is there for me in the long run. And he’s not wrong. Even with divorced parents, the concept of family is still there. The underlying morals and rules still apply because they love me the same.

2. Never Lose Yourself To Anyone Else

Whenever I start to be someone I am not, my brother notices. He points it out to me and I don’t always like to hear it, but I appreciate it and take it into consideration. No one likes to be told that they’re acting different, which is why this proves his love for me. He loves me enough to say that I am good enough without having to worry about being someone I’m not.

3. ...Especially Not To a Boy

I remember being in high school and telling him about what my abusive boyfriend had done. He turned to me and he goes “that is textbook douchebag”. I hadn’t seen the fault in it until my brother pointed it out. One time, he threatened to beat up this boy who was spreading rumors about me. My brother got his friends to circle him and scare the shit out of him. I will never forget that. He took matters into his own hands because he cared about my reputation as well as what kind of sister he helped raise. In college, he’s always been my calmness to turn to. When I feel bad for not saying hi to someone, he calms me down because in reality, who cares? The faces of the boys I tell that I have a protective older brother too, are priceless.

4. Self Respect and Confidence Is What Is Going To Guide You Through Life

Whenever I doubt myself or degrade myself, he gets angry with me. He sees my ability to do well more than I do at times. He knows what it is like to make poor decisions and it hurts him to see when I do the same. When I think of transferring schools, he helps me through why staying at DePaul is a good idea.

5. Work On Getting Good Grades and Doing What Makes YOU Happy

He sees my ability to work hard and get good grades and therefore feels disappointed when I care more about going out than I do about my well-being. He has been through his own hell and back and yet has worked harder to be who he wants to be more than anyone else I know. That’s why he’s my inspiration.

6. ...But Take Your Time

As a type A planner, I don’t like unanswered futures or questions. Therefore, I put a lot more on my plate than I can handle at times. My older brother reminds me to slow down and enjoy the moment by doing what I want to do. It’s okay to have unanswered questions because nothing ever goes as planned. There are always opportunities coming if you happen to miss one. You must be able to get yourself together before you can truly embrace life and be okay with it.

7. Don't Over-drink When You Go Out

I fall victim to this more than I would like to admit. I mean, we all do. We all like to go out and release our stress by using substances to forget. However, the problems always come back the next day. Whatever you may feel, you will feel again. Because unless you work hard at life, you will never fix or accomplish anything. It’s not attractive to be unable to walk or to not be able to formulate sentences. In fact, it is quite dangerous with the dangers of this era. If you aren’t protecting yourself and are aware of your surroundings, you are in danger of getting yourself into situations that are not ideal. And in fact, I have. And it sucks. It isn’t enjoyable to have flashbacks randomly when you drink. It is something that you work through, but you shouldn’t have to.

8. That He Always Has My Back

Even though we fight more than cats and dogs, when it comes down to it, he has my back. When I call him freaking out, he takes control of the situation. He either calls my parents to come get me, comes to get me himself, or talks through whatever is on my mind. That is all I could ask for. I hope he knows I have his back too.

9. Greek Life Isn't Everything

When I feel stressed out over minute issues in my sorority, he is able to talk me through it. He was in the top frat at his previous university, so he knows Greek life more than anyone. We have similar stories, which helps us to relate. When I feel alone with my thoughts about Greek life, our sibling senses kick in and he happened to have felt the same way. This is such a huge support because he has shown me that you don’t need to be in Greek life to be happy, and in fact, it can hinder your happiness at times.

10. We Have True Sibling Senses

Something that happens a lot is I receive texts when I am thinking of him. I go to text him and he sent me a text right at that moment. That is not pure coincidence, that is sibling sense! When I was younger, my mom would make him translate what I was saying because she couldn’t understand me. Ever since then, we connect on a deeper level. Even though we may not always understand each other, he always gives me advice anyways.

11. He Doesn't Go Easy On Me

Whether it’s being brutally honest about what he thinks of me or my choices, or through playing games on our iPhones, he always made me want to work harder. With not going easy on me, he encourages me to be my best. He accepts my failures, but he expects me to fix them and not make the same ones. He always carried the motto of “Ok, this happened. What are you going to do about it?” And that motivates me to get out of my shit.