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role-model Essay Examples

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Published: Friday 25th of January 2013

5 Steps to Writing Captivating Personal Essays on Your Role Models

It’s no doubt that different people impact our lives in one way or the other. Essays which talk about how different people positively shape your life show you how you need to learn and relate with others. Here, it’s crucial to remember that although you’re writing about influential people; your essays should always talk about you. So, always try to connect different influences and lessons from your role model to your personal life. In short, the piece of work that you write should always talk about your personal life. With that said, here are the steps that you’ll need to carefully follow:

Step 1: How Has Your Role Model Impacted On Your Life?

To kick-start your essay, you’ll need to answer three of the following questions. Your answers should show how the person influences your life in one way or another. They include:
  1. Who do you admire most in your life? Here, you could talk about the person who you feel has impacted greatly on the society and country as a whole. In the African context, you could mention various freedom fighters such as the late South African President Nelson Mandela who is recognized across the globe. His role in the fight against the Apartheid regime is something that will live long in history.
  2. What exactly do you love most about your role model and why? It’s no doubt that President Barrack Obama touched the hearts of many Americans by being the first Black President of the United States of America. However, his life was not always easy as he struggled with drugs and peer pressure to eventually become a professional lawyer, charismatic Senator, and adored president. He’s the ‘perfect’ example of a role model, especially to the young aspiring generation. His great words, “Yes We Can” motivate and inspire us every time we feel like giving up.
  3. Which are the unique things you’ve learned from this person? The person you choose should impact meaningful teachings into your life. Good examples include: never give up, learning to live in harmony with each other and even the virtue of sacrifice!
  4. How have you incorporated these teachings into your life?
  5. What are the traits of your role model? You could look at their skills, talents, and how they treat others so that you may adopt such skills one day!
  6. What did this person do or say that made a huge impact in your life? Nelson Mandela forgave his captors after being released from Prison back in 1994. Of course, he’s still remembered for such kindness even after his death.
  7. Since meeting your role model, how has your life changed?
So, among these questions, choose the easiest to answer plus one which allows you to tell your story in the best way. Besides, it will help you as you move to the other steps in your essay worksheet!

Step2: Your Essay Should Have a Point of Focus

Your essay should communicate focused and clear points. Your audience should know all that you’re trying to pass across. Take a look at these simple examples:
“My role model is my grandfather. I admire a lot of things about him and I try to incorporate a couple of them in my life. He’s an honest man, with a strong work ethic and great love for family.” “My English teacher inspires me to take up a career in teaching or education. She’s taught me about the importance of being patient while handling a group of students and to always push them to reach for their destiny as well as unlock their true potential.” “My Judo Sensei is arguably the most influential person I know. He teaches me different things such as making small improvements every day until I attain the heights of success. Apart from that, he’s made me believe in myself even when I don’t quite feel like it.”
So, which are the two main points of your essay? Keep in mind that the direction you choose to take should reflect on your personal experience. You need to use this chance to show your reader your character and the person behind it!

Step 3: Look For Some Examples

To showcase your key points, you’ll need to make your paper memorable. Therefore, make sure that you’ve included a lot of examples about your role model as you connect them to your life. Below are some catchy examples:

How should you focus your essay?

“My role model is my uncle. I love and admire him because he’s taught me a lot about life, especially how to be responsible in everything that I do. He’s also shown me the right way of taking care of my community and family.”
Going into the details:
“For the last 20 years, my uncle has kept the same job. He wakes up every morning just to go to work at 5:00 in the morning without complaining. I’ve learned to follow this routine too even in my part-time work at Zippy's. Well, there are days when I don’t feel like reporting to work, but I remember that I’ve made a commitment to my boss and need to be responsible.” “Third Sundays of the month are one of my best days as he invites the entire family to his home for dinner. I also try to do the same to my pals even when I’m a bit caught up with school work. For the last two years, we’ve shared a meal during Labor Day. We did barbeque near the beach with both family and friends.” “My uncle is also quite empathetic and he helps people in different ways. He’s taught me the importance of contributing to the community and to even take part in various public forums and he’s ready to assist the homeless or less fortunate.”
 

Step 4: Give Your Role Model Essay a Strong Ending

Do you love watching movies? If you do, then you know big finales make them more memorable. Follow the same concept even in writing your essay by leaving your audience with one final thought. Some interesting examples include:
“One of the saddest moments of my life is the death of my grandfather. However, it was at this point when I discovered that the lessons he taught me would live long in me until the day I join him in the ‘skies.’ He showed me the value of hard work and to always enjoy life. So, even though I was sad and devastated, I know that his spirit would walk with me even as I went to college.” “I know that I’ll face many challenges especially in college, but I know by applying the different lessons from my coach, I’ll overcome any obstacle. When things get tough, I know that it’s not always about failing but rising back each time I fall.” “My mother has taught me a couple of things but one of the lessons that I’ll always remember from her is that with time, everything gets better. Even when I go through the awful experiences and things seem to be falling apart, I’m sure that soon, everything will be better.”
 

Step 5: Go Through Your Role Model Essay!

Try to write your draft at least one day before submission and look at it with a keen eye. Read it out loud and ask yourself as well as other helpers a few questions. For instance:
  • Does it start off with a bang? Do the first few sentences compel you to keep reading? From the beginning, do you know what to talk about?
  • What does the essay say about you? Does it explain how much your role model has influenced you?
  • Were you able to easily follow the story or did you lose track somewhere along the way? Did it follow a chronological order or does it confuse you?
  • Are there any questions that went unanswered?
  • Which words or phrases have you used a lot of times? Here, it’s good to avoid using the same words in one sentence.
  • Do you think the essay was interesting? Which sections do you feel need some improvement?
  • Was the paper too long? If so, which parts do you want to remove?
  • Is your essay too short? Which parts do you want to remove?
  • How does it end? Does it have a boring or strong ending?

The Best Format for Your Personal Role Model Essay

Opening Paragraph

Include your main point from the second step. If you decide to talk about your grandfather as your role model, highlight all the things that you admire him for and how they’ve helped in shaping your life.

Your Main Body

In this section, you write all the details that support and explain your key point. Keep in mind that you should go back to the first and second steps to look for good details and stories to put in your paper. For instance, if you decide to talk about your English teacher, mention how he or she encourages you to pursue your dreams. Be creative and look for personal stories or people in your life who you feel have amazing characters. A suitable example is when you talk about your uncle. Mention how he treats every member of the family. Show how his amazing character has made you the person that you are today.

How to Write a Catchy Conclusion

Always have a strong ending to your role model essay. Go through step four for amazing ideas such as the death of an important person in your life. Mention how you were devastated when your grandfather passed away. Here, remind your readers of the key role he played in your life together with the different lessons he taught you. Of course, we face many different challenges in life, but having someone to guide you through every step gives you the strength to carry on. You could also mention some of the essential lessons you got from your mom. A good example is how time makes everything better even in your worst experiences. In any case, ending your essay in a captivating way excites and compels your audience to want to read more!

Conclusion

There you have it. With these guidelines, you’re sure to come up with an excellent role model essay!