Megan Lipke

I have always had a strong relationship with my sister, Megan. She may not know it but she is most likely the reason why I love math. Not a ton of people can say those words, but for me, they ring true. I can thank my sister for this because she is the one who got me started on this track and that is not all but she has gotten me interested in almost all of the subjects that I am currently in. So, to be honest, what most people don’t notice about my life is how much my sister has played a role in it. Growing up, I was the youngest of three children and the only boy. Some say that I got lucky because girls are harmless, but trust me my sisters did not fit the definition of harmless. However, the sister in closest proximity to me, Megan, was only two years older than I and we connected a little more than my oldest sister Carly. There countless pictures of us together, having fun. Not to say that I didn’t have fun with Carly-- we just didn’t relate to each other as well. Even though the picture show Megan and I embracing each other before either of us was five, those aren’t the days I remember with her. I remember sitting up
in Megan’s room, while she taught me how to write in cursive while I was in first grade. When I first started, I was just connecting all the letters, which was close, but my sister showed me the correct way. I would like to say that her teaching me cursive made me who I am today but that would be I lie. I used cursive one two occasions, when I am signing for a transaction and when I write my name on the top of my spanish papers because I think it looks cooler in cursive. Yet, there was another lesson my sister taught me in first grade and it was actually simple multiplication. This may seem very simple, but when my teachers saw that I was using multiplication on my in and out boxes instead of addition, they had me moved up to a higher math class. In this higher math I was able to extend my knowledge and learn things that my classmates would not learn until the next year. I did not know it at the time, but my sister had set me up for major success in mathematics. In the years to come I would actually surpass her in math. It made her mad and I do feel bad. I occasionally helped her when she needed it but not nearly as much as she helped me those many years ago. Without Megan I not would be taking Calculus BC in my senior year of highschool... and loving it!
Megan was also the one who interested me in the sciences, though, accidentally. She was two years ahead of me in science so she was always doing cool things in science and got a sneak preview. Did I actually get to do them?--no. But they left me in anticipation for the next few years. Again this ended up kicking her in the but because while she is taking college chemistry, I am also taking college chemistry though an AP course. She will always have the upper hand on me when it comes to reading and social studies, though. She had me addicted to casual reading by giving me hand-me-down books, but educational reading still eludes me--unless it is interesting literature such as science or math. Once past middle school, my sister may have found ways to influence me that were not as related to scholarly activities. Beginning freshman year, she just about forced me to play lacrosse. I had no interest as I did not understand the rules nor was I the right body type for the sport. Nonetheless, I gave it a shot. As shown on my application, I fell in love with the game. My sister, once again, had me hooked on something that she had shown me. Luckily for her, I will never be as good of a lacrosse player as her. My sister was very active in the school and without her I do not think I would have grown to be the communally active person that I am. She was the student senate president at one time and again I was a senator, attending every meeting and event in fear of being kicked out if I did not. Through student senate I have made loads of friends while helping my school and community, all thanks to Megan. My whole family has had a tremendous influence on me, as has everyone's; but one person in particular has has the most influence on me: Megan Lipke.
If it weren’t for those days in second grade I truly doubt that I would be where I am at academically. Without her I would I would not have had the drive to pursue things out of my comfort zone. And anyone who knows me know would say that there aren’t many legal things that I wouldn’t try. I am lucky to have a sister that was such a good role model for if Megan was not, I may have been lead down a path of corruption. Through all my years of growing up and becoming who I am today Megan has taught me how to be a scholar, an athlete, and an individual. She has gone unrecognized for all of these years, but I owe a lot to her. Though she would call me a nerd for it, but it's her fault that I love
math!