College Essay 1

Everyone changes as they grow old. Personalities change, views on life change and even a whole person can change. What changes us are people we come in contact with. People, especially those we are close to, shape who we are and who we become. I am who I am today because of my best friend Nate. He has helped me through so much. I’ve had a rough couple of years and went through some difficult things. I suffered from a terrible bipolar depression. Even though it was only a year or two, it felt like forever. What made it worse was when I searched for help and I realized I was alone and that made it nearly impossible to recover. I had no one to turn to and no one to support and help me. I did have a few friends but they were “fair weather friends” and only wanted to be around me when it was convenient for them. All of this caused me to be vitriolic and cold.
Then I met my current best friend Nate. I have to ascribe almost all my current strength to his support and friendship. As we grew closer and out bond became stronger, I reached out to him and told him all about my hardships. It was difficult to do, I must admit, but he was surprisingly affable and in the end telling him was a brilliant idea. After I told him, I was surprised at his reaction. He didn’t laugh at me or think me a nuisance and he didn’t run away in fear of my problems. He took me by the hand and helped me through it. He offered to spend time with me when I was alone, pick me up in his car when I was flustered and upset, and take me out for ice cream or something of the sort. It made me feel a bit better simply knowing I had such a supportive friend who will be there for me through thick and thin. He was always text or a phone call away if I needed someone.
What is differentiates him from everyone else is his ability to help me without doing all the work for me. Instead of carrying me when I fall and walking for me, he picked me up, dusted me off, and made me walk myself. Nate remained right by my side but taught me how to find inner strength and taught me not to rely on others to get me through. He showed me that I was (and still am) strong and I can get through anything. “You have to look within yourself if you want to get better” he always said. I did just that. Whenever I felt depressed, instead of sitting and crying, I put forth effort to try and help myself. I found things that made me happy. I created a book of different things that made me smile, I learned how to knit to create a feeling of accomplishment, and I started writing music to release my emotions.
Today, I am a healthy, strong, independent, person because of my best friend Nate. He is still there for me every minute of every day and still helps me when I stumble but ultimately he taught me how to be free of the chains that held me down. He was, and still is, the most influential person on my life.