You wanted to know what makes me me, so I guess I will tell you. My name is Hanna D. I was born on October 31, 1992 at 2:15 in the morning. I am 60% German, 30% Irish, and 20% English. I am just like every other teenage kid. I have a mom, a dad, and an older brother. I like to hang out with friends, talk on the phone, and play soccer. I might be a little different because I have a step dad and a little step brother, but that’s just fine with me. I love my family and friends; they mean the world to me. There are a lot of other things that have shaped me into the person I am today.

I was named after my Great Grandma Anna. My mom was very close to her grandma so she knew that she wanted Anna as a part of my name, but she also wanted me to have my own name. My mom wanted to make sure that I didn't have too much pressure to live up to. Now that my great grandma has passed away I am glad that a piece of her is always with me. My great grandma was a wonderful woman that no one could ever dislike. One day I hope that people will say the same thing about me.

What is most important to me is the people in my life that had made me me. My family is everything to me. I don't know what I would do without them. They have taught me many things and they have supported me no matter what. My family has their moments but we're not perfect. We have our highs and our lows but the one thing that never changes is we will always be family. No matter what I do in my life I know I will always have people in my life that love me for me.

Being the middle child is not all that great. I am constantly referred to as Brock's little sister. Then when we go to my little brother Charlie's baseball or football games I get to hear, that's Charlie's older sister. I just feel like turning around and saying my name is Hanna. When you're the middle child it's hard to have your own identity especially when you are in school. You are always compared to them, like my older brother is really artistic and good with his hands. So he took ceramics and got an A and made really good projects, but when I took that class I was just average and I could see the teacher comparing me to my brother. Sometimes it is hard for me to live up to what people expect of me. I do my best though and everything works out for the best.

Even when things get tough or go wrong my family is always there for one another. Like this summer when my grandma had to be admitted to the hospital because the cancer was causing her organs to shut down, you would find my family in the ICU waiting room. In the Intensive Care Unit we weren’t allowed to sit in my grandma’s room all the time, we could only visit with her for fifteen minutes at a time. So when my family wasn’t in her room we would all sit and talk, read, or watch TV together. Then when it was lunch time my cousin and I would go get lunch so we could all eat together. Then at night we didn’t want to leave my grandma alone so we all took turns spending the night. Then a week later my grandma died. The night she died my brother, my two cousins, my mom, and I all spent the night at my grandpa's house. This family unity has meant a lot to me and it also taught me that I will never have to go through anything alone.

My favorite family tradition is where the whole family gets together on Christmas Eve. My mom and I normally helped my grandma cook some of the food the day before, then on Christmas Eve we would be out at my grandparents’ house at least two hours before the rest of the family shows up. Then around 5 o'clock my uncle and my younger cousin show up at my grandparents’. Then around 5:15 come my brother and sister-in-law and their two babies. We are all sitting around waiting for my older cousin to show up. She is normally and hour or so late, so we just got in the habit of telling her to show up around 4 o'clock. So then around 5:30 my cousin shows up. We all sit around and talk and watch TV while my mom and grandma finish up the food. Then around 6 o'clock you can smell that the food is ready. We always have baked ham, mash potatoes, green beans, rolls, chicken noodles, and some other things. Then my grandma would tell us to go grab a seat at the table. We would have two tables, one for the adults and the other for my younger cousin, my step-brother, my nieces, and me. Once we are all done with dinner and the dishes are cleared we all sit down around the tree. Then my younger cousin starts to pass out the presents. We all laugh, talk and open up the presents, while cameras are going off here and there. After we are all are done with the presents it’s clean up time. Then we all just sit around and watch football and check out our presents more thoroughly. Christmas Eve is my all time favorite family tradition.

As you can tell by now family is the most important thing in my life that has shaped the person you see here today. I don't think I would have turned out this way if I had a different family. My mom, my dad, my brother, my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, and my cousins have made me who I am today. For that I will never ever forget who I am or where I came from. To put it simple, I am Hanna Marie Dierks, and I could not be more thankful for who I am.