My brother Tim is only twenty-six years old and he’s already had a pretty full life. He and I have had an interesting relationship. We’ve been so close, yet so distant at times. He moved to the United States with my mother and father when he was six years old. I was born when Tim was about ten years old. Since then, we’ve definitely had roles in each other’s lives.

When I was about eight years old, my brother had already left high school and joined the army. One night, around Christmas time Tim came home for the holidays. I could tell that the army had changed him, he became rougher. After a while of catching up, my brother began the boot camp. I remember both of us in the basement and him saying, “Now, you are going to do what I tell you to do, everything I tell you to do.” From that point, I knew I was going to have a tough time with him. Tim made me do all kinds of difficult exercises, each one harder then the last. That night really showed me how the army had changed my brother. He became more of a man, he became serious.

I remember receiving a phone call a couple of years back. I think I was thirteen or fourteen years old. The phone call was from my mother, and it was about Tim. My mom seemed abnormally excited, so I knew Tim did something big. “He got into the University of Washington Law School!” My mom screamed through the phone a few times before I calmed her down. I was impressed with my older brother. I talked to him later that night and he kept telling me how hard he had to work to get where he is. From that point on, I knew that I had to work as hard as I could to be successful.

So, for a while after my brother got into law school, I became a work horse. I wasn’t enjoying my life, and I felt like a zombie. My life was the same every single day. Up until a few months ago, that was my life. A few months ago my brother had a talk with me. My brother said, “Alex, I’m so proud of how hard you’ve been working and how good you’re grades are. But, these things can’t take up your whole life. Before you know it, you’ll be my age. So, please enjoy your life, and have fun.” Those words open my eyes. I realized that not only do I have to work hard, but I have to enjoy my life as well.