Six months ago almost seven, I started my journey. I had just gotten in a car accident and been broken up with. I was at a very terrible time in my life. Then finally I listened to my heart, it was screaming at me.
“DO IT, DO IT!” I heard.
I knew exactly what I had to do, and the perfect time for it was coming. Hurricane or super storm sandy was on her way.

I have had this crazy dream since I was three years old. That’s when I came up close and pretty personal with it for the first time. I have always been very strong hearted and willed but small. Everyone doubts that a ninety-eight pound, five-foot- one, seventeen-year-old girl can fight fires. Quite frankly I disagree. My mom, dad, and best friend who I met through my journey, also disagree. I have always been told to chase my dreams, that I can do what ever I put my mind to. Well I set my mind to becoming a fire fighter a long fourteen years ago. I told myself that this was what I wanted to do. I had watched my parents leave the house to go out on runs hundreds of times and come home with smiles on their faces because they knew that they had done something good. I knew when I saw my first fire that I wanted to volunteer and nothing was going to stop me.

Well, when I was fifteen, which is the age you can be brought in for junior membership, I broke my foot running track. My dreams went up in flames. I was crushed. Then the fire was rekindled at the age of sixteen when my foot was fixed finally. I had spent the night at the firehouse for a hurricane the summer right before my sophomore year started. I had loved it. Then right before I had planned to put my application in I met a boy. My dream of becoming a firefighter took the back burner. I gave all my time to this boy. He had wanted to become a firefighter to. For the same company I wanted to but his mom wouldn’t let him so once again the dream sat on the back burner. Then back in October of this year, my junior year, I was in a car accident. The next day that boy broke my heart. My dream rekindled its fire once again and has taken his spot. It has finally become my time to shine.

As we sat in the television room at the fire house talking my mom and I got on the topic of me volunteering. Finally the question came bursting out of me.
“ MOM! Can you get me an application?” I nearly screamed with excitement.
“For what?” she responded.
“Junior membership?” I nearly whispered asking so innocently.
“I thought you would never ask again.” She said as she got up to go get me the application.
When she came back into the room she had the standard Junior Membership application. I was so excited. I filled it out right away and handed it in. Then put on Facebook that I had finally put in my application. with doing that someone I had only met like twice commented on it. he said how awesome it was that I was finally joining. After that, we got to talking and I had found myself a BEST friend. Someone I knew wasn't going to leave my side. He has helped me through a lot since he came into my life. And with his support I have strove to catch my dream. Every time I have fallen down since the start of our friendship he has picked me up dusted me off and put me back on track.

Today, seven months later, I am finally a fire fighter. With my "brother" (best-friend) right there by my side the night I got brought in. It’s amazing to finally be able to say that. No one had faith in me. They’ll vote no on account of how small you are they would say. You are going to get hurt they all teased. But even with all that, I stuck with it. And despite all the criticism, I have finally caught my dream after years of chasing it. Can I be your hero?