“Jackie you’re weird.” I always say this to my sister Jackie when she makes a funny face or does a funny dance like usually does and she always has the same response: “Weird is fun. Normal is boring.” Jackie always finds ways to make any activity fun and interesting. However, She also has a serious side to her. I look up to both. My sister Jackie is one of the most caring, loving, smart, and funniest people i know and motivates me to be a better person everyday.

Jackie is 22 years old, has blue eyes, and has curly blonde hair that she calls her “mane”. She was a dancer and is still very athletic today. When we were little, Jackie was always the one out of the 5 kids in our family to make up a game to play. Even though we had a large gap in age she would always find time to play with me and my brother. She also would invite us to hangout and play games with her older friends. I thought this was really considerate of her because she never had to invite us, but she always did. We played games like dress up and kick ball. We would go outside and play a bunch of different games with the kids throughout the neighborhood and Jackie always made sure me and my brother were included.

When Jackie was in High School, she worked very hard. She had a job at a clothes store and usually got straight A’s throughout school. However, a hardship she faced was test taking. Most people know that the SAT’s and the ACT’s are a huge impact on your future. With test being hard for Jackie she would always have to study twice as hard. I remember when i was little i would go to sleep at night, wake up to go to the bathroom, and she would still be up studying for whatever test she had coming up. With this hard work came rewards. Jackie applied to and got into several colleges, but ended up going to Loyola University Chicago. I was happy that she was going there because she would be close by. I was still a bit sad though because i wasn’t going to see her everyday like i had before. The day that Jackie went off to college i had a soccer tournament so i never really got to say goodbye, but she came home to visit soon after she left so i was happy.

Jackies first year of college was hard for her because of her roommates in her dorm. The first night jackie stayed in her dorm her roommates had locked her out and were passed out drunk in front of the door so she couldn’t get in. She called my parents crying, not knowing what to do because she had never been in a setting like that before. However, situations like this happened multiple times and during each Jackie was very civil and just let them be. After a while, Jackie couldn’t take it anymore so my parents got it sorted out so that she could switch roommates. Her second set of roommates were much more fitting and Jackie was doing well in school. During Jackies third year at college she had an opportunity to go to Africa and help with an organization called, Oasis for Orphans. Jackie had always wanted to go to Africa and now had the chance to go and help kids in need as well. Jackie went with a couple other girls she knew who were also going through the organization. During the trip she contacted us a couple times, and always said she was having a blast. She said things to us like “The kids here are so funny, and have the best attitude about their situations.” When she came back, she had lots of souvenirs and pictures to show us. She had such an amazing time with the kids that she went back the next year. Her trip this time was going to be part of her internship for college. She was going to present some presentations she had made. However, the second time she went she didn’t go with any of her friends. She went by herself which made the rest of my family very nervous. The worries about her skyrocketed when Jackie called from Kenya, and said she had gotten very sick. She said she went to the hospital, and they gave her medicine but it didn’t help. When she called, she complained about vomiting, nausea all the time, weakness, and the chills. This meant that she didn’t get to present her presentation which she was upset about. I was very scared about Jackie, but i knew she was strong and she’d be ok. By the time she came home she was better, and everyone was relieved she was back safely. Once again she had pictures and souvenirs for us even though she was sick for most of her trip. She loved seeing the kids again for the time she could, and didn’t regret the second trip.

After her many journeys throughout college, Jackie wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to major in, but she always knew that she enjoyed helping people. By her fourth year of college she decided she wanted to major in social working. I thought it was a good fit for her because she had always been good with helping people dealing with tough situations. Whenever i was upset she would always find a way to cheer me up. She graduated last year and is now in graduate school. She works at a boys home and helps council the boys. She hopes to graduate from Loyola next year with a masters degree.

Jackie has accomplished so much in her life and has touched the lives of many. The amazing thing about her to me is that she is still so young. Im sure she will continue with her acts of kindness as she graduates college and journeys throughout the rest of her life. My sister Jackie is one of the most caring, loving, and smart people i know. She inspires me to achieve my goals, and showed me that you should help others when you can. I think that the most important thing she taught me is to be myself because after all, “Normal is boring.”