By Kiara Marcus

I believe heroes come in different shapes and sizes. When I was little I always thought that heroes would be like Superman or a Fairy God Mother, or at least that is how television made it seem. Now that I am older, I recognize that most of my heroes are right in front of me. Maya Angelou, a famous poet said that “ a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” I love this quote because it’s not just putting people who risk their lives or do brave acts as heroes, but anyone who does the smaller things that might save someone. Oftentimes a person might not even know they are being saved because real heroes do so anonymously. Everyone in the world is some type of hero, they eventually do something in life that supports this idea. Heroes exist in a counselor who helps a student see their worth, in the person at McDonalds who pays for the person behind them, and in a coworker who stays late to finish the shift with you. Heroes exist in small acts of kindness that people do everyday.

My grandparents, Sharon and Phillip, are both heroes in my eyes. Before my grandpa passed, my grandparents always focused on keeping my family together, no matter what problems anyone had. They even plan their annual Christmas party around the time when everyone will be in town because being together is so important to them. If you had no plans or no one to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with, they made sure you knew you were welcome. In fact, my grandma would even go out of her way to call a week ahead, and then a few days later, and then the day before, just so I knew what time to be there. Every year they called on my birthday. I always loved that and would wait for their special phone call where they would sing “happy birthday to you” and tell me they loved me. It was always the highlight of my day.

My grandpa is the main reason I want to go to college. Since I was little he was always curious about my success at school. He would ask questions about my classes and my future plans. He would weave talk of going to college into a lot of conversations. He wanted us to be successful and live our very best lives. My grandma has encouraged us to never give up even when times get hard. My grandpa and grandma are heroes because they did everything as an act of love and kindness with no expectation of getting any credit. They just made sure we were okay and felt loved and I will always be grateful for them.

I challenge you to think about your own lives. Are there heroes in your lives that you need to acknowledge? For many of us the answer is yes. We can be relieved with the knowledge that we do not need to be rescued, but grateful for those who show up for us anyway. Even better, we could decide to show up as the hero in someone else’s life.When you wake up tomorrow, you could decide to be the light for someone else. You could be a hero too.

Kiara Marcus is the daughter of Cherita Marcus and Kevin Marcus. She is a College Credit Plus Student who also works full time at Holloway Sportswear. This fall she plans to fulfill her Grandpa Phillip’s dream as she leaves for college to study nursing. In her free time she loves to read and watch her favorite shows on Hulu.