Common App Essay

Prompt: Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

     

     My cousin Bret never shuts the door when he walks in my house.

     When I was little, my family would visit the Ryan family up in Virginia. My sisters and I would play with my cousins, Erin and Bret, while my parents visited with Aunt Christine and Uncle Jimmy. We never thought anything of it.
     As I grew a bit older, I began to realize that Bret was a little different. “Bret has autism,” my mom told me, “it means that his mind works a little differently than your mind does.” I didn't completely understand, but I knew he had a special diet, and that he knew the capital of every country in the world, while only six years old.
     When I was thirteen years old, the Ryan family bought a house across the street from my house. They visited every summer instead of my family driving to Virginia. Our families grew closer during the summer months, and I grew closer to my cousin Bret. He had become interested in math and science, as had I. We both liked to write crazy stories, and talk about things that our sisters didn't talk about.
      One summer, I built my own website about the Percy Jackson book series. Bret and I posted on the blog, wrote character bios, created a music play list that described the characters, and even made a quiz: “Which god/goddess is your parent?” At one point we had over five hundred hits a day! It was the perfect way for us to communicate when not together.
      Erin and Bret flew down for winter break when I was fourteen. I taught Bret how to build model rockets using materials found around the house. We built a launch pad and even tried out different nose cones, to see which one worked best. My uncle drove us to a nearby soccer field, and we launched them off one by one. For hours we chased them around, retrieving them when we could (though one was lost over the fence!)
      Knowing how to interact with Bret helps me with things I do now. Last year, I participated in a Surfers for Autism event at Fort Myers Beach. Surfers from all over the nation taught over two hundred children with Autism and Down-Syndrome how to surf. I had never surfed in my life, but after leading the kids off the sand and into the water, I realized that didn't matter. The salt water washed away their tears and smiles replaced their frowns. The rest of the day was a blast as I helped them stand up and surf all the way into shore.
       Bret and I still tease each other and joke around like any other family members would. Sometimes, he won't understand my jokes and gets upset so I explain things a second time. He still never shuts the door to my house, but I've learned to ask him to over and over again.