Most Heroes Don't Know It Christopher J. Spradling

Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.

I think it’s safe to say that, though he may not know it, Ian Lokey made me who I am more than any other single person I’ve met. When I entered middle school, I became a part of the youth group at my church. That meant I got to meet all the older high school kids, and that’s where I met Ian. I thought he was a very cool guy—partly because he was four years older than me, of course, but also because he had his act together so well. He was an actor and a musician, which made him a rather outgoing person, and he had very refined and respectable ideas about chivalry and etiquette. All in all, he was a great role model, and throughout middle school I looked up to him more than anyone else in church or out of it.

The highlight of every summer at our church was the Youth Camp, and the one during the summer of my freshman year turned out to be nothing short of fantastic. The best part of the week, for me, was when Ian decided to “take me under his wing”, if you will. I’m sure he did so much more out of kindness than he did for the sake of my company (although you’ll never hear him admit that); I...