"How have your past circumstances and experiences (such as your upbringing, community, and/or activities) impacted who you are, your future goals, and your choice of major? If you haven't decided on a college or major yet, briefly explain your intentions and aspirations for your first year at Illinois. Please limit your response to approximately 300 words."
Nonstop chatter, late-night music blasting, and constantly getting kicked out of my room - a typical life for a younger sister of teen boys, the only difference is that my brothers have Autism. They cause messes and mayhem almost everyday. Handling them takes much experience and even more patience. They are perpetual toddlers. My mom has no spouse and has been unemployed since 1992 when the twins were born in order to fully take care of them. It’s a tough job, even with my help. In the past, my brothers have run away from home, escaped the car, not paid attention to oncoming traffic, attacked family and strangers, and endangered our lives. They don’t understand when something isn’t safe. They don’t always listen or understand us. The best we can do is try to look out for them.
Occasionally I want nothing to do with my brothers. They keep me up at night playing sing-along tapes, eat us out of house and home, put their hands on me, and scare away some of my friends. People don’t understand how hard it is to live with them. But when I mention my brothers, I always try to put them in a positive light. They have their sweet moments, like when Julian picked up my forgotten doll, or when Jordan told mom to get a pink Christmas tree because it’s my favorite color. They impact my life tremendously - even my name gives them credit - Julian said “Nicoleh” a lot before I was born, so my mom made Nicolette my middle name. I love my brothers so much for all they’ve given me: experience, adventure, love, hope, and even part of my identity. Being a part of the “3JGs” is what drives me to make my life a little less typical.
GREAT!!
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