Finding one defining moment that stood out most significantly to me is one of the hardest things I’ve had to think about in a while. However, the second I thought of it, I knew without a doubt what I wanted to share with everyone as something that redefined me. When I was a senior in high school, I received a phone call from a woman with a very strong accent that was a bit difficult to understand at first. Initially, I thought I had been receiving a telemarketing phone call as the phone number was out of area and unfamiliar. Typically I don’t answer phone calls that I suspect to be telemarketers but for some reason this day I did. This woman began to continue to talk to me and mentioned that she had received my phone number from a friend and was interested in hiring me as a caretaker for her disabled daughter. I let the woman know that I was only 17 and that I was a very small girl so caretaking a disabled child may be difficult for me. She insisted that I still meet her daughter since they were desperate, so I followed through and arranged a meeting time to meet her daughter. When it came time to meet her, I had found out that the girl was 11 years old and extremely disabled. She was unable to talk, make eye contact or communicate in anyway. The mom sat down with me and opened her notebook to show me a list she had created. She said, “I’m ideally looking for someone who can clean, cook, bathe my daughter, and change her diapers”. Considering the fact that the daughter was already 11 and probably around 80 pounds, carrying her would be extremely difficult for me since I’m such a small girl. I apologized to her and said that I would unfortunately not be able to bathe her and change her diapers. However, the mom stopped me and said “but the final thing on my list is… companionship. I know you aren’t able to do all the things that a normal caretaker can do, but you can offer my daughter friendship.” I smiled over at her daughter and gladly accepted. I had no idea that months later, this girl named Kashish would end up being one of the best things in my life. Taking care of Kashish made me realize how friendship can really impact someone’s life. Kashish would look forward to me coming each day and even would show a small smile across her face when I would walk in the room. I learned so many aspects about myself and my passion for children through this job. I knew that I wanted to continue to change peoples lives in the near future and give friendships to kids who needed a little love in their lives.