Rocco Solano

I am the youngest in my family and I’m the biggest. I'm 6’5” and a “beast of a kid” people say, and my family is fully Italian. It’s crazy to think of an Italian being this big, and trust me I hear everything about it, but I kind of like it. Being different from everyone else is something that has its highs and lows. Being different makes me feel like I stand out from others. I’ve always been the youngest in my entire family, always the last to do things and not always trusted with things everyone else is. All of this to me is my journey, I see it as something that I had to go through to be where I am today.

When people ask me who my greatest hero is, I can answer, “My Nonno.” When I was seven years old, my grandpa, who we call “Nonno,” had a bad injury that we didn’t know until later triggered his ALS. Growing up seeing my Nonno slowly losing control of his body was something I don’t wish upon anybody. The years passed and I was now around fourteen years old when I finally became that so-called “beast of a kid” and could help my Nonno in a significant way. With my size and strength I was finally a help, being able to lift and carry him chair to chair, clean him, feed him, and overall just take care of him. Being a helper for my Nonno really brought me closer with him than I was before.

Working with my Nonno made me understand the great man he is, and let me know what I must do to become a great man. Being so hands on and caring for my Nonno allowed me to grow and uncover how I can use my talents to help others. While watching my Nonno slowly dying killed me inside, I learned to spend the most time with him I can. Because of my Nonno I also learned to understand the phrase, “Time is Precious,” which many people still take for granted. Whenever I think of slacking off or not doing something, I think to myself of my time with my Nonno and it helps me understand what I must do to move forward in life. That is why when he passed away I took his death harder than most in my family, but I like to think that I knew him better than anyone.

My life has been a journey. My path has had obstacles through it all, but I have persevered gaining more knowledge and experience than most have. I believe that I can be a major role model for many. Overcoming these obstacles has only made me stronger, no matter the bruises they left behind.