A hero can be more than just a monster-slayer or a lifesaver. A hero can be anyone who has a positive influence on another. For me, my father has affected my life in a positive way. I look up to him, and he is my hero and role model. My connection to him is that he is my father. He is a mechanical engineer, who currently works for Parker Aerospace Group. He received his bachelor’s degree from Kettering University and a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University. He grew up in Michigan, and lived there for 34 years. He has worked all over the United States and overseas.


Ordinary people can be courageous in different ways than epic heroes, such as Odysseus. Courage can be shown through taking risks. My father has taken career risks. He moved his family to southern Texas, so he could get more opportunities in the auto industry. He actually worked in Mexico. The risk was moving his family to a new place and working with a new culture. After working 25 years, he took a more stable job at a new company, to make sure his family would be able to have a consistent income. As said by my father, “Sometimes you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and take risks to see what you are truly capable of.” These risks also affected his family, although he took those risks because of them. His family had to move twice to places with no relatives or friends. He also travels a lot; however, he makes time for his family.


Just as Odysseus helped his son and sailors, my father helps people and businesses. He helps companies become more cost effective and productive. He does this by studying the way they do business and their production. He uses his knowledge and experience to help them make improvements. This allows them to compete with foreign companies. Since the companies can compete with foreign ones it helps keep jobs in the United States. With that people can keep their jobs and not be unemployed so they can support themselves and their families.


Even though Odysseus never teaches, that does not mean it is not a heroic trait. My father teaches classes and people. As I said he helps businesses but he also teaches people how to do it for themselves. He shows them how to fix problems and have them think of ways to become more efficient. The more people he teaches the more efficient his company can become because of all of the people doing it. He has said “I really enjoy teaching others new concepts that allow them to make improvements in business and in life. Helping others to help themselves.” With all the people doing this the company can become very efficient and become even more competitive with other companies, including foreign ones.


Odysseus goes to wars and runs his kingdom so he can provide for his family and all of the citizens of Ithaca. My father provides for his family. He went to college so he could get a good job and make money. Since he makes money he can give his children the same experiences he had growing up and new ones. This way when they grow up they can also contribute to society. Along with experiences, he saves up money for a rainy day and for their college, which also helps them become productive members of society. My father said “Education was very important to my father and he used that as a baseline to become a productive member of society. He instilled those values in me and I ha laid the foundation for those values to be passed onto my boys.”


To be a hero you do not need to save lives or slay monsters, all you need to do is make a difference in someone’s life. My father does that very well, not only for his family, but also for other people. He is a great father and helps people keep their jobs. He is similar and different to Odysseus. He is a modern day hero.