Outliers

I think it is very common to associate people's actions and behaviors with their individual decisions, but after reading the article about Roseto, it is clear that people are influenced, and even fuel off of their environment. It's weird to think that the people of Roseto were able to eat unhealthily and still live very long lives. But then that makes you think about why so many people in the world are unhealthy. We can't all be happy and carefree like the people of Roseto, so I think that does contribute to the amount of people that suffer from different illnesses. Being healthy isn't just about being physically sound, it's about being happy and at ease with the life you live. When you're happy, you feel better, and I think that physical health does follow after. It's interesting to think about how big of an influence your environment has on you. When my great grandpa was only 50, he died of a heart attack. My great grandma was always extremely physically healthy. But as she got older, the absence of my great grandfather took a greater toll on her. When she reached 98, she was so lonely and sad that she just gave up the will to live. She died in her sleep, but it wasn't of a heart attack or any illness; it was because of her lack of happiness. I'm sure that she could have lived many years after that but she wasn't happy, so her body wasn't as healthy as it could have been. I know it's not the same exact thing that happened with the people of Roseto, but I think it shows how people are affected by how they feel, and the people around them. My great grandma's death didn't have anything to do with the food she ate, or any kind of diet.

Who Am I?

My name is Julia, and I am 17. I've lived in Buffalo Grove all of my life, and I guess it's an okay place. I'm Japanese-American, but sadly, I don't speak Japanese. My dad was born in Japan, but he moved here when he was four, so he doesn't remember much of the language. I have three brothers, two older and one younger. Their names are Kevin, Michael and Eric. Kevin just graduated from DePaul and Michael is going to be a sophomore at University of Maryland. My younger brother Eric is in 8th grade. I have a dog named Cocoa and she's pretty awesome. My family and friends are the biggest influences in my life, I always look to them for advice and support. It's important to me to have a good relationship with my family, especially because I'm going to college next year so I won't see them as much. The colleges I've been looking at are very small, around 1500 people. A lot of people think I'm crazy for wanting to go to such a small school but I think it'll be the right decision for me. It's important to me to be able to relate well with my teachers, because I think that I learn better that way. So far my first choice for college is College of Wooster in Ohio, and I also liked Coe College in Iowa. I'm not sure what I want to study yet, but I know I want to be able to help people. I'm excited for this year because I'm taking AP Psychology and Sociology, and those are two subjects that I hope interest me. Well, that's pretty much me!