According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a role model is: “a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others”. Role models create a sense of trust and admiration to someone or a group of people. Which elicits the question: who are the students of IHS’s role model?

I asked journalism teacher, Mrs. McShane, what she thinks makes a role model. Her reply; “someone who possesses qualities that you desire and strive for”. Next, I asked her who she believes is her role model. McShane says, “my mother and my grandmother were a strong influence on my life. I feel fortunate because I have had some amazing, strong female role models. They were always strong, intelligent, kind and patient”. As a teacher and a mom, I wondered if Mrs. McShane knew anyone that looked up to her. She hopes that her children look up to her. But she also hopes that she behaves in a way that her students respect.

As for student responses, I asked seniors, Tess O’Flynn and Sophie DeGrappo about their encounters with role models. Sophie claims that “a role model is someone who holds the same values as you. You also look to them to find a better version of yourself. You start to acquire aspirations and the feelings of wanting to be them.” Off of that, “I think a role model is someone who not only do you look up to, but like you aspire to portray similar traits as them and someone that you admire as a person,” says Tess. She runs off of that idea saying; “My mom is my role model because she’s helped me through a lot of stuff and is always there for me. I also look up to her as a person and all her values. I’ve tried having the same ones.”

When DeGrappo was asked who her role model is, she answered with Mr. Coehlo. “He has  values and characteristics that I want in my life and anyone should want in their life. He is brilliant, intelligent, and caring. His good characteristics make you want to look up to him. Mr. Coehlo’s perspective on life and how he treats other people and himself makes you want to look up to him. He teaches everyone to have self-respect and self love. Overall, he projects good energy wherever he goes. He shares his wealth of being a  good person with everyone else. He makes other people feel good, when you are around him. He radiates his energy to everyone. It tells me I should be the light to everyone else, because he is the light to us. He embodies what you want to see in yourself. Your best version of yourself is him. What you want to be is him. He is a bright light in a  very dark world.”

Role models don’t always have to be older than you. Having someone around your age, in the same place as you is something to look after. Some people may look at people their age as possible competitors. If you look at it from another perspective, they are people going through the same steps as you, maybe more elegantly or not. Many people can look at their best friend and call them their role model, I know I can. They have a goal they want to achieve, and still make the time to bring you along the journey. Sophomore Bella Bruno says, “I would say my friends because you are who you’re friends with and my friends are amazing people and they’re nice and they’re funny and I think they’ve shaped me to be who I am and I’m very, very grateful.”

My role model is my dad. For only 40 years of life, he was able to do so much. He travelled all across America to discover the terrain in the country he calls home. But he also travelled to many other countries to learn about the different cultures and geography of the world. He took every step he could to live the life he dreamed of fulfilling. He found people who cared about him. Those people were his own role models of people who thought of him as a role model. 

From my own perspective on this question. I believe a role model is someone who sets the bar to where you want it to be. Whether they have achieved it or not, they have a goal that you one day aspire to accomplish. Being a role model is important to everyday society because someone out there has either reached where you want to be, or knows the steps that can be taken to reach said goal. When you are in school, teachers, professors, or even students have reached the goal of that class. In the workforce, bosses, managers, administrators, or coworkers do the same. Role models are all around you, but the way they present themselves and their knowledge is what makes them a role model.