10 miles. 20 minutes. That is the distance and time it takes to drive a car, at the speed limit, from my house to St. Vincent – St. Mary High School. More importantly, it is the time and distance my brother Griffin Spinner and I drive to school each day. And it is during this time in which I have his attention all to myself. With a brother like Griffin, it is hard to get his attention. Between his commitments to soccer, school, and friends, Griffin is always in high demand. However during these daily drives Griffin was stuck with me. And I with him. Some days we sang along to songs on the radio. Some days he helped me review for a test, or maybe discuss a problem I was having at school. Most of all, it was just a great time to talk …show more content…
As a little girl, I found it hard to say “Griffin” correctly. Most of the time when I tried to say his name it came out as “Rickin” which was then shortened to “Ricky.” Names I still call him today. But no matter what you call him, my brother is a special person and has been an excellent role model to me these past 2 years at STVM. Academically, he is a member of National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. I see each night how hard he studies and how important his grades are to him. His hard work paid off and he will be attending the Ohio State University next fall with the goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. This has made me want to take my studies seriously and reach for my dreams. Athletically, he played soccer all four years at STVM and this season was named captain of the varsity soccer team. I attended every game and watched first-hand the time and effort he dedicated to the sport, how hard he played, how personal he took each loss, and how he even overcame injury. In fact, my favorite memory was during his Junior year when he had the game winning goal against Hoban while playing with a broken wrist. Griffin has also been a role model in faith. He was my confirmation sponsor back in 8th grade, a peer minister at STVM, and is an example every day to me on how to live a faith-based life. And socially... well... he is Griffin Spinner! Griffin loves to smile and make others smile as well. He is quick with a joke, but …show more content…
It is also pretty awesome to realize that I am not alone in having a sibling in the Senior class. In fact there are 21 sets of Senior-Sophomore siblings at STVM. All have the honor of But even if you don’t have a sibling in the class of 2016, you most certainly have a role model. The class of 2016 will go down as one of the most special in STVM history. 10 miles. 20 minutes. It doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but for these past two years, it has meant the world to me! Those times with my brother I will treasure forever. But like all good things, now it is time for the next stage in life’s journey. In just a couple of months I will be driving myself to school each day. I will miss my big brother and the quality time we shared. And I will have a new distance and time. 116 miles. 2 hours. That is the time and distance from my house to the Ohio State University where Griffin will attend college. I plan on making that trip many times to visit Griffin and his friends, so look out Ohio