Success is defined differently by each person. I believe Emerson's poem "What is Success?" accurately embodies my definition of success. For me, success doesn't depend on how much money a person makes, what kind of car they drive, or even what kind of house they live in. Success is changing a person's life for the better. In my opinion, the greatest achievement is to positively influence a person. Yes, only a person who is positively influenced is success for me. I believe that every person at one time or another has looked to someone else for guidance, direction and encouragement. The people we admire are the ones we will remember. I don't remember the brilliant person who won the Nobel Peace Prize, who discovered that vaccines effectively eradicate deadly diseases, or even who made People magazine's “hottest list.” The people I remember are the ones I looked to for guidance, direction, and many times encouragement. Because those people have positively influenced my life, I want to be able to do that for others. My goal in life is to give back to others exactly what I have received. With all this in mind, I will find my success in education. Many of the people who influenced me were teachers. As they gave, they taught me the importance of giving back to others through their example. I believe I will reach my definition of success as a teacher and that is why I am pursuing my bachelor's degree in education.