One of the firsts examples that came to my mind when thinking about an inspirational man, was Uncle Iroh from the tv show Avatar the Last Airbender. Uncle Iroh seems to be able to remain calm and to enjoy life. At the same time, he guides his nephew through decisions and difficult times. He focuses on others and learns from different people. He listens to others and is extremely patient with his nephew. He always has good advice and is ready to help everyone even strangers.

In our world, I think Martin Luther King has been an inspiration for many of us. The way he chose to fight peacefully over violence and hatred is admirable. I would hope all of us can learn something from his actions. He decided he wanted a better future for children of color, so he went against the violation of human rights. And his speech is known by plenty of people now days as well as the phrase: “I have a dream”

I think that, to be inspirational, a person has to be an example of what you aspire to be or do. Someone can inspire people because of his work, his music or art. On the other hand, someone might be an inspiration because of the values that he or she possesses. They can also be inspirational by presenting to you new perspectives and a way of life that you may want to follow. In conclusion, someone that gives us a lesson or insight in our life.  

A person that has been an inspiration to me since my childhood is Saku Koivu, a former centre and captain of the Montreal Canadiens.

On September 6th 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma. Even after receiving such devastating news, he stated that he wouldn’t give up and that he would win this fight. This incredible strong spirit and perseverance led him to recover fully and return on the ice on April 9th 2002. In the years following his remarkable recovery, he created the Saku Koivu Foundation which helped provide Montreal with its first PET/CT, located at the Montreal General Hospital, as well as fund Cancer & Trauma initiatives in collaboration with the Montreal General Hospital Foundation. To me, what qualifies someone to be considered an inspiration is their positive impact on the world; it is their selflessness, their courage, their generosity, their optimism… Saku Koivu makes you want to be a better person, to help others and to never give up, no matter how dire the situation seems. He has taught many – he has taught me – that there is more to life than winning a hockey game; winning is knowing that you have made someone else’s life better.

The man who I have chosen for this blog post is my high school music teacher named Pierre. He was an extremely passionate man who always pushed us to be the best we could be. He himself was a professional trombonist for many years in different orchestras. He eventually had to give up playing seeing as he developed an issue with his jaw that made him unable to keep performing. This didn’t stop him from keeping music in his life by becoming a teacher. Through his teaching and drive to help students understand the importance of music, I discovered my passion. He is the reason I am pursuing music now in CEGEP and hopefully in university next year. For the last 15 years, Pierre has been inspiring and helping students like me discover the beauty of the music world. His love for this art form was felt throughout the classroom and I always think of him whenever I have an important audition approaching. For these reasons, he has inspired me in my life and will continue to inspire others for his whole career.

Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant recently passed away on January 26th 2020 during a helicopter crash. Sadly, one of his daughters were part of it. He’s one of the best players in basketball history and many people look up to him. He retired at the end of the 2015–2016 NBA season after playing with the Los Angeles Lakers. That was one of my favourite basketball teams. Bryant was also a very smart and cerebral player. He has inspired many athletes around the world. Growing up, my dad always loved basketball and hoped that one day his daughter would be part of a team but I ended up liking girly things but I still enjoy watching basketball games. Kobe is inspirational to me because he was able to use his platform to teach kids lessons from his experiences and mindset throughout his journey as a professional NBA player. He also wrote five books towards young adults who wants to become athletes. In my opinion, to be considered “inspirational” you have to be able to very encouraging, speak through ambitions and be passionate on what you want to bring out into the world. Kobe Bryant did an amazing job on being inspirational, I just can’t believe that him and his daughter had passed.