Autobiography Sample Before My Mom

Autobiography Sample

Before my mom died, I had been playing guitar for years. At first it was just in school for band practice and then I got an electric guitar for Christmas and started to rock out, practicing at home with my little amp and headphones. My chops were getting pretty good by the time she died. When I was 15 my friends and I formed a little band and we could jam in my friend's basement. I came home from one of our practices at about 8, my ears ringing and feeling pretty pumped. My mom didn't greet me at the door like she usually did. I set down my gear, called out "Hello?" And my dad walked into the room. He had a strange expression on his face, like he was guilty, embarrassed, and afraid all at the same time. "Your mother," he said, "Is in the hospital." She died two days later.

Her death had a profound impact on me and on my performance in school. The first months were the toughest, when my grades suffered across the board. I received some of my first Cs. Teachers would approach me asking if I needed help, offering as much sympathy as they could. After the initial shock of losing my mom wore off, though, I grew more studious. Studying became a way to cope emotionally. I started to read almost as much as I played guitar. I would read books that weren't even assigned in school, because I found that my mind felt at peace when I escaped into a book.

However, I dove hardest into my music and with the mentoring of the instructor I became active in the school band. The instructor supported creative expression and allowed students to pursue any musical genre they preferred. Freedom to explore music offered me the most constructive means to develop my talents as a guitar player and I started to sing as well. By the end of my junior year I had performed live on several occasions, both in formal school events and outside of school such as in Battle of the Bands. We even once played a few songs for a friend of the family at their wedding. Being on stage felt comfortable for me and I intend to pursue music in both formal and informal ways when at college and beyond. At school I was honored by an award in my senior year commending my performance and my participation in the school band, which seemed to help the department thrive.

Sports became another solace for me and regular physical activity helped me transform anger into athletic prowess. Within two years of participating on the soccer team I became captain. Those were the busiest days of my life, when I juggled band practices, studying for classes, and regular soccer practice. Our team competed in state championships. Although we did not win it was a thrill just to be there, playing against the best teams in our region and giving it our best. We won enough local championships to feel good about ourselves and earn accolades through our school.

Staying busy was the best way to deal with the loss of my mom for both my dad and me. He worked harder than ever and so did I, and although my social life suffered somewhat, I did not become overly withdrawn. My dad remained supportive but I know he misses my mom.

Although English and literature inspired me, I received the best grades in math of all my other classes. Thinking about how to combine my music skills with math, I saw the school counselor and she prepared a packet of information for me on different universities with reputable music departments and good engineering departments as well. She thought I might do well studying music theory in more depth and if that did not pan out, to focus more on how to strengthen my math and channel that into an engineering career. Engineering attracted me more than any other subject besides music and I started to read more about what engineers do. I have dreamt of ways to use engineering in conjunction with music: from designing dance halls to designing guitars.

My dad earned a good living at his job and I never had to work when I was in school. However, I did volunteer. Another way of keeping my schedule as full as possible, I volunteered for three years straight at various organizations. For five months I held a position at Amnesty International. Answering phones and performing other office duties was a simple way of learning about the organization and the amazing work they do around the world. I also volunteered with smaller local organizations including a homeless shelter. Once I brought my guitar there and played an acoustic set and the staff enjoyed us so much they asked my band to return for a full electric set. We did that and the event was even written up in the local paper. It felt like a brief moment of celebrity for me.