Rye Barcott displays several deeply established values in his memoir It Happened on the Way to War, the most

obvious of which are undoubtedly his unshakable desire to serve his fellow man, the belief that he has to prove himself in some way, and the belief that all people are equal. His life experiences have served to develop and challenge these values. Barcott has held the desire to help people since well before college. During a trip to Kenya with his parents, Rye witnesses several children getting high on industrial glue and playing in filth and expresses the desire to help them in some way. His mother pulls him away when he attempts to retrieve some money to give to the children, which gains the attention of some street thugs, but she explains that it is natural to want to help. He retains this belief in college when, despite having obligations to the Marines, he expresses desire to return to Africa to research ethnic conflict, under the understanding that by raising awareness, he will inspire others to help improve the conditions in which many Africans live. As he progresses with his research, Barcott comes to understand that awareness alone will not improve anything. He realizes that he has to act by himself and that he cant just assume that some one somewhere will be inspired. Barcott has the need to prove himself because he feels that he must live up to his fathers legacy as a Marine. Barcott feels a strong connection to the Marines thanks to his father and he believes that through them, he can make a significant contribution to the world. Another factor in this desire is the fact that Barcott underwent a near-death experience. When he was young, he fell through the ice that covered a frozen lake. He came to believe that he would not live past the age of 30 and decided that he would need to do something with his life. This value has been Barcotts driving force throughout his life. Barcotts belief that all people should be judged equally goes hand-in-hand with his desire to help serve his community. He showed it on the family trip to Kenya and developed it as he grew. While he was in college, he seemed to assume that everyone felt the way the he did about equality, or, at least, everyone in Kibera, who shared a common trait. This assumption was shaken as he interacted more with the locals, especially a man named Oluoch, who believed the stereotypes associated with each ethnic group in Kibera. Oluoch also believed that he was better than most Kibera residents because he had slightly more money. While this was discouraging, Barcott remained steadfast in his admiration of equality throughout his life. He would frequently become angry at others when he saw them as being unfair and it occasionally caused arguments, especially with Oluoch. My Circle of Life shows my most important values, being: independence, interdependence, competence, humility, and self. One might notice that all the words in the circle are the same color, size, and font, with the exception of self, which is bolded. This is because all of the values have the same importance to me. Only self is slightly more important

because a sense of self is necessary for the other values. Independence is important because one needs to have the ability to think for oneself. Interdependence is important because overconfidence can be dangerous. Humility is important because if you need help, but are too proud to admit it, that can cause problems. Competence is important because, again, you cannot always rely on someone else. You need to be able to get the job done yourself. I believe that Barcott and I share a respect for a healthy combination of independence and interdependence. After all, that is essentially the main goal of the CFK program. He understands that giving handouts will do nothing to help the people of Kibera but also that the residents of Kibera need to pull together and help each other rather than fighting because of differences in ethnicity. Barcott had to decide between staying in the military and leaving the military to go back to school and start a family. Having already proven himself by seeing part of the elephant, he understood that he loved his then-girlfriend Tracy and that he could not be happy without her. He knew that a career in the military would not allow for the kind of life he wanted to live, even though he wished he could have both. He would still be able to help people by running CFK at home. His father, whose opinion he respects above all others, approved of his decision leave the Marines, thus reaffirming his commitment to do so. Possibly one of the most important decisions I have ever made is choosing which college to attend. NC State and UNC Chapel Hill were among my top choices when it came to applying for a school. I wanted to attend Chapel Hill because I felt that I had a legacy to live up to, considering that my father attended Chapel Hill and my brother is currently attending. However, I had to be an independent thinker and choose the school that would be best for me. While Chapel Hill is undeniably a great school, I knew that NC State was the best school I could have possibly attended. My father supported my decision wholeheartedly. Well, almost wholeheartedly, but a little rivalry within the family will be fun. Rye Barcotts memoir helped me understand my own values a bit better. It made me realize that one must stick to ones convictions, but also question oneself and the people surrounding oneself, while listening to their advice and applying it if one feels that it is relevant to ones own beliefs. Be confident, but remember that too much confidence can be detrimental.