My mom: She inspires me to be braver and stronger and stand up for myself. Since I am not a very naturally assertive person, I try to emulate my mom whenever I need to kick some a$$. She is an amazing woman of which I haven't met an equal.

People like Glee's Kurt Hummel, who aren't afraid to be who they want to be and wear what they want to wear in environments like high school, where they face adversity, prejudice, ignorance, discouragement, and even sometimes violence: they inspire me. No one should ever have to limit who they are or attempt to snuff out the full vibrancy of what they want to express about themselves for fear of other people's reactions. In school I tried my best to be exactly who I wanted to be and not what anyone else expected of me in order to fit in. Everyone should let their "colors burst" if they choose to :)

Believe it or not, the song that inspires me the most is "Believe" by Cher. I cannot say exactly why, but whenever I listen to it, I get in this really feel-good, life-loving mood. Maybe Cher has powers because her other songs like "Song for the Lonely" and "Different Kind of Love Song" give off a similar effect. I think it's because she seems to address everyone in her lyrics and it's accompanied by synth-y dance music :P

Deaf culture inspires me because it is a complex and culturally rich social group that is largely ignored by the rest of the world, but has thrived nonetheless. Sign Language is beautiful and just as intricate, expressive, and efficient as any spoken language. ASL poetry combines words and imagery in a way that no other language can. Most of the world is completely ignorant about anything that has to do with Deaf culture, and it's a shame and a terrible loss to the rest of society!