Influential People
by Jared Korotney
November 2, 2015
There are many public figures, whether dead or alive today, who have shaped the way we look at the United States and the world that we live in. One of the most influential figure of all time, in my opinion, is the man who brought us into a society of growing and growing equalities, Martin Luther King, Jr. King won over the heart of millions around the U.S. and the world (and also gained enemies) through his peaceful demonstrations for repairing a broken society with ludicrous inequalities towards people of color.
If it weren't for King, we wouldn't be living in the society that exists, today. Today, movements have been started to gain further equality in a society that many see as uneven through modern inequality issues such as income, housing, and voter ID laws. We still have much more growing to do as a society to become more colorblind (refers to the idea that we don't see race), but King started the revolution that lead to more rights for minorities and an overall greater sense of balance in our society that what we have known before, and only the memories of him and his impact on us will be the key we need to unlock the gate to a more equal society.
Statistics is a very broad field of study with many different branches. My branch is mathematical statistics, and one of the greatest mathematical statisticians of all time was Karl Pearson. Pearson is known for establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics. His journal, Biometrika, was the foundation for his research on statistical theory. His contributions to statistics are all methods we use in performing statistical research today. If you have ever taken physics, you should know about the concept of "moments", but Pearson used his own method in order to estimate a sample drawing of population parameters that statisticians use to this day. Along with this, linear regression was advanced even further with his introduction of the correlation coefficient. The idea of "chi distance" allowed statisticians to study the distances of means and standard deviations, two concepts that are widely known in the statistics field, and the chi distance was also used in the formations of two notable theories: the statistical hypothesis testing theory, and the statistical decision theory. Lastly, the Pearson's chi-squared test acquired statisticians to view changes in discrete data to see if the changes occurred by chance or by something more practical. All of his contributions influenced how we study and research statistics and analytic data all together. His laws and methods were just the stepping stones for greater contributions to follow, and his effect on the field will last a lifetime.
When it comes to defining who or what can be considered "inspirational", it is all dependent on a person's perspective. Everyone, at one point or another, had somebody in their lives that they looked up to, whether it was a parent or parental figure, a pop star, a Nobel Prize winner, or anyone else that affect how we view the world, today. The three people that I compiled together are individuals that have personally shaped my life, been an affluent figure for greatest equality in our society, and influenced the field of my major by introducing laws and methods that people in my field still use to this day.
A Personal Hero
This category was the toughest one for me, because there are too many figures, whether I personally know them or not, to count for how they have shaped my perception of the my surroundings and my community. So, narrowing it down to one was a challenge in determining who had the biggest impact on me to date. I finally determined that the most influential person in my life has to me my father, David Korotney. I know that I have talked in my writing class about how strict he is in making my decisions in college for me (just some of them, not all of them, if you were concerned about my well-being), but he's doing this because he wants me to have the best possible career that is not only something that I can enjoy, but also provides a decent amount of pay for me, just like how he ended up with his job.
My dad has worked at the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) for the past 25 years, and as of right now, he is our family's main source of income that allows our family to have food every night on our plates. My mom lost her job in 2006, so my dad had to work harder just to give our family the necessities. Now, he is at a top position in his company, and it has gotten to the point where I no longer desire to have anything more that what I have, because I feel that almost everything that I have wanted in life, I received because of how hard working of a man he is. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been the hard worker that I see myself as, today. I probably would have been a big procrastinator and received dismal grades. He pushed me to work hard and appreciate what I have, because I know that it will not last long. Another important aspect of hard work that he taught me was that hard work builds character. That has been my motto for years, and I want that to be my motto for my kids when they go off to college and get jobs of their own. My father is one the smartest and most hard-working human beings I have ever seen, and I hope to step in his footsteps, someday.
A Public Figure
There are many public figures, whether dead or alive today, who have shaped the way we look at the United States and the world that we live in. One of the most influential figure of all time, in my opinion, is the man who brought us into a society of growing and growing equalities, Martin Luther King, Jr. King won over the heart of millions around the U.S. and the world (and also gained enemies) through his peaceful demonstrations for repairing a broken society with ludicrous inequalities towards people of color.If it weren't for King, we wouldn't be living in the society that exists, today. Today, movements have been started to gain further equality in a society that many see as uneven through modern inequality issues such as income, housing, and voter ID laws. We still have much more growing to do as a society to become more colorblind (refers to the idea that we don't see race), but King started the revolution that lead to more rights for minorities and an overall greater sense of balance in our society that what we have known before, and only the memories of him and his impact on us will be the key we need to unlock the gate to a more equal society.
An Academic Icon
Statistics is a very broad field of study with many different branches. My branch is mathematical statistics, and one of the greatest mathematical statisticians of all time was Karl Pearson. Pearson is known for establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics. His journal, Biometrika, was the foundation for his research on statistical theory. His contributions to statistics are all methods we use in performing statistical research today. If you have ever taken physics, you should know about the concept of "moments", but Pearson used his own method in order to estimate a sample drawing of population parameters that statisticians use to this day. Along with this, linear regression was advanced even further with his introduction of the correlation coefficient. The idea of "chi distance" allowed statisticians to study the distances of means and standard deviations, two concepts that are widely known in the statistics field, and the chi distance was also used in the formations of two notable theories: the statistical hypothesis testing theory, and the statistical decision theory. Lastly, the Pearson's chi-squared test acquired statisticians to view changes in discrete data to see if the changes occurred by chance or by something more practical. All of his contributions influenced how we study and research statistics and analytic data all together. His laws and methods were just the stepping stones for greater contributions to follow, and his effect on the field will last a lifetime.
