I wouldn't really say hero, but rather people I look up to:
-Zlatan Ibrahimovic: He was someone I looked up to growing up, a Swedish footballer of Bosnian-Croatian descent, whose parents endured the horrors of the Yugoslavian War, grew up in poverty, dad was an alcoholic, half-sister had drug issues, parents separated when he was really young, committed petty crime growing up, experienced racism and was looked down upon by teachers, people in richer football clubs and the media yet still became one of the best footballers in the world whilst insisting on being himself. He is often accused of having a very big ego, but it's something I empathise with given the conditions he grew up in, somethings you need to have a strong belief in yourself as ego as a defense-mechanism to believe you can get through and achieve the things you want. It was something I adopted growing up, following him. He also stays true to his upbringing by insisting on having his surname on the back of his shirt when he became only known my his first name and dedicating his autobiography to "all the kids who feel different, who don't quite fit in, and who are singled out for the wrong reasons".
-Chester Bennington: For being so brutally truthful in his darkest moments and for making me feel less alone growing up. The song 'Numb' still feels so raw.
-Malala Yousafzai Such an inspiring and down to earth person even after all the attention she has got.
-Viola Davis: She kickass on How To Get Away With Murder, but is also an activist on so many issues that affects low-income communities. Also advocates very strongly for diversity in acting industry, and does it with so much eloquence and confidence (which is necessary in order to be effective, given that people can be sensitive and critical around such issues).
-My literature tutor at uni Like the only non-white person in the English department (he's considered a faculty member because he's close to being a lecturer and is already coordinating/lecturing subjects). He's super well educated but very down to earth (swears in tutes and has a natural sense of humour). He given me more time outside of class than any of my teachers did (have one and a half hour meetings with him every week). Has also provided more empathetic responses to my circumstances than my teachers did (even though he only knew about them because I provided a one sentence explanation for an extension application), he still wants to be updated- includes "hope your screening went well" in his emails as well as talking for almost for half an hour about my life in our meetings. And even though I'm going through a difficult situation-cancer diagnosis (mildest form), he still treats me as someone that wants to learn, write insightful and original essays and encourages me to do so. In the past when I was in similar situations, such as anxiety issues in VCE, I was simply told 'you shouldn't aim for high grades, especially when your course doesn't require one....and you are probably not capable of those grades if you have confidence issues' and in early high school where staff basically accepted that I was going to wag school most of the time. My uni tutor shows that there are ways to be considerate of one's circumstances, be nice whilst encouraging them to learn, complete work and extend themselves.
-Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi: The founders of Black Lives Matter, I think the impacts of police brutality on black women are often invisibilised. Also these three women still do so much community level work for survivors of domestic violence, LGBTIQ rights and domestic workers outside of BLM.
-James Delano: His environmental photojournalism that intersects with human rights and culture is harrowing, inspiring and captivating. The communities that are affected are very much the focus of his work.
-Shonda Rhimes: For bringing the most kickass female protagonists to the fore of TV (many of which seem like amazing people in real life). Also supports many emerging screenwriters from diverse backgrounds.
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Books are the cornerstone of the psychological and philosophical underpinnings of human society. Philosophy imbedded in imaginative literature...
Humans in general and unique and inspiring