Disclaimer: Bioware owns Mass Effect. I make no monetary profit from this writing.
Moments
There were a lot of things Shepard had done in her life that others praised her for. Some of those things she genuinely felt proud of. Generally, the records with her name on them were accomplished by a large crew of focused individuals, all pushing themselves beyond their level of comfort for their own private reasons.
People recognized her name easily though, and whatever the media decided to spout to the public was out of her control. For the most part, at least.
But despite all the bullshit she dealt with from various sources to guarantee the destruction of the Reapers, there were miraculous moments that Shepard basked in; amazing moments that proved just how much her effort meant to those affected by her choices.
How she felt when she watched someone she'd helped out of a shitty situation rise above their own expectations and tackle a role they never would have previously considered was what she existed for.
So when her team was running through the Grissom Academy and came across a group of biotics who stubbornly refused to let down their barrier until an autistic genius she'd never forget convinced them otherwise, Shepard's heart warmed and her spirit sang.
Even as David Archer's voice spoke the remembered equation, "The square root of 906.01 equals…"
And she heard her voice answer him, "30.1," Shepard knew she'd be savoring that moment for the rest of her life.
A/N: Although I dislike where Bioware went with the ending of the Mass Effect series, I cannot fault them for creating an amazing universe with intriguing lore and characters.
The idea that a single person can truly make a difference has always been a strong and beautiful belief. I hope that idea is never forgotten, and always strived for.