College Admissions Essay: Going Beyond Expectations

I was given one month to pack thirteen years of my life in a suitcase. Moving to the United States from Brazil has been a major landmark in my life. It was a phase defined by its drastic transition between to widely differing cultures. I was faced with the challenge of making different friends, and growing accustomed to a new educational system. This all became increasingly difficult when you take in to consideration my inability to communicate. Overcoming this obstacle was my biggest objective in ironing my complicated transition.

I was born on September the 7th of 1994 in the San Francisco Bay area, not very far from Silicon Valley. The year I was born President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade agreement with Mexico and Canada which helped to stimulate economic growth about twenty years ago. Living in California made my Dad the open-minded liberal that he is today, and because of his love for discussing politics I was raised listening to him have friendly debates with my very republican grandpa over every economic issue from climate change to healthcare. For about a year and a half after I was born my parents, older brother Daniel, golden retriever sandy, and I all lived in a classic colonial style home just south of Santa Clara Valley. My father was the breadwinner in our family working as an engineer for Portola Packaging. A job he was offered not long after graduation from a small private engineering school in upstate New York called Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. My mother also worked full time but as a loan underwriter. After being offered a great relocation package by Portola to the east coast my parents quickly decided to pack up our house and move to Pittsburg Pennsylvania. In addition to being closer to our extended families they also believed that raising a family in Pennsylvania was far

My past, present, and future. This is the journey of my life. Where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I’m going. My journey began on July 28, 2000, at St. Margret’s South Hospital in Dyer, Indiana. Lance Collins who is a paramedic, and Christine Collins who is a registered nurse, became the proud parents of the 6lb. 9oz. 21 inch long baby boy, who they named Liam Hunter Collins. On November 30, 2002, I became a big brother when my sister Taylor Collins was born. I have been a lifelong resident of Northwest Indiana and I’ve had some pretty amazing adventures and accomplishments so far. I became a proud pet owner when my bichon frise Max, came to live with us on April 5th, 2006. On June 30, 2006 my dad took me to my very first Taekwondo lesson. I quickly fell in love with martial arts, I worked really hard, dedicated myself, and I received the rank of 1st degree black belt when I was only eight years old. I have been playing

This forced me analyze my life thus far, to recognize my fears and what I hold dear. It’s only been sixteen (one month till seventeen) years in this carcass, but I already feel like an entire life has flown by. It was like a prerequisite of actually watching my life flash before my eyes. This project was nice to sit back and look at what a social mess I am (one of my most favorite pastimes). But also, only being sixteen, I don’t hold what many would believe to be true values, dreams, fears, and identity. Nevertheless, this is what I have so far.

Who am I personally, after 50 years of being me, I am still a work in progress. I grew up in a tiny ski resort town, on the Appalachian Mountains, in New Jersey. My father grew up in New Jersey, but my mother is from Havana Cuba. My father never graduated from High School, but my mother did. They did not believe in higher education, especial for girls. They wanted us to get married and start a family, I always knew that was not for me. So I followed my dreams and traveled the world. Meeting exciting, educated people all along the way, my travels showed me all the things that I had been missing out on living in a tiny town. By traveling, I learned how to live independently, be frugal, and enjoy life, that is what made me a strong woman. My weakness is, that I wear my heart on my sleeve, I am temperamental, and no confidant.

I thought was fully prepared for college when I walked across the stage on June 1st, 2015, but I was completely wrong. College is a whole new lifestyle that you eventually learn to adapt to everyday. The advice you hear from parents everyday is something you take with you as you navigate throughout campus. Some of the previous advice my mother gave to me is the advice I should of listened to. Now that I am older and on my own, it’s up to me to figure out how everything works.

The city of New York is where I reside, mostly when I'm not flying around the world in my elegant, exclusive, exorbitant jet; I'd always mention with a wink. I'm living the dream. Waking up to the warmth of the sun as my alarm, the view of the alluring country from my apartment and Mr. Awares, my butler the man who dresses me... haha okay, I’m not that lazy. Where do I see myself 10 years from where I stand now? A question I could never answer until 10:03pm or was it 10:05pm? Well, who knows, I fell asleep.

“Some succeed because they are destined to, most succeed because they are determined to”. During the winter of eighth grade, I lived by these words of encouragement as I prepared for my upcoming piano competition. My goal was to place in the top three. By dedicating my time and energy, with commitment, determination, and persistence, I not only reached my goal, but also learned a lesson about how to reach my goals that would last me a lifetime.

Probably the most important turning point in my life happened in 1992.  At this time, I was eight years old and living in Williamsport Pennsylvania.  My dad had a well-paying job at Anchor Darling Valve Company, I was attending a parochial school and I thought life was just great.  At the time we lived in a large four-story house with a separate three-story garage and an acre of forest for a backyard.  I had a ten-speed bicycle and I would often go bicycling with my friends at the nearby cemetery.  No-one ever objected to this, in fact people would often have picnics at the top of this hill at the cemetery.  I guess the only things I ever complained about were the constant music

Have you ever been so overwhelmed with life that you feel like you're on your own, and have no one to turn to? Or have you ever been caught in a situation where you knew you were doing wrong, however you still continued to do it anyways? Well I was caught up in both of these situations. I found myself contemplating where to go, and what to do.

Health, deaths, and lack of confidence. These are obstacles that I have faced in various life events. There are two options on how one can overcome these obstacles: one could try to ignore the pain while the second is to look in the direction of God. Those who choose to go down the path of pain have not experienced that way of God or may not have taken a chance to see what he can do for them. People, like me, who choose to look towards God puts their trust in God and know that he has a plan for them. When family members were dying, a health issue rose and I was lacking confidence, I looked towards verses in the bible that would help me look for the positive outcomes than the negative thoughts. I then noticed God was going to show how he speaks

Ever since I was a little girl my main long-term goal was to find a career that I loved. I knew that I wanted to put my own level of happiness over income. I also knew that I wanted a job that makes a difference. After numerous family members, teachers and friends asking what I wanted to do after school I began to look within myself to decide what I was passionate about that I could turn into a career. After some self-reflection I determined that I was passionate about loving my family, helping others, school, and softball. Soon it became clear to me that I wanted to become a high school math teacher which would also allow me to coach.

Many things have happened in my life, and plenty have been successful moments. The successful moment I had was being a freshman and making it on the list to do a dance solo. This moment was very important and made me feel victorious.

Andrew had lived through a lot of days. The first kind he could remember was, predictably, painful, as the first memory he could call to mind was being beaten by one of his first foster fathers. He had been on the cusp of three years old, maybe a little older. This kind of day was the kind that started off with pain and ended with a restless but dreamless sleep, with a lot of wondering what he had done wrong and dazed sobbing in between. Looking back, Andrew wondered if those days had been a blessing, because at least then, he could stand the thought of sleeping.

Effort. Something so pervasive, yet also unquantifiable. Every individual has undoubtedly heard the trite phrase “Always do your best’ multiple times throughout their lifetime, yet the amount of individuals who actually fulfill this obligation is debatable. What distinguishes the extraordinary from the mediocre is effort, the only determining factor in success that an individual can solely truly control. Investing one’s maximum effort in everything extends beyond an old cliche, articulated without purpose and promptly ignored. I believe in always committing oneself to their fullest potential, even when it may seem trivial.