College Admissions Essay: How College Changed My Life

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like work." - Thomas Edison. An opportunity can change your life, but your attitude towards the opportunity will determine whether it will make your life better. I believe you should take the opportunity when you see it.

It was halfway through my sophomore year when my mom and two older sisters sprints down the stairs and storms out the house. Confused and worried, continuing to curl my hair. My mom walks back in towards me with a gruesome look in her eyes. With so many ideas already running through my head, I was notified that my grandmother was killed by my uncle. I cannot even describe my sense of emotion at the time. Confusion, hatred, and hopelessness all merged into one. And all I could think about was just giving up on everything. That is until my pastor said these words that I will always remember; “You're going to get through this, just have faith.” I took in those words and began to put his words into action

When I was born my mother was 16 and my father was 17 my father had just joined the military and was getting ready to be deployed to Iraq for three years. He left when my mom was eight months pregnant with me. She was alone when she gave birth and she little to no support from the people around her. But she never let that faze her. She continued high school while working and still making time to raise

"Youth is everlasting if you feed your soul with much love and many adventures," a phrase I have claimed my entire life. I have traveled across the seven seas, from the white sand beaches and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, to the snowy tundra of the Italian alps. I have studied traditional Indian art and learned to play the tabula under the tree canopies of Karola, India. I have hiked to a cliff's edge to watch humpback whales migrate through Queensland, Australia. I have payed homage to my religious ancestors at the western wall in Jerusalem, Israel. I mention a few of the places I have traveled not because they describes who I am, but because my adventures have created the person you see today. Seeing the world has struck passion in my heart and curiosity in my mind.

For the past fifteen years, I have been fortunate enough to have a place that has allowed me to pursue unrestrained expression, embrace my individuality, and gave me a place where I feel I belong. The art of dance has formed me into the person I am today in ways otherwise impossible, pushing me to strive to become a well-rounded, resilient, and disciplined individual; traits which I credit for my determination to change the world around me, for my desire to be an active citizen in my community, and for my commitment to positively influence the younger generation. My dance family, my sisters, have taught me the true meaning of hard-work, dedication, and determination through their sincerity and unconditional love for their movement

In 2008, my parents decided that the next step to further build their lives was to buy a home. Around this time, the house market was flourishing in Cape Coral so my parents used some of their savings, packed our stuff, and moved us to a new place. A few months later, the stock market crashes and my mom couldn't find any employment in any line of work leaving her to settle as a county bus driver barely even knowing the language. And as if we already weren't struggling enough in 2009 my mom got pregnant with my younger sister and around this time business in my dad's shop was falling apart. Having a new baby in the family meant having another mouth to feed, but despite this my parents were happy with the new addition to the family and hoped that she would bring some joy into our home which had already been absent.

From the very first moment I sat on the piano bench and touched the black-and-white keys, I instantly felt in my heart that my future would be irretrievably bonded to this magical instrument.

Reflecting on my childhood, I always had a vivid imagination. I loved telling stories to anyone who would listen. As I grew older, I began writing poetry and I became obsessed with movies. Over the years, I realized that I wanted to travel to some of the places I had seen in the various movies but my thoughts of what I wanted to remain indifferent.

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.” These are the words of Eric Thomas, my inspiration, and that of many others. The starting of high school directly coincides with a change in my life; nonetheless, of which both come to be what I call my greatest milestone. From this milestone, I have led a better, more impressive path than I would have if I these words and the many more that continue to inspire me had fallen on the deaf ears of my past self. One of the most important parts of this milestone is the why I started seeking an adjustment; from this why I realized what was holding me hostage to the dreams I endlessly longed for and why they would to me always remain fantasies of a what if lifestyle. There have been many instances in which this refining of my life has benefited me; however, none compare to how far hitting this milestone has assisted me in my school life.

My parents got a divorce at a young age leaving majority of the custody of me and my two sisters to my mom. Being a single mom, making ends meat is hard enough but my mom went above and beyond. As her career was taking off in corporate america you would think she would seek help taking care of me and my sisters by hiring a nanny or have our grandma watch us on a regular basis but she had none of that. While she took a high position in AT&T payroll being one of the few women in her line of work she

Growing up has been an adventure for me, being raised in a family that cares and loves each other I have been taught the importance that one can create for another. From vacations around the world to community services around the city my family and I have experienced it together. I have been raised by a Mexican mother where the cultural values are different from the traditional American lifestyle, in where she lets me stay on a longer leash unlike the helicopter parents that my friends had growing up. This made me to stay on top of things without being asked to, or looking after my own grades and missing assignments. When it came to manners, that was a completely different story. Both my parents heavily reinforced the need of being polite,

Great things are destined for you honey, you have everything in you, and you have no idea how capable you are, everything is there in you, but you have to want it. I want you to go after it with everything in you because with the proper education there is nothing that can ever stop you. My entire life, I have believed that if I work hard enough, no dreams could ever be out of my reach. My grandmother’s incredible story has always taught me that I can overcome any obstacle that may come my way; my father’s speech was an amazing reminder of why I have worked so hard to make my family proud of me. As I approach the start of my senior year, I cannot help but wonder how my future is going to play out. My life has been filled with significant events that have carved me into a diverse young woman. I owe my family for all the lessons and experiences that I have benefited from, and I truly believe any college would be happy to have all the different aspects of culture that I can bring on their campus.

Everyone has something that has helped them go through life with a sense of purpose and happiness. Some people have a safe haven, some people have a special person, and some people have a special pastime. However, the luckiest of people have all three, and I consider myself truly blessed to be one of those people. My religion has been a longstanding outlier in my life, because it has proved to always fulfill my life with serenity and happiness. Growing up, I was not always the star child in any given place. I acted out in school, I was stubborn to my parents at home, and I did things I knew were not okay in life. However, after a transformation of myself through my faith in religion, I can confidently say that I now have so much to give to Rutgers University. Although I was not always this way, I now hold self confidence, determination, a hard work ethic, and plenty of honor in my school life.

What has my journey to graduation been like for me? My journey has been a crazy, fun-filled learning adventure. I met many goals and accomplishments I set for myself but I also faced some challenges on the way. For example, I finally met my goal of graduating with a 4.6 GPA and maintaining it. Also, I accomplished completing my last four years of grade school and now I am on the way to college. My last year has been interesting and there are many goals, accomplishments and challenges I can reflect on.

My parents remained together after my father was released and soon celebrated the birth of my little brother. Right before the blessed event of their bouncing baby boy, nuptials were recited. You would think this would be the start of a beautiful fairytale with opportunities falling abundantly, blessings overflowing, and everything was right with the world. Unfortunately, it did not happen in this manner. I remember being little having to move often because we could not pay the rent in the current residence. Being young, my brother and I did not understand fully what was going because our parents kept us as sheltered as they could. Even when the lights would be disconnected for nonpayment, my mother would still sit by the gas heater and help us with our homework. Sometimes, we did not have food to eat, but my mother always provided something for us to eat. You see, my mother was a fighter and for her children, she fought the hardest. As long as I can remember, she has been the protective mother bear. When my father would mess up, as he did often, my mother never allowed us to see her breakdown. Her strength was more than a notion. As far back as I can remember, my other has always been a God-fearing woman who took of her entire family. Even when others turned their backs on her, she never allowed a “no” to stop her from taking care of her babies. At the time, I did not understand her strength or where it came from. It would be many years down the line before I would gain my