College Admissions Essay: How Education Changed My Life

Growing up, I never had the warm pleasures of bedtime stories; instead, I would hear about the unimaginable impoverishment my parents faced in their childhood. The immediate reality of poverty obscured their investment in their brighter futures; both were forced both to sell lottery tickets on the streets or trade vegetables for portions of meat: just to help sustain their families. Looking back at those nights, I can only be grateful. As one of the first in my family to attend college, I am piloting a new future, one where I hope to lift not only my family out of their struggles but also the community that has always supported me and global communities today.

After barely graduating in the spring of 2017 from Lopez Early College High School, I went straight to my parent’s house not knowing exactly what I was going to do with my life. I knew I had ruined my life after not paying attention to my teachers and counselors about applying to colleges. They said I was a wonderful and intelligent student with a tremendous capacity of succeeding in life. Although everybody thought that about me, I never did. I was constantly under pressure thinking that I had to work in order to support my family economically, so our house was saved. I was also worried about whether my parents were getting divorced after every insignificant argument they had. I had to be an excellent example for my two younger siblings; but even though I tried my best, I never was.

I grew up in one of the wealthiest families in Minnesota and I was constantly reminded by the many family get togethers that were held at one of my uncle’s houses. You see, in my family the term wealth does not have the same definition as that of the one in the dictionary. Instead of riches and an abundance of money, I was born into a massive and united family that has supported each other throughout each others lives’. In truth, my family has been through extremely tough times financially, especially so in this last year with the loss of our main source of income, my mother’s job. With a roofing, seasonal working father and a year full of rain, there wasn’t much money to be spared for anything other than the essentials and even then those

When life gives you the opportunity to be successful, you take it. So, out of every let down or every time you ever ask yourself, “was it worth it?”…, you say “definitely”, persevere, and continue seeking greatness. When I got that opportunity, I hit the ground running. I was hungry to become successful, hungry to graduate from college, hungry to even hear my dad say, “I’m proud of you”. Maybe I could have taken a different route but hey, growing up in a small town like Mullins SC with a high unemployment rate, don’t get you too far. I couldn’t find myself falling into that statistic. Working temp jobs, wondering how I would pay for college…, it was rough, definitely some humble beginnings. This by no means is a message for sympathy.

Everyone was so excited but they all had the same first question I did, “What are you going to do about school?” I didn’t really know exactly how it would work but I insisted that I was going to go. As the date drew closer in April for classes to begin, doubt began to overwhelm me. Even on my first day of class, the instructors told us that we would all have to make sacrifices, such as jobs or hobbies, to be able to focus on school. As I listened to them telling us how tough things were going to be and that not everyone would pass the class, I knew I had to be tougher. I had nothing I could give up. I had to work full time and I had to take care of my family. I knew I had to prove them wrong. I made it through the 1st semester and gave birth to my second child on July 29, 2010. The next set of classes started August 4th and I was in attendance. No one thought I would be back so soon. Even I didn’t think I would be back so soon but through prayer and determination I succeeded. I finished school in June of 2011 and graduated at the top of my class, with the 2nd highest

Two years prior of my birth, both of parents made the ultimate decision to begin a brand new life as they brought themselves along with the rest of my family to the United States of America. Sold on the idea of the ‘American Dream’, they held aspirations of offering a better opportunity of an enriched lifestyle for all of us. With their own cultures mixed with my American values and ideals, out came a lifetime's worth of clashes and thoughts on who I am as an individual. I began to take on the role of the observer as I payed close attention to the family dynamic and grew aware of each member’s specific roles. Seeing how these said roles affected the relationships and behaviors of one another allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of others. Psychology allows me to observe my surroundings, to be able to figure out why things work the way they do and my love for it continues to grow. It offers me the chance to ask questions and strengthen my curiosities on human interaction and the level of impact it has on society.

I could tell you that I am awesome! I could tell you that I am unique and smart and that school is my entire life. But I am not going to go that route. What I will tell you is that it would mean a great deal to me, to receive this scholarship. I enjoy school so much, that I maxed out all of my financial aid; I’d say that there is some irony within that statement. To make a long, but interesting story short, I want to finish school and without more financial aid and a rich family to support me, I am out of luck. I believe that I can do so many things in my life with a bachelor’s degree! On top of that, it makes even more sense to get my bachelor’s degree before I attempt a master’s degree—I am dedicated, can you tell?

My first year at Montclair State University, was something that was completely unexpected. I went into my first year with an expectation to succeed. Yet, I was hit something different. My mother was diagnosed with stomach cancer. My worries did not just stop there, because I had to fight a long case with Great Oak Charter School for the mistreatment of my special needs sister. Stepping in the role of the head of household was physically, emotionally, and mentally draining. There was no time for me heal from the events taking place, because I had to sustain my family in all aspects even financially. As I tried so hard to hold an exterior that I was fine, my whole being began to plunge. I abandoned my studies to focus on my family. Yet, I didn’t

Every high school senior knows the stress of getting into their dream school, the stress of not wasting the years of knowledge they have obtained, and the anxiety of awaiting a college response. That feeling is amplified when someone comes from a tough environment. My mother didn’t graduate high school, leaving at an early age to help support her family as the eldest sibling, and she came to the United States when she was 18, with little opportunities for her own life. She taught my siblings and I that living in the U.S., we could pursue our passions but it would be difficult because of our ethnic and socio-economic background. For me, it’s unbelievable how I transitioned from taking care of my siblings to working long hours and studying until

Growing up in a Mexican household in which the only fluent speaker of English, apart from my siblings, was me really showed me how much of an impact education can have. I know, that just how my English managed to help out my family, getting a college education will further help me to achieve even greater things. College education is well worth the time, money and energy because it paves the way for a prosperous future.

As a freshman in high school, only fourteen years old, I was as careless and immature as a teenager could get. A school was no more than a place I was forced to be each day. The first two years were filled with this carelessness and immaturity. I now view those first two years as a waste and look down upon them. As I became older and wiser I came to realize the importance of education and how school was a stepping-stone to my future. For the next two years of high school, I vowed to change my outlook on school and life in general. I went from being careless, immature, ignorant of school and learning, and noninteractive with other and the world around me to trying my hardest at everything I did and being interested in learning new things both

Throughout my life my parents have always expressed the importance of education. During my time in school I have always done well, but my junior year was really a stepping stone for me in my career as a student. I truly realized that I was capable of more in my academic studies and I pushed to do the best work I have ever done

The quality I believe that has best helped me throughout my academic and personal life is diligence. I've been a part of many different sports teams, organizations, and clubs, all of which taught me the value of persevering in order to achieve success. As an Eagle Scout, I've learned the value of hard work and determination, and have been able to accomplish what I initially set out to achieve as a result. As an athlete, specifically as a tennis player, I'm determined to be as successful as I can and put forth the ultimate effort, whether it be on or off the court. I've seen success as a student as well, and have seen the payoff from staying diligent inside and outside of the classroom at Western Alamance High School. As one of my strongest

It was 2016, and I was finally a senior in high school. Being a senior in high school was something that I had dreamed of since my early middle school days, and at last, I was there. It was the last year in one of my least favorite environments, and I couldn’t wait to graduate and move away from the only place I had ever known. I had lived in the same town for seventeen years, and I had gone to the same school with the same people for thirteen years. I was looking forward to something new in my life. I was most excited for my senior year because it was the year that I was going to choose where I wanted to move away to and what school I wanted to spend the next four years of my life at. As the year moved along, I slowly realized that I wasn’t moving away and that I’d be staying home to attend college, which was one of the most difficult decisions that I ever had to make.

College has been something parents expected their child do whether or not they were motivated to do so. And like most of those parents, mine encouraged me to further my education. Though I didn’t mind doing so, in fact, I kind of thought about going to college or a university for as long as I can remember. In a way, I didn’t think there was anything worth my time to do after high school other than continuing my education. Of course growing up as the youngest child in my family, I looked up to my siblings and even my parents to help me guide in which direction I desired. While my parents lacked some education, and my siblings seemed to find themselves in trouble with either mom and dad or the school administration, it made me realize that school is really a path to decide how someone will end up as. For example, my parents dropped out during grade school and have trouble getting better jobs because of not having a college or a high school degree. My sister dropped out of college after her first semester and though she did continue with beauty school and starting a family, I can tell she wishes she had the time to continue college, not juggling 3 jobs to support her family. My brother never found the motivation to do great in school and though he has some social issues, he continues on his 6th year at the local college with F’s and no idea what he will do once college is over. This motivated me to do amazing in school. In a way, I wanted to do what they couldn’t just so