College Admissions Essay: How My Career Driven Community

High school has been an experience to say the least. I’ve spent the last four years at Father Ryan attempting to find myself and my place in the world, much like puzzle piece. A puzzle has many pieces that contribute to an entire image when properly placed among each other. High school is similar to this idea because throughout the past four years I have constantly been trying to find my perfect fit and where I belong. When I was a Freshmen I molded my personality to fit anywhere just to have friends. Then when sophomore year began I realized how much of myself I was sacrificing to fit into the wrong place. Once junior year arrived I was getting closer to my perfect fit and now that it is senior year I’ve finally found my fit in the big puzzle called high school.

Ever since I was little I have aspired to be something great in life, a chef, a pro. soccer player, and an artist. I still hold on to those dreams in hopes they will come true. All of these dreams shape who I am today. I play soccer for “Charlotte Soccer Academy” and previously for the “Waddell Soccer Team”. Both have kept me being a team player and a stronger leader. I go to visual arts camp over the summer and try to use creativity at any moment possible. I love making cupcakes and baking which also allow me to be creative. I have finally realized that all of these dreams originated from my family. I pursued soccer, like my parents did throughout their lives. I continue drawing, like my mother and father did until it became their life and jobs. I am still love making cakes and cupcakes every weekend, just like how i've seen my grandmother make them. Life has a very strange and mind-boggling way of turning out. I know that sounds cheesy, but it is really true.

Initially after high school I decided to move across the country in order to find myself, my passions, and my career goals. I attended WW-P South in Princeton Junction where many of my friends chose TCNJ. I always loved TCNJ but I knew I wasn't academically ready to be part of the community just yet. I started at a private university in California which turned out to be an amazing experience but also a lesson learned that it was not for me. Everything was new and overwhelming and it was the first time being completely on my own. After completing my freshmen year, I moved to a community college to do better academically and work a little on the side. My passion for pursing a degree boosted during my second community college that I attended.

"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.

Ever since I was a kid I have always thought about what college I was eventually going to go to. I made the decision in high school that I wanted to be a special education teacher, so I thought about some schools that had that teaching program. My number one school I wanted to attend that had the best teaching program was East Carolina University. Having ECU as my number one choice lead me to apply there. Weeks after I applied I got a letter telling me some sad news that I was not accepted. Since I applied to ECU and did not get in, I was now thinking about applying to other schools like Methodist University or maybe a community college.

I am a first-generation, Chicano and will soon finish my last semester before I transfer to a four year university in the upcoming fall. Coming from a first-generation household, I have had to overcome many obstacles to be in the position that I am now in. Community college has been a valuable resource that has allowed me to pursue an amazing education at a low price which has eased the burden of high tuition on my parents. Sometimes it is the cost of education that impedes those that seek it and scholarships are one avenue in which they become easier to travel down the path to success. Coming out of Gilroy High School years ago, I was unsure of what I wanted to major in and devote myself to but I had the amazing opportunity of enrolling in University of California, Merced.

When I was younger, all I heard from the outside world was that “You can be whatever you want to be“, but at the same time, The person I obsessed with when I was an adolescent, Bear Grylls, had stated “A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance.” I had dreamed of becoming an NBA superstar when I was only five and every single day I practiced my tail off to watch if I could possibly pull off my goal. However, when I was eight, my parents signed me up for a city league, and all I witnessed was everybody able to outdo me at every possible fundamental. I ended up being atrocious and my dad told me “ Sometimes talent is natural, and it provides dreams out of reach, but you must look around for everything possible for something you can reach that will help you in the long run. “ (Slides 20 and 25). Throughout the rest of my childhood, I had explored several possible careers such as working with animals. I was always interested in animals that you could interact with in public, but I always had a fear with household pets on behalf of knowing that they would prey on and attack each other unexpectedly, and that’s something I’d always been terrible at coping with (Slides 24 and 28). However, when I started high school, I recall that I was always doing something that I enjoyed. Whenever I went to class, someone would always call on me to assist them with a problem and I was always able to help them solve it. It was very rewarding and again came another Epiphany. I was guiding people what to do under proper circumstances. That congenial of guidance falls into the category in Teaching, and at that instant came my quest to become a teacher who could make a change in the world. I started taking the teaching courses my school offered during my Junior and Senior years and I knew I was making a positive

Throughout my High School career, I have strived to be the best version of myself possible. I have grown from a scared freshman to a confident senior. Gaining confidence and leadership skills has mainly happened through my community service opportunities and growth in school. I now believe I acquire the qualities of scholarship, character, leadership and service.

My life is composed of multiple aspects that make me who I truly am. Most of them revolve around school and community. Furthermore, these attributes of life are the way I identify myself. Accordingly, I identify myself as intelligent, passionate, and considerate towards others. These characteristics are shown through my excellence in academics, leadership, and service.

I had always thought landing a job that would earn me tons of cash was the key to having a fulfilled life. Lawyers, surgeons, and dentists are high-paying jobs I dreamed of having. With money, I would be able to get all things necessary that, I thought, would have me set with my future life. I was heavily focused on the wealth that would earn me an impressive home, a fantastic car and respect from others. Not only for myself, but I could give my parents an easy life by giving them, and others, what I made. When I was in middle school, I knew I wouldn’t be able to land in such jobs because I was so focused on other activities. Two of those activities were math and art. I went with what I thought was logical and studied math, thinking I would

What do you want to be when you grow up? Is one of the many questions that are asked by teachers and adults. Through the research and development of this paper, I feel that I am finally prepared to answer that question. College has always been in my plans but which college? Well, I have it narrowed down to three excellent and well -known colleges. Ohio University of Athens, The Ohio State University of Columbus and Miami University are the colleges that I feel would foremost prepare me to become an athletic trainer.

Throughout my high school career, I have been a very dedicated student. Much like the prestigious students I surround myself with, most of my nights are spent studying for exams, completing homework assignments, writing essays, and keeping on track for the long term goal of college. My academic record does show how I am as a student in limelight. Some years my grades fall due to personal indolence. Other years my grades would be in flying colors, it was dependent on what my motivation was. I found that motivation around junior year and ended that year with a 3.79 GPA and a class rank of 40/145. Though I wish my class rank were higher, my school is a charter school so it is very competitive, even students with GPA's of above 4.00 nearly miss

Scholarship A scholar is defined as, “A person who is highly educated has an aptitude for study.” This definition perfectly describes the reasoning for scholarship as well as the potential future from being a scholar. The impact of being a scholar has allowed me to advance in school and prepare for scholarship outside of high school. Scholarship has allowed me to maintain good grades and with that retain the knowledge gained from my classes. Being a scholar has created the desire to learn and gain as much knowledge as possible. Debate has allowed me to become a better scholar, and with that scholarship has helped me with debate. TSA also has taught me to be scholarly among and with others. The impact of being a scholar has been great on me.

Many people attend and excel at college but no one stops and asks themselves “Why am I here?” This is the age old question all college students think about, why am I going to school? The answer is unique and personal to everyone, but the most common answers are I want a better life or to secure a future for my kids. These are all valid reasons, but for me personally, I do it to motivate myself and expand my knowledge. I believe that I learn more self-studying because there’s personal incentive and interest in whatever you are learning. For me, reading and watching what I find interesting is enough inventive to learn and keep on learning for a reason. I come to college everyday wanting to be a better person and make my future self-better, so

Community is a huge factor in my college decision. I want to be a part of a close knit community where I have the potential to grow and develop not only intellectually, but also as an individual. The University Of Pittsburgh (Pitt) provides this aspect of community with many clubs