College Admissions Essay: New Perspectives Of My Life

Throughout our lives, we make choices and decisions that change our lives and others in positive and/or negative ways. It is these decisions that determine how we will be remembered, our legacy. When I graduate high school, I want to be remembered by the qualities that define me as a person and the good I’ve done for others. Throughout the years, I’ve been often been described by my family and friends as bold, confident, outgoing, and hardworking. Not only are these characteristics important to me, but they are important to my family, as they want to leave a legacy in the name of our family. The qualities I have exhibited are the same qualities past family members have shown and are remembered for. Through always putting out my best effort when it comes to work and school, I have shown my dedication and discipline. Through doing what I can to help others, I have displayed my commitment to world peace, the betterment of the world as a whole, and the yearning to make a difference in someone’s life other than my

Breathing heavily, a million things run through my mind. I’m dying. I can’t feel my feet. My lungs aren’t taking in oxygen fast enough. However, the finish line and the satisfaction of knowing that I had gotten myself through three miles loom ahead. Clenching my fists, I force myself through the indoor track at JCC. The excitement and pride that I feel when I finally achieve my goal is indescribable.

So far, the 14 years of my life have been exciting and crazy. The places I have gone, the people that I have meet, are all part of my crazy life. Not all the things are good, but not all the things are bad. Everything that has happened over these 14 years have been an equal balance of both, these are the things that have contributed in making me who I am today.

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.

At the age of 39, I decided to return to school and finish my undergraduate degree. Being a single mother I wanted my kids to see how hard work and dedication can really pay off if you commit yourself and push through any adversities, you will win. I received my degree in Healthcare Management and I have been working in health insurance for over fifteen years. Working with people and helping others is my passion. I love to see a smiling happy face.

I was always different from the other kids in my class. I was reserved and quiet. Most would tell me that I always look like I was in deep thought. Well that's because I was. I always thought that I thought deeper and viewed the world differently than other people my age. I had a great interest in people, in fact they fascinated me. I greatly enjoyed meeting new people and listening to their life or things they like. So I guess one could say my interest in Anthropology dates back to grade school. History was always my best subject, I would always sit at the front of the class "bright eyed and bushy tailed". But I especially loved when they talked about different civilizations of people and the thing they did. When it was time to decide where I wanted to go to college and

I learned not to go with society’s norm, but redefine it for myself. It has also taught me how to look at situations from different perspectives and make the best decisions for me. I became a person who is confident, accepting, and able to balance life priorities. By being accepting, I developed relationships with a largely diverse group of people, spanning every race. This influenced me to have greater diversity in my ideas and views on

Some parents might encourage you. While others will just watch you struggle in silence. A major obstacle that I have faced is the lack of motivation coming from my family and peers, who don’t want me to further my education. My parents do not expect me to further my education, considering none of my family members have furthered their education beyond a high school diploma. Aside from these obstacles I have improved myself academically by staying away from bad influences.

From the moment we are born, we are shaped by the people who surround us, and sculpted by our environment. Whether it be our teachers, family or strangers we meet in passing, never to be seen again. I would not have been able to believe that I too could achieve an amazing act that could be imprinted on this world.

In expanding upon who I am and the important influences that have helped me become

"Many will travel to hear you speak". I saw this on a fortune cookie from Panda Express during a time when I was unsure on what I wanted to be and what my talents were. I always had a passion for public speaking, but this seemed out of reach — especially since most of my family members only favored medical related professions. However, I know that I have another path to follow.

At this very moment, I knew my life had changed from this day forward. My life felt like an untold dream that had to be dug out to find out, something so soon and so fast to happen.Although it’s not what someone would expect of something bad happening, but it made me realize that not everything is taken for granite. Looking at everything differently now has really made me think open my eyes and realize who I am. That day it all started with a phone call to my doctor, from my mom telling him that I wasn’t myself, lost weight, always tired, exhausted and would always sleep through the day, very thirsty, and constantly having to urinate. Only half asleep, I was only able to process so much information that was going and

My thick coiled curls covered the taped frames of my crooked glasses as I slouched in the seat of my wooden desk. I anxiously scanned the room, heart racing, certain that my wrinkled hand-me-down clothes and my outdated book bag were the topic of the constant whispers and laughter that surrounded me. Like a visitor in a foreign country, I observed my new surroundings, assured that I did not belong. It was my first day in a new school and I had never felt so out of place. My mother desperately desired new opportunities that my previous poverty stricken environment did not encourage so we relocated to a middle class neighborhood. Because of my background, unfamiliar to my privileged peers, I feared that I did not fit in. This crippled me to believe that I could not achieve the same success in life as those with easier circumstances. Throughout my experiences, however, I have learned that many of the limitations we face in life are the ones that we impose on ourselves.

In the 7.125 billion people existing in the world right now, I make up only a tiny portion of this large population. It is rare that we contemplate about these type of things, most likely because there’s already enough tasks occupying our minds, or we just want to escape the dark reality of our existence and how we’re all specks of dust within the galaxy. But on a side note, although our lives may seem insignificant at times, we can rest assured knowing that there isn’t anyone else quite like ourselves...or is there? Of course there’s always the possibility that we have a doppelgänger living in Antarctica that befriends penguin carcasses, but what really defines us as individuals is our personality, interests, and hobbies; setting us apart from the 7.125 billion people living on this giant hunk of rock.

Since the day I understood what college was and how I could grow up to be anything I wanted to be, my parents encouraged me to go to college and be somebody. Weather it meant me going to a 4-year college or simply, a community college, they pursued me to do it. I always had to work really hard to get what I wanted or to get where I am today. It was definitely was not easy, but it turned out to be worth it.