College Admissions Essay: The Day That Changed My Life

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.

“You know Kwesi, I only came to this country with forty bucks in my pocket and the clothes on my back and look where I am today.” -- words from my father I thought to myself the first time I saw a rifle plummet down to my head.

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

I grew up with very little confidence hardly looked people in the eye and never really spoke to anyone. My parents signed me up for endless sport teams in hopes that I’d gain confidence. I soon came across the sport Rowing. Out of all the races I’ve rowed, one especially changed my perspective on life. I realized that rowing is a place where I can be myself and no one will care, where I can scream at the top of my lungs and not get in trouble, or where I can wear mismatched outfits and no one will judge

“Be strong, banish fear and doubt, and remember the lord is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 New International Version). Next month on September 28th, will be my 30th birthday, another milestone will be met. As I look forward to celebrate this milestone, I have also taken the time to reflect on who I am today. Throughout the years, I have experienced many obstacles that have influenced me into becoming the person I am currently. Moving to Columbia, South Carolina had great, if not the greatest, influence on me.

During my time as a high schooler, I’ve moved three times to three schools. Each time I move I am in an entirely different situation. I come across new problems, new environments, and new friends. But, two people stay with me. Two people have been in every school I have attended. Even before my birth, they were there. One of them I love and the other I hate… Their names are Wisdom and Folly.

“Why are you so shy?” people always asked me. ”Shy”. It’s a word that followed me for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, all the kids would play sports during recess, but I’d stand by the side and look at them. At most of my parent-teacher conferences, teachers would use words like shy and quiet. But I was totally sick of it. ”I have to make some changes,” I said to myself.

Throughout life, most people are bullied for what they do, their size, or even what they look like. For me it was all three; I was always bullied for how big of a kid I was, was always bullied for really being by myself a lot of the times. I used to sit at home and be inside my room and wait for dinner, come out and eat, and go back to my room. There were times when I went outside and played, but then the neighbors would always yell and complain. As elementary school ended, I started getting bigger, and the bullying kept getting worse and worse.

I have always believed that most of the time the cruelest people are the ones who have endured the most pain. I have also always believed there is no reason it has to be that way. There is so much to be said for a person who has received so much pain and hurt from the world, and yet gives back nothing but love and happiness. That is the person I aspire to be, and that I believe everyone else should aspire to be also.

When you are young, you start out as a carefree spirit, not burdened with any type of sinful emotion. As this blissfully happy child, you see the world revolve around only you, thinking that real pain is only a story that will never come true. Some have the luxury of easing into the ocean of pain, while others are thrown in and drown. Life is a maze of twisted paths that decide your final fate and determine where you end up. The paths that I have explored, led me to the point where I am now in my journey.

The human mind intrigued me since an early age. I was the child that would always ask why and how and I was never satisfied with the answer. I always stated my input and needed to solve any problems that were in front of me. My parents always thought I was a chatter-box that stuck my nose in everyone’s business, but I thought I was doing everyone a favor. As I got older, I was the friend everyone would go to about their problems. I enjoyed listening to their situations, just as much as I wanted to give my advice. Being the person that knew everything that was going on, and being able to have a say in what people did gave me satisfaction. When I took my personality test for my volleyball team my freshman year of college, it was not a shock that

There have been very few events throughout my lifetime that I feel have impacted or inspired me with such noteworthiness and that I know will change my outlook on the world and affect me forever. One of those events occurred when I traveled to Portugal, my parent’s homeland. From this excursion in 2007, I learned the importance of family, most importantly the distant kind. It provided me with a totally different perspective on the world and how large and extended one’s family can really be; even across cultures and continents. I felt so fortunate learning this lesson at a young age and growing to appreciate the ideals I was brought up with as a child. The family I have in Portugal has always been there; however, their faces have aged and

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz my phone went across the bathroom counter! I heard it vibrate and ring constantly as I took my shower before church. By the time I got out the shower, I had three missed calls from my dad and four from my mother. At the time I thought my mother was just giving me a heads up my dad needed me or was wondering where I was at. I had sent the weekend with my boyfriend and hadn’t spoken to my father. But as I looked at my phone and realized neither one of them had stop calling I knew something had to be wrong. This is the day that changed my life forever.

The end of school came eventually, and I abandoned dreams of the sixth grade. Luckily, I was transferring to another elementary school, but this offered me little consolation. Only dummies have to repeat a grade.

One moment could have changed my life forever. Everything I had or hadn't done, said or hadn't said ultimately was a big factor in what happened the moment my heart truly skipped a beat. For I knew that in that moment, I had to stand helplessly by while I let him take his course meanwhile praying that the time that we had spent together had earned me a special place in his heart. I prayed that I'd shown him just how much he spoke to my heart and that my heart had spoken to him in some way. We all face this moment in some point in our lives. Whether we now look back at this moment as a regret that is gone but never forgotten or can still remember that sigh of relief knowing that things had gone the way that we had hoped, only we know in our