College Admissions Essay: The Price Of Success

Former baseball player Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” The journey of our life is full of winding paths and concrete obstacles whose sole goal is to slow us down, and to attempt to block us from reaching our ultimate goal in life, whatever that may be. These barriers are there for several different reasons, whether it be mental or physical. Sometimes these obstacles are motivated by fear, other times they exist simply because we have to make a decision, and that decision can be life changing. But through our determination, and through our perseverance, we can achieve what these barriers told us was impossible, and can pursue the path in our life that leads us to our ultimate self. Throughout my life, I have had thousands of barriers stand in my path. And the only way I was able to defeat them was through conquering my fears, and breaking my limits in order to achieve excellence.

There are heroes all around us. Some may wear capes or/and a mask while others would like to stay behind the scene. Think of it as a superhero and their sidekick. Everyone admires the superhero but very few recognize their sidekick. So, when I was asked who’s my hero at school, I automatically thought of my favorite teachers or ones who I am close with. But I began to question myself, who is the one that comes by every single classroom and cleans, takes the time to fix any mechanical problems, or cooks enough food to make for over 500 students. And I then discovered who my heroes are; the cafeteria workers, janitors, and maintenance people.

ever harder. I did not let this horrible day get me down, I ended up

When I was a young child I was shy, socially awkward, and horribly insecure, so when I realized popularity would never be my strength I decided to put all my efforts into what I was good at: school. As early as kindergarten I was identified as an advanced student and teachers quickly highlighted my efforts as exemplary to the other students. I fed off the high praise. The better I performed academically, the greater the approval I received, the better I felt about myself, so as a naive child I determined my self-worth and academic performance were inherently linked. As long as I was successful in academics, I would be a successful person. For years, I believed that, putting school beyond all else.

Ever since 8th grade, I have worked hard a lot more when I play volleyball. Right when the varsity coaches asked me to join their practice, I knew that I had to work hard and that it will pay off. Now, at every practice, I would play my heart out even if I was playing with a fractured finger or a rolled ankle.

Probably the most important turning point in my life happened in 1992.  At this time, I was eight years old and living in Williamsport Pennsylvania.  My dad had a well-paying job at Anchor Darling Valve Company, I was attending a parochial school and I thought life was just great.  At the time we lived in a large four-story house with a separate three-story garage and an acre of forest for a backyard.  I had a ten-speed bicycle and I would often go bicycling with my friends at the nearby cemetery.  No-one ever objected to this, in fact people would often have picnics at the top of this hill at the cemetery.  I guess the only things I ever complained about were the constant music

I was born on September the 7th of 1994 in the San Francisco Bay area, not very far from Silicon Valley. The year I was born President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade agreement with Mexico and Canada which helped to stimulate economic growth about twenty years ago. Living in California made my Dad the open-minded liberal that he is today, and because of his love for discussing politics I was raised listening to him have friendly debates with my very republican grandpa over every economic issue from climate change to healthcare. For about a year and a half after I was born my parents, older brother Daniel, golden retriever sandy, and I all lived in a classic colonial style home just south of Santa Clara Valley. My father was the breadwinner in our family working as an engineer for Portola Packaging. A job he was offered not long after graduation from a small private engineering school in upstate New York called Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. My mother also worked full time but as a loan underwriter. After being offered a great relocation package by Portola to the east coast my parents quickly decided to pack up our house and move to Pittsburg Pennsylvania. In addition to being closer to our extended families they also believed that raising a family in Pennsylvania was far

My past, present, and future. This is the journey of my life. Where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I’m going. My journey began on July 28, 2000, at St. Margret’s South Hospital in Dyer, Indiana. Lance Collins who is a paramedic, and Christine Collins who is a registered nurse, became the proud parents of the 6lb. 9oz. 21 inch long baby boy, who they named Liam Hunter Collins. On November 30, 2002, I became a big brother when my sister Taylor Collins was born. I have been a lifelong resident of Northwest Indiana and I’ve had some pretty amazing adventures and accomplishments so far. I became a proud pet owner when my bichon frise Max, came to live with us on April 5th, 2006. On June 30, 2006 my dad took me to my very first Taekwondo lesson. I quickly fell in love with martial arts, I worked really hard, dedicated myself, and I received the rank of 1st degree black belt when I was only eight years old. I have been playing

The “Seven Secrets of Success” lecture brought an uplifting perspective to what building upon your goals looks like beyond a day-to-day basis. Beginning with the first ‘honest truth,’ living intentionally, having a goal-based attitude can only benefit you when you plan and have a way to reach your desired outcome. The second piece of advice given was to ‘choose the right tribe,’ in other words, the energy you keep around you is the energy you put out into the world. The power of both negative and positive impacts from our friends and peers affect us much more than we realize. A piece of the lecture that particularly resonated with me was the mention of linking one’s identity to a high performing person or group, also called ignition. Our environments (as well as genetics) influence our success.

Success through Failure Most people say that you should learn from your mistakes. Well, for me it may take a couple of times before I actually get the message. The failures that I have experienced in my life continue to pave my path to my success. One of my greatest attributes is that I do not give up easily. Some may refer to me as stubborn because of my determination to forge ahead when someone tells me that I cannot do something.

Being a first generation United States citizen in my family, I have experienced both sides of the spectrum where my mother’s mere presence symbolizes a near sacrifice of life for a better quality of mine and work is valued over education. Sounds pretty strange when you think about it because most first generation stories you hear include an overbearing parent that values education over everything else. While my mother does value education, I never posed a need for guidance in that aspect until my junior year of high school but by that time my mother had grown accustomed to me being so independent. My mother in a way had given up on me. She found my struggle with mental health too much of a culture shock for her and consequently treated it as a burden whenever I needed support. I would go weeks without going to school because my depression was too unbearable and I was at the point where suicidal ideations were the norm for me. However, this didn’t phase her in the slightest. Attendance wasn’t something I grew up accustomed to. I

This forced me analyze my life thus far, to recognize my fears and what I hold dear. It’s only been sixteen (one month till seventeen) years in this carcass, but I already feel like an entire life has flown by. It was like a prerequisite of actually watching my life flash before my eyes. This project was nice to sit back and look at what a social mess I am (one of my most favorite pastimes). But also, only being sixteen, I don’t hold what many would believe to be true values, dreams, fears, and identity. Nevertheless, this is what I have so far.

Ever since I can remember I was doing a different sport. It started in preschool with T-ball, then hockey, karate, tennis, basketball, swimming, skiing, and so many others I can't list them all. Every sport and every team taught me the value of hard work and determination. In my elementary school years one of the first sports I played was softball.

More than Money or Fame Most people would say that one of their goals in life is to be successful, and, while I do want to be successful, my path to success isn’t exactly typical. I believe that success comes from following God diligently. I have faith that if I give God my life, He will provide and bless me with everything I need.

You get what you give. This is more than a line from a song that has been stuck in my head constantly, but a lesson I have learned throughout my life so far. One of the earliest recollection I have from this, was when I was a twelve year old.