College Admissions Essay: What Makes Me Who I Am?

Who am I? This question takes me back to my family's history and my childhood and how it impacted my life. Just as the quote by Marcus Garvey, "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." This topic also allows me to reflect on my experiences and how that impacted who I am today. Not only that my future also defines who I am, such as my future dreams, and what I am doing now to make those dreams come true. Plus, my values, and beliefs that I carry with me.

When I feel lost, your words of wisdom leads me back to the right path. When fear and doubts paralyzes me, your messages bring me comfort and courage to keep going. When rejections has me hiding in a corner, wanting nothing more than to just cry and give up, you helped me look at rejections from a completely different perspective and gives me strength to move forward.

“Who am I”? I must admit that the thought of answering this question can somewhat be intimidating as well as a little overwhelming. However, I realize that this question is more than just about my birth name. Therefore, to answer the question of who am I is a multitasker, who is very focus as well as organized and determined to take full advantage of all the opportunities that are presented to me. I would also have to say my personality and character are two significant features that make up who I am. Even though I may have some weaknesses in my character, as we all do I consider myself as an introvert. David said it the best in Psalm 139:14 “I will give thanks and praise to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are your

When I become old, I want to be someone who has lived life to the fullest of their potential. I want to be an individual that others can look up to for assistance and find inspiration in. As we get older, we go through countless experiences that shape the outcome of our lives. I want to look back at all the glorious memories and not regret a single thing. I want to be someone who has exceptional stories to tell their grand-children as I want them to learn from my mistakes. By the time we reach the age of 70, we have a lot of knowledge of the world and we can take on the role of providing this knowledge to our young ones. Since I have a kind nature, I genuinely believe that I will be that person that takes care of my loved ones and inquires

Education is central to my identity. My parents moved from Nigeria when I was 3 and my father knew that the only way he could get a better job was if he went back to college and get a degree in the United States. I saw how hard my parents juggled college life and work life to support us and themselves. While I have always loved learning, I have not always unable to learn as much as I wanted. In middle school, despite being a straight A student, I failed my 7th grade statewide math exam. This made me realize that I needed to extend my studies beyond the classroom, and work hard to find work that was challenging enough to allow me to grow intellectually.

I remember sometimes waking up in the middle of the night hearing my parents fussing and swearing. It was heart breaking hearing them talk to each other like that. I used to go hug my mom and asked what happened afterward, she always told me nothing and rocked me to sleep. I didn’t think anything about it, but then again, I didn’t know any better. When the fights got physical my sister and I would usually step in or they would stop themselves because we would be screaming. The day they decided to go get a divorce, it was early in the morning they were arguing. I got between my mom and dad, he pushed mom and I both down. They started hitting at each other and I was between them. After they stopped my mom called the police when they came my mom

Nelson Mandela once said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” Moments in our life shape who we become; our character, our thinking, who we are and who we want to be. How we live our life is so much more than going through the motions, it is about how we change other’s lives and how other’s change our life. I have been fortunate enough to grow up with astonishing people who have changed who I am and I have also had so many opportunities that have shaped who I am today.

It all started before I was in school, so I was probably about three or four I can’t remember exactly how old I was. I know that I remember my mom and my dad always fighting. I would be playing or doing something with my mom or my dad until the other got home from work. Then I would leave and go to my toy room to play with my toys so I could get away from the arguing. They did try and make my life as best as they could while I was with them both, but I could tell that it wasn’t easy for them. Eventually they ended up getting a divorce. They both dated people here and there, but they didn’t really have anyone very serious for a couple years. My mom found her person she would marry first.

Everyday someone is born into this world. A person who is not like anyone else. Just like a snowflake no one is exactly the same. If everyone were the same what would life be like with no conflicts and fights. Without conflicts and fights there would be no mad or sad. Without mad and sad how would you know if you were happy. How different our world would be if we were all alike. On the outside you can tell how people are different, but it’s harder to figure out the inside. I am different from people because of my confident, honest, and caring attitude. These traits set me apart from others.

What makes you who you are? Sincerely, is it the clothes you wear that defines you or is it the grades you get? Attending high school is a weird experience for every person. You will not have the same obstacles to overcome as everyone. It is all one big blob of popularity contest. With that personal acceptance is hard. We are all trying so hard to fit it in, it nearly seems impossible to find one’s true self. Junior year I let myself go. Completely flew off the handle. It occurred to me that these people I’m with, these people right now do not matter. They will not determine my future and shouldn’t influence the choices I am making as of now. I want to be me, truly me. Not as if I was really hiding, but the need to break free of my whatever

When I was only three years old my parents got a divorce and separated. My mom didn’t want to see us until a few months after the divorce. She moved to an one bedroom studio apartment in downtown Des Moines and she couldn’t take care of my brother and I, therefore we went and lived with my dad. We were not supposed to go and stay with my mom because she only had one bedroom and she was going to make me and my brother sleep in the same room together.

I never thought too much about who I am or at least what makes me who I am. I do have very strong convictions concerning who I want to be or who I feel as though I should be, but never have I theorized about how my makeup plays a part in it. As I viewed the pie graph in figure 2.1 of Ferdman (1995), I attempted to put my life in percentages basing them on what I felt I thought was most important. I immediately began to recognize who I am is a mixture of many things and from each I have built my perspective on life.

My parents always had their problems. They fought about every little thing, and it was miserable. The screaming, the fighting, the physical and mental abuse to my mother was just terrifying. I would just sit there and listen while crying. One night they were fighting about bills, and all of a sudden it turned into a mad house or something. My brother came and got me out of the living room while it was going on because I was screaming at my father to stop hurting my mom. Another day my mom, my brother, my sister, and i were leaving to go to Destin and while we were about to leave, my dad shows up and starts yelling at my mom and physically hurting her again. But this time, my brother got him off of her and then my father realized that we had seen everything he’s done to her.

My dad was an alcoholic and a bully, he made me and my brother along with my mother miserable they fought every night and after a few years of this my mother sent me and my brother to my grandparents because she felt we were not safe at home and throughout that time my mother took Dad to court and want to know what, he had no lawyer even bring a lawyer, but who am I to complain I don’t like him anyway, so as the custody battle went on Lucas and I spent The summer at my grandparents but when it was all said and done my dad was out of the house and Mom, Lucas, the dog and I had the house to ourselves.After the split Mom and Dad could not talk to each other but I had to visit him every other weekend because by law I have to have communication with him but I didn’t like it. As life went on we we started doing better for ourselves we only spent one more year in that

The end of my eighth grade year my parents were starting to fight more than usual. Every time my parents got into a big argument, my mom would threaten to divorce my dad and ask my brother and I which parent would we choose to live with. One particular fight that my parents had drove me overboard. My mom 's