College Admissions Essay: Who I Am Today

There have been labels placed upon me throughout my life. Some have stayed with me while others have dropped off. Without these labels ruling how people see me I feel like I would be more free to do things than I am now.

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.

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.

One success that makes me who I am is learning to sing. I love music, and I especially love to sing. The feeling I get when I sing is unlike any other. I feel more connected to the world. Sometimes I feel as though I’ve always been able to sing. This, however, is not the case. My mom is really into singing, she likes to make up songs as she goes about what she’s doing. When I was little, I loved to hear her sing, and would request certain songs. Mom tried to teach me how to sing myself, but I just couldn’t seem to get it. One day, as we were walking in a Walmart parking lot, Mom sang the scales from The Sound of Music, and I managed to sing it too. I was off pitch, but after that, Mom was able to teach me how to sing. Learning how to sing was a really big success for me. Being in chorus and singing are integral parts of who I am today, and through singing I’ve learned important lessons, such as following directions, when to open my mouth (and when to keep it shut), and most importantly, how to empathize

My personal growth is a significant aspect of who I am, moreover, this continues to be a trait I strive to develop. To understand how far I’ve come as a person, you need to see where I came from and what motivated me to change.

My college application would be incomplete without me explaining how I got to where I am today. See there for awhile there was a pretty good chance I wasn’t going to graduate. I have a brain condition called Chiari Malformation, which means that I was born with my brain to low in my head and while I was growing it was slowly squeezing my brain. This caused me to have debilitating migraines that made me lose all control of my body. I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, every muscle in my body tensed up as tight as they can be, and there was nothing I could do to communicate what was going on with me. For awhile doctors had no idea why it was happening just that we had to get it under control soon because the pain was so bad I would almost have a stroke. I still remember how scared I was every time because I never knew if this would be the end for me.

If there is anything I have learned from my personal experiences, that is that anyone can plant a seed, but not many take the initiative to water the plant for it to grow strong and tall. I am the product of divorced parents, both whom are Hispanic, have Mexican roots, and were brought at an early age to America to claim citizenship. Because of their divorce, I had to grow up faster than what I would have liked. I never once did receive child support from my biological father. In fact, it was my mother who worked to provide for all my needs. I was often left behind, not by choice but rather necessity. I went from babysitter to babysitter and some of them did not treat me well. In addition, they could not provide me with the motherly love that I so dearly wanted and sought. I did not comprehend the sacrifices that my mother was doing for me until I was about five years old.

Over the course of a person’s life, there are events that play a vital role in shaping his or her characteristic. These events could be momentarily, or take many years to happen; regardless, it is what we gain from those moments that are important. All my life, I’ve learned how to be optimistic and adaptive to everything that I will encounter.

I am from the 20 hour airplane rides to flying to China in a airplane that was as crowded as a herd of zebras. I am from not eating a meal in 18 hours to bearing a grudge against airplane food. I am from watching TV on the airplane to not dozing for many hours. I am from climbing the wall of CHINA to seeing a fantastic view. I am from climbing Mother Nature’s cloud touching skyscrapers to feeling my organs glaciate. It was like I could see the whole world. I am from eating the mouth watering Chinese food from the sizzling pan in the kitchen to seeing the oil dance around the pan. I am from riding my superior uncle’s motorcycle to feeling a cool breeze whacking me in the face. I’m from walking on the crowded streets to hearing the food getting cooked. SSSSSSSS! I am from the scorching rays of the sun at the Bahamas to jet skiing on the ocean jumping around on the waves. I am from cruises that feel like cities to staying up until 3:00 AM. I am from the skin penetrating air of Alaska to walking on colossal glaciers. I am from going to Mexico and getting a mind-twisting statue made out of obsidian to riding boiling hot buses. I am from traveling the world to

I started to realize that what I am doing right now is not what I really wanted to be 6 years ago. I started to think why I graduated SVA. I wanted to be a famous photographer who takes photos for famous magazine, and have wedding shoot as the side job. Maybe I overestimated myself, because I am neither of those now. When I was in highschool, I had beautiful future all built up in my head. Reading tons of essays is what I expected.

In my life I have two “dream jobs” I know that sounds pretty weird. I have a realistic dream job and a more out there job in mind. I use this “backup plan” so I won't be disappointed and feel like I failed myself. I would realistically like to be a lawyer but my true dream is becoming an actor.

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

Who am I? I don’t really know. Am I someone good or evil? I was so confused, everything seems to me so ambiguous and scaring. The only thing that I knew is that I am a human. In the summer of the 9th grade, I wanted to feel a little independent so my father suggests me to spend the summer in Belgium alone, he wanted me to assume all my responsibilities, after this trip I recognized a little part of my personality but the bigger part was missing.

For example, staying diligent through scouting eventually helped me accomplish my ultimate goal of becoming an Eagle Scout. Through hard work as a student, I was inducted into the National Honors Society and was just recently accepted into college, my ultimate goal as a high school student. These successes are a few among many due to my determination to simply stick with it, and finish what I initially set out to accomplish. Throughout high school, I've also learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses as an individual in both my academic and personal life. I've learned to prioritize certain areas of my life such as school and scouting, and have learned to put forth the amount of effort needed to either raise my GPA or earn my Eagle Scout award. I've learned to work hard and stay diligent in areas of my life where I want to see improvement, and have seen the benefits of that hard work. Overall, my diligence,hard work ethic, and leadership qualities have greatly contributed to my success inside and outside of Western Alamance high school, and I strive to have the same mindset ahead of me as a student at NC State

There’s a lot we can learn from the stories of our past – if we tell them in such way that enables us to hear what they really have to say. This holds true with me and my life. To put it simply, the life I’ve lived up to this point has been nothing short of a beautiful (and bumpy) roller coaster ride! As I have grown up there have been many factors that have influenced me to take on or do certain things. These things, plus some of my individual choices, have contributed into what’s made me who I am today. And with that, I’m happy to say for this moment in time, I’m satisfied with the person I am and the path I’m taking.