College Admissions Essay: Why I AM Who I Am

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.

Throughout my entire life--or, only as much of it as I can remember--my family struggled financially, as we still do. I had become so accustomed to my family’s penny-pinching tendencies that I would constantly compare prices whenever I went to the grocery store to see if I could find a cheaper price.

Living in a country that is not your birthplace is hard. Walking through the daily life I stumbled upon many different things that I had never seen before, experience a lot things that I never thought of doing. I was born in a country recovering from a war and genocide which killed almost two millions innocent people from starvation, execution and overwork. Some of whom included my family members. I am so fortunate to come to live in America and have a chance to continue my education.

Why? This is the question that is before me right now. Why am I attending college? What degree is it that I am pursuing, and why? The expected answers to the question, “Why are you attending college?” is, to make better money, or to provide for myself and my family. With me, the answer to this question is different.

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” A quote by Fred Devito, describes my core strength, my identity. An absolute necessity to never be satisfied, to always persevere. My obsession with perfectionism has blessed me with many opportunities; Such as, performing in front of five thousand people, exploring western Europe, and making music along with the best student musicians from the state of Indiana. It has given me the drive to obtain an impressive GPA and class rank to ensure myself a bright future.

Paragraph 1: Everything that’s happened in my life makes me who I am, but what really makes me, me? I think family, sports, and friends have made me who I am today.

I will never have my father’s smile or my mother’s eyes. My skin tone will also never match their pale skin even though I am their daughter. Although my siblings and I are all adopted from China, growing up in this unique family dynamic played an integral role in my development. I have grown to realize my ethnicity and upbringing are not labels used by my peers to define me. My background has helped me push through social barriers to build friendships. It challenged me to impel beyond the world’s “black and white” boundaries to see a society that thrives on diversity. My multicultural background equipped me with experiences that gave me a new perspective on privilege and responsibility, preparing me to overcome obstacles in the global industry

Call me Missy but if you have to know my real name is Michelle. Of course, similar to all the other thousands of essays you’re going to read, they will be about why a student desires or strives for college. Well to be honest, there is no easy way to explain why someone craves to go to college. I am wishing to be different excluding all the other essays you’ve read. Explaining my achievements, stress, and grades I’ve had all show how much I wish to go to college. Please just give attention to my essay.

Who am I? As a student, an answer to this question is becoming imperative as parents, teachers and institutions alike assume that students have a predetermined blueprint for their future. I had difficulty in answering this question, but as I found my passion, my drive to succeed and started to push my limits, some defining characteristics became evidently clear.

Topic B: Most students have an Identity, an interest, or a Talent that defines them in a essential way.

Florida, Wisconsin, New York, Washington, and California were just a few states I was considering for college! Which college will I attend? What will I major in? Finally and most importantly, what will I be when I grow up? Hopefully college will help me figure out what I want to be! Little did I know that college was going to be so much more than figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

We need to stop checking under our bed for monsters, and realize that the monster is inside of us. Everyone is in this battle of trying to be our authentic self but also that struggle of finding ourselves.

Why me? As I grew up I continued to ask myself why? Throughout my life I didn't understand why I was hit with so many hardships. I never got an answer... so I went on to believe my struggles were only preparing me for my future. My perseverance kept me going and still is because I still face difficulties. I believe I formed myself into a leader, despite the challenges I find a way to achieve.

Who am I? That’s hard to say since there is no clear definition of what makes a person. I could be my occupations: a student, dancer, and swimmer. Maybe I’m my emotions like happy, sad, and angry. I could be where I live, or what my goals are and how I plan to reach them. Most likely, I’m a compilation of all of these because people are complex and are not two dimensionally made. Where I am, how I act, and what I do make me who I am and I would not be Veronica without living in this house in Portland, Texas and having aspirations that seem to be more impossible than seizing the moon. I am Veronica, but I can also be whatever I need to be depending on where I live, what I do, and how I change my goals.

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.