Free College Admissions Essays: Three Things That Describe Me

Ever since a young age I have known I enjoy being the center of attention. I aspire and chase after the satisfaction of performing perfect pieces of choreography. Whether that is hitting the right note in a song, or dancing my heart out on a stage. It makes me feel as though nothing is wrong and ignites endorphins in my brain. I'm in love with the feeling of my heart pacing fast, and then slowly easing into comfort the more time I spend on the stage.This love fuels the months of endless practice leading up. I was born with a voice and at 5 years old I was put in vocal lessons, at the local ABC Music. The first song I sang and played on the piano was "Part of Your World" from the little mermaid. I still hear the claps of the audience at my vocal instructors house. Singing is very meaningful to me, in fact I cannot stop myself, all my favorite songs just blurt out of my mouth. Music has the ability to evoke such deep emotions and beautiful voices aspire me to keep practicing.

My interest in reading started at an early age, before kindergarten. I have my mom to thank for reading a book or two to me at night before bed. My mom has told me that because she was a stay at home mom before I started school, it was her main goal to teach me as much as she could by herself, before any teachers had the chance to, and that included reading a couple children’s books to me every night. My grandpa had a hand in this too; he bought me a Dick and Jane storybook and before long, I had the entire book read by myself.

My love of reading blossomed when I was a child, because my parents showed me how wonderful reading is. There were countless nights when I remember myself as a little girl refusing to go to sleep before ‘tucking dad into bed’ by reading him a picture book. Not only did I uphold that tradition though, but my mother is a preschool teacher, so she gets really into reading out loud, and she would help me read books such as The Boxcar Children set, The Secret of NIMH and The Chronicles of Narnia weekly until I didn’t need help anymore.

Many people have various valuable items that they cherish, some only have a few but everyone has that one thing that hey hold close to their heart over everything. My one item happens to be a necklace that my papa got me for Christmas right after he was diagnosed with liver cancer. This necklace means so much to me because of the character behind it, the many feelings it gives me and the heartfelt memories behind this one simple gift.

Determination is a driving force. For me, the determination to succeed has been my greatest ambition. I have strove to push my limits; to surpass even own my expectations. My determination to succeed has been the leading factor in everything I do for the larger portion of my life. I was determined to pass high school with fantastic grades. I was determined to ace every test and every paper. I was determined to get accepted into Arkansas State University. I am determined to become a doctor and help others. I am determined to be something bigger; to have something much greater.

Motivation: My motivation is myself and my kids. Providing a better and secure future for my family. I’m striving to do my best at everything in my life right now. I’m the glue that holds my little family together and it’s very important that I never give up, and I continue to reach all of the goals I have set for myself to be a successful mother, student and Addiction Counselor.

When I first got out of the Marine Corps my friends and family told me to go to college. I had no idea what to study. So, like others, I started a Criminal Justice program. A few months later the September Eleventh attacks accrued and I found myself back on active duty. I did not return to school for twelve years.

I have a job at Bojangles’. I believe Bojangles’ is a positive influence because it gives me an opportunity to think passively. This has been a great help because I otherwise don’t have many opportunities in my life that allow me to ‘zone out’ while still being productive. This is also a positive influence on my self-esteem because I am able to do something productive and meaningful on a regular basis without it costing me much effort.

As a kid growing up in the tough streets of South Philadelphia, I learned that there are many individuals who are at a disadvantage. Many citizens in those impoverished areas require resources that they are uninformed about. During my childhood, my mother struggled with drug abuse and poverty. We had many nights where we did not know if we were going to eat or have clean clothes for the next day. As I became older, I realized that education could be my way out of poverty. I buckled down and tried to take advantage of the free education provided to us by the government. The more I learned, the more I realized that my goal in life was to help those in need. West Chester is an excellent university for me because they match my passion for human rights and diversity. As an African-American man, I believe that everyone is entitled to the same rights and opportunities. While growing up impoverished, I found ways to help people to the best of my ability. During my high school years, I would take money given to me by grandparents to buy food for the local elderly in the neighborhood. I would

“I have a motto on my bedroom wall: 'Obstacles are what you see when you take your eye off the goal.' Giving up is not my style. I just want to do something that's worthwhile.” – Burke

If you look at my room you may not realize it, but I’m extremely organized. My friends think I’m crazy because I have a different pocket in my pencil bag for different supplies and I’m always incredibly prepared. In my backpack I have Band-Aids, pencils, pens, gloves, hand sanitizer, and even a first aid kit sometimes. It’s not just preparedness and utilization of tons of pockets that demonstrate how much of a neat freak I am, I’m also total germaphobe; I refuse to touch doorknobs of public buildings or sit on chairs without something behind me. This may seem marginally less ridiculous to you when I mention I have OCD, though, in all technicality, these symptoms alone and the sort of stereotypical perfectionism and ideas of OCD actually fall

What motivates you? Achieving success in nearly all areas of my life is motivation, since often times I am a perfectionist. Accomplishing my goals provides its own reward.

I often wonder if I have OCD. It bothers me when I walk into my home and see tennis shoes, gym bags, newspapers, and items not in their place. I have shared this with my coworkers

Do you ever ask yourself , "Where do I come from" Well, I do all the time. I wonder who came before me, what were they like and what shaped them and their goals. I think about this all the time whenever we are discussing history in class. After some research and discussions with family members I have put together some stories about my family and the way my culture has shaped me.

In a small part, every aspect of my life motivates me to strive for my dreams. My family; parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews and nieces motivate me and push me harder to achieve my goals and aspirations. Me being the first in my family to graduate high school, and enter into college is a tremendous amount of pressure. I want to be able to prove to them that they can reach their dreams no matter how old or young, if they are determined. Mainly, I want to show them that everything is obtainable if you work for it. My boyfriend motivates me to be the best verision of myself that I can be, we both chose to go to SFA together, after I stated I wasn’t interested in going to college. He motivates me to be better, faster, stronger and more determined. He teaches me to set high goals and reach them. Lastly, my coworkers motivate me to continue to improve my already strong work ethic. As their manager, they depend on me to teach them how to succeed in our work environment. Having people look up to me motivates me to no end. I love to set examples and be a leader to show people anything is possible.