My Life As A Life

When I think of mindfulness I contemplate of ones empathetic to interpret a situation. For two weeks every night before I went to bed, I wrote down three items I was grateful for. Some of the words were “Health”,” Family”,” Friends”,” Food”, and” Childhood”. This list goes on, what I grasped is whatever I did that day predisposed what I wrote down. On days I lifted I would appreciate my health, when I went away with my family I recognized how much I appreciated my family, when I was home for a day I realized how much I adored my bed. The new custom I obtained made me appreciate how indebted I am in my life to points I didn’t fathom before. This taught me to feel empathy for people who can’t say the same good things as me which gave me very good insight on to be grateful for the life I have.

Topic (Biographical Essay): We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations, and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors helped you to grow?

My involvement in the school band started during my 4th grade year, and continued until I graduated highschool. I was a part of the concert band every year, and in addition I played on the drum-line and in Jazz Band. While playing and learning in these classes over the years, I developed a strong interest in turning my love for music into a career. Towards the end of highschool, I was introduced to the engineering/post-production side of music composition; which lead to more ideas for my potential

In sixth grade I joined the school band, the instrument I chose to play was Percussion. I fell in love being a percussionist. I especially love the drums, it’s like i can be free and let out all my emotions when I play. I get so in tune to my music that it’s like I travel to my own world with no problems. It was then that I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I then decided to look up music colleges and I found one that I feel I would benefit and learn from,The McNally Smith College Of Music. I want to go there not only to become a better drummer and musician, but I also want to become a producer. I want to produce albums for new bands like John Feldman and Bob Rock did for bands. My main goal is to either be a drummer for a successful band and inspire kids and teens that life isn’t easy, but you can get through it and help them with their problems. I would also like to be a successful producer and help bands send that same message. That’s another one of my passions, to me, playing and creating music is wonderful and fun.

By the sixth grade, I knew that I was going to be a musician - I wanted to leave others with the same sense of wonder that music left with me. While my parents urged to me explore other options in high school, I couldn’t find the thrill that I felt from music in AP Statistics or British literature. Though I was dedicated to my music, I knew that becoming a rock star wasn’t the most realistic plan for my future, so I decided to pursue a backup degree in music production. I would dedicate my time to the band, but learn to record, mix, and master in my free time, so that if my band never made it big, I could still be involved with music. I found myself at a two-year community college trying to save as much money as possible while buying time

The beginning of my journey into this grand endeavor started towards the end of my sophomore year. I was peer pressured into trying out by everyone I talked to that was in band with me. I would walk up to one of my sister’s friends they would ask, “Hey, are you trying out for drum major this year?”

I’ve aspired to be a professional musician for over ten years now. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to study music on a university level as part of my journey. When the time came, I only auditioned for one school. It was the only school that I wanted to attend. I was accepted with a scholarship for music composition, and master’s degree track for music education.

I never knew the idea of a broke college student was real until I became one. After the money relatives gave me after high school graduation ran out, there was not much left in my pocketbook right as school was starting. What became the most difficult part is that I wanted to spend money on so many objects and activities, but could not bring myself to spend money unless it was a dire need. I would never go to my family if I did need the money either. With three other siblings in my single-mother household, I could not bring myself to ask my mother for money I knew she could not give. We are all struggling. This led me to go to the drawing board to become a frugal shopper and to save money in college.

Growing up many things was said and done that suck with me through the years. My life has been anything but calm. Family drama seemed like a constant, and no one knew how to get along. On top of all that my health was not good, and it always seemed like I was sick with something new every other week. Sure in life there are going to be good years and bad years, but what if the good years are actually only months or weeks? When your grandmothers and older sister are raising you and mom has a new boyfriend every week, you start remembering things sooner. People words stuck in my head, whether they were talking to me or about my family. Through the years, though there has been two words that people have repeated all the time and as I got older they really helped. That’s when one day in August as a little seven-teen girl I decided to get a tattoo that would have everyone asking why.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4). A verse in the Bible that I had learned when I was young; when I was growing up in a church. My worldview as Christian is to believe that God created the heavens, the oceans, the life and the earth. Additionally, it is to also understand the important concepts of the world and not to stay close to one single thing. To understand life as a christian is to be living in the New Testament portion of the Bible than in the Old Testament in the Bible. However, in the year that we are in, in the environment that we are in, and in the state that we are currently in…only calls for prayer and meditation to the common individual. Moreso, it has been a journey of interpreting life as an experience through journey and through meditation much rather than “living” in the church than just visiting it on sundays.

Life for me sucks. I’m the one person at school that does not get avoided. But I say that in a bad way. I walk down the halls and people are shoving me, throwing my stuff to the ground, and getting laughed at. I would say that I get the most attention at this school. But there is also life at home. Every time I come home my dad is drunk lying on the sofa watching sports. Then he tells me to clean up all of his crap that he leaves every where along with doing all the others chores and homework. Yes, life for me sucks.

Every choice we make in our daily lives can positively or negatively affect who we are and what we do. What if one day you decide to go help out at a local charity event? Maybe the next day something good will happen to you. On the other hand, say you have one of those moment that almost every young child has and you tell your mother or father you hate them or wish you did not have to see them anymore. What if that really came true? How would you feel? Now I cannot speak for you but I know from personal experience that that feeling is the the worst feeling you could imagine.

My grandfather's death made me realize that living life every day to fullest as if it were the last is something that everyone should do. I used to be irresponsible, moody and hated going with friends; I was more of an isolated person.

Thoughout my career in school, I have always pushed myself to go above and beyond what is expected. I enjoy taking AP classes, being invloved in extra curricular activities such as band and golf, and helping the community through my work with National Honor Society. I have always excelled in school but it wasn't until I got to high school that I realized my love for music. Being in a competitive percussion program that includes marching band and indoor drum line, provided me with many opprotunities. I have been able to perform in Dayton, Ohio , Chicago, Illinois and many places thoughout Texas including Bass Hall and Texas A&M University. Along with these group experiences, I have had the opportunity to perform at the state level solo contest and receive a division 1 for my performance.

A child imitates its parents while it grows up, thus making them copy or imprint their actions, becoming child’s point of reference as it matures. I being no exception did the same. I looked up to my parents especially my mother, a high school teacher for Chemistry having a strong background in biology as my point of reference. She became my educational pillar and the ember of interest for science kindled right from my childhood days. This ember of interest turned into flames when I entered my high school.