Personal Essay: Overcoming Adversity

Who we really are, what our real character is only truly elicited when we are challenged, as a proverb states, “In the darkest hour shines the brightest light.” Our true character shines through when we are pushed to our extremes and are placed in situations outside of the norm. Horace claims that when someone is faced with an adversity or a challenge, they are more likely to discover talents that they thought they never had. I agree with his claim that adversity breeds talents and strengthens our character, but still understand the importance of prosperity in developing talents.

Life is full of challenges. In the stories, “Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity” and “Neighbours,” written by Jim McCormick and Lien Chao, the main characters illustrate benefits derived from taking risks. Even though both people in these texts undergo personal challenges, in “Neighbours” the character, Sally, receives greater benefits from taking risks than McCormick in “Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity”.

Adversity is something that many people are able to over come, most people can by themselves, others it requires a lot of help and if they work together and set aside petty fears it will be overcome. When they come out to the other side they will be stronger that before both mentally and/or

Overcoming adversity is hard, but these people survived the toughest obstacles that life could throw at you. Adversity is something everyone goes through, but these are extraordinary cases of what people went through.This crowd of people overcame adversity in three ways, only caring about what they thought, being creative, and facing their problems.

I began by speaking about transforming social arrangements by using education and communication to change to an inclusive view. I took a close look at a program my father and I participated in, The Indian Guides. I feel my father did not understand the racist underpinning of the program and its symbols. I did come to realize how detrimental color-blindness can be as it ignores racism. Later I explored the painful story of 3 individuals that suffered heart attacks. The success or failure of their recovery was linked to their class position. The ability to obtain health care in this country should never depend on class or socioeconomic strata. Care and wellness education should be available to all. Toward the end of the term I faced the power of words and images. These symbols can have a tremendous impact on the division of race, gender and class in society. Today I can choose to be part of those striving for an equitable society or part of the color blind

I am interested in the Socially Justice Coordinator position because I want to make sure that various voices are heard around campus. At a predominately white institution, it is very easy for the dominant perspective to be that of a white male, and I want to be a socially conscious coordinator to ensure that the voices of other people don't get muted out by the majority. I have a very personal connection to this goal because I am member of the minority group on campus ,being that I am a black female, so a lot of these issues will hit home for me and draw out my personal passion and commitment. Not only do I want to be a Socially Conscious coordinator to bring to the table some of my own experiences and ideas ,but I also want bring to light the perspective of others that I don't have a lot of have to first-hand experience with, such as members of the LGBTQ+ community, people who suffer from mental health issues ,other minority groups. I believe that it is important to show and represent the perspective of as many people that we can so that the students at the University of Georgia can gain a well-rounded perspective that allows them to be better stewards in this multi-cultural world that we live in. In order to achieve this goal, I will bring to this position my creativity to develop fun, engaging, and beneficial events, my knack of marketing to help spread the word of the socially conscious

Living in Chicago in the 21st century is not a necessarily easy thing. Everyday, I live with the fear that a loved one of mines could be taken away from me at any moment. Or the fact that my life could be taken away just from walking out of my front door. I dream of going to college and making something of myself. Often, other students tell me I can not achieve my dreams because I am an African American student. I pushed and struggle so hard to prove these students wrong. Because I am African American, many people view me as just a number. And that number is 33.1%; which is the college graduation rate for Black males. I would like to be one of the many people that will increase this percent. Recently, I was given the opportunity to take part

America is a beacon for immigrants like my Filipino parents who courageously desired to better themselves by seeking opportunity in the United States. Their older siblings toiled in rice farms in order to make a living and were supportive in ensuring better lifestyles for their younger siblings. Their siblings’ salaries successfully paved my parents’ path to becoming the first in their families to graduate with degrees in civil engineering and enter Canada; however, this step was just the beginning. A graveyard shift at the 7-Eleven gas station and a McDonald’s uniform were only a few of the hardships my parents were forced to come to terms with, but they became inured to adversity, and eventually, their determination was rewarded with a job opening in Brownsville, Texas.

I didn’t know my dad and mom. When I was three years old, I moved to Vietnam where my first memories weren’t of my parents, but instead, my aunt and uncle. As my parents were across the world in Vancouver, I lived in Vietnam, unaware of their existence. I didn’t know I was born in Canada or that my auntie and uncle were not my parents during the time. Growing up, I faced obstacles of identity, creating connections and being a part of a community. The support I have received growing up has brought me invaluable opportunities and experiences. Despite my adversity, the challenges I encountered have taught me important skills that have made into the person I am today.

In life, humans go through a cycle of transparency, a cycle in which we cannot escape. We are trapped as if we are flies caught in a spider’s web. Life is the cruelest game ever created. It is a game with the same ending every time. The ending of this game will always be death. The question remains of why we choose to accept this unbeatable game. However, just like every game, there is one abstract concept we learn that is worth every hardship we face. That concept is love. Love is the most powerful emotion humans can feel. Love is both a freedom and a restriction in our lives. People have several ideologies that help them overcome obstacles in their lives. Uniquely, writing is my love and scapegoat to overcome adversity in my life.

I found the essay in week one to be a little difficult. I am not accustomed to writing and do not practice as often as I should. After beginning this class, I have seen that maybe I should practice a little more.

What is perseverance? Perseverance is the ability to go on when things seem hopeless. It is also a measure of success, or at least how much sacrifice one is willing to make in the name of success. As students, it is impossible to achieve personal success without having a goal, or direction. The goal and direction that often propels us to achieve is perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to forge ahead despite setbacks that threaten to undermine all efforts to succeed.

Growing up I was somewhat awkward and clumsy, particularly when it came to playing most team sports. What I gave away in clumsiness, however, I more than made up with strong eye-hand coordination. On Bus-and-Bowl days, for example, my 5th grade classmates would line up to hand me dollar bills to grapple stuffed animals from the Claw Machine and I could empty the Stacker game of its iPod grand prize in short order. As it turns out, I was also pretty good at “busting” clays. This discovery, of what would become one of my favorite activities, came when I was 12 years old, after my grandfather introduced me to competitive sporting clays. I was immediately hooked.

Traditionally, failure is seen as a negative concept and is defined as lacking success. I, on the other hand, try to put a positive spin on everything in life. I see failure as an obstacle that is experienced by all, but it does not define an individual. Failure in essence will force an individual to be more receptive to their surroundings and actions and also will force an individual to mature. Looking back on my childhood years I can now pinpoint the areas where I failed and I can confidently say that I have grown and prospered due to those failures. The three major failures I have experienced were my attention deficit issues which affected my ability to succeed in school, my anti-social habit that I let consume my early years, and my

“Nothing upon earth is without its difficulties! It is the secret impulse within, it is the love and the delight we feel, that help us to conquer obstacles, to clear out new paths, and to overleap the bounds of that narrow circle in which others poorly toil,” Johann Goethe. Obstacles in life are unavoidable, as expressed in the above quote, but we can still learn from them. Obstacles can be extremely difficult to overcome. Barriers can primarily help you develop the capabilities to do everyday things. Furthermore, everyday challenges can help spice up your life. At the same time, bumps in the road can help you to be able to achieve your future plan. Obstacles are important to overcome as they give you life skills,