Rfk Personal Statement

counselor that had faith in me doing good in high school and graduating with my class. When I came out

There was absolutely nothing that could set me apart from the sea of designer purses, overly expensive shoes, and cherry flavored lip glosses. In high school, it seems if you weren’t marginalized into a group or follow the status quo you were seen as the misfit. One day, I experienced an epiphany in the back of my Government class, I wasn’t content with the illusion of the perfect teen. I had acceptable grades, I was well liked by most of my student body; however, I couldn’t come to the terms that I neglected what really mattered to me. At home my family would describe me with words such as: “eclectic, unique and remarkable.”, but at school I conformed into a person with a lackluster personality. I reckon that college is a place where each student is not the same and has the ability to be their true selves without being judged. This being, another reason why I respect your institution on the importance of accepting different cultures and

“Culture is fluid. Culture is smoke. You breathe it. You eat it. You cant help but hearing it… I am in favor of assimilation. I am not in favor of assimilation. I recognize assimilation” (Rodriguez 143). All in all, I am accepting of the labels society may put on me, for now. I'm growing up in a community that values peoples differences and accepts that we are all American in our own way. Being racially identified is not important to me, I don’t believe it makes me, or anybody else, who there are today.

The one that motivated me to write essays and apply to colleges while telling me to become more active during high school was the most stressing person I’ve met. For every individual there has been at least one person that helped them become motivated to got to college and become more active. Some common motivators are family, friends , celebrities, teachers and even historical figures. But for me, the one that motivated me was none other than my nagging high school counselor/advisor, Marienel Lopez. It is because of her nosyness that and non-stop nagging that I joined the Upward Bound summer program, applied for scholarships and colleges, and even participated for JROTC. If it weren’t for her meddlesome behavior to help me become successful, I am completely sure I would not have been able to attend Penn State and be part of Upward Bound Migrant program. The first time I met Marienel I thought she would be calm and chill, but boy was I wrong.

I know I have not lived my life to the fullest but so far the hardest thing I had to do was graduate high school. I was one of those students who did not do so well their freshmen year and because of that one year it impact the following three years after that. I do regret not doing well my freshmen year but I can only learn from it now and hope that others do not make the same mistakes as me. During my years in high school my counselor helped me a lot. When it came to me having problems with my teachers, helping me in trying to pass my regents, giving me advise on what to do the following year, etc. She was a wonderful counselor and as she gave me advise I applied it to my high school

Meet Rachel, a sophomore studying at Howard University who is also mixed with both black and white. Rachel transferred to the Historically Black University from a Predominantly White Institution because she felt as though she was not “white enough” and Howard would better suit her. Unfortunately upon her arrival, Rachel could not help but feel as though she was not “black enough” to attend Howard University. Rachel’s feeling of not belonging are not isolated, they are shared by millions of biracial Americans who, at one time or another, felt as though they did not belong to either culture. These feelings have been brought on, over time, by the way, America, although believed to be a “melting pot” of cultures, often wants people to categorize themselves as one ethnicity and the pressure placed on Americans to solely identify with one race divides the country more than anything else. The only way to rectify this problem is for Americans to stop separating themselves into racial categories and come together to be classified as simply American.

Beverly Tatum’s argument about the multiple identities and how many people define their self is one of the most notorious articles I've ever read. She's arguing how the areas where a person is a member of the dominant or advantaged social group, the category is usually not mentioned. That element of their identity is so taken for granted by them that it goes without comment. For example she talks about when she asked her students of color to complete the sentence “I am ….” how many of them mention their race, “I am Black, Puerto Rican, and Korean American”. But, when she asked white students to complete the sentence they rarely bring up their race.

Growing up as a Latino in a community where most of the population are Hispanic had made me blind, detached from the reality of the world and the reality of the college experience, especially in Santa Cruz. Looking at the world I have always known to an extent who had more privilege than others, special attention, and more rights. I have also vaguely known which groups have been treated with less respect seen as less, but all of this didn’t really seem to matter to me in my immediate world. Coming to Santa Cruz on trips such as ORALE and JUSTICE has made me see, made me realize that it does affect me, my family, and my community that privilege is something that isn’t gifted to us but which we fight for, which causes us to be looked at differently

When I entered the Dynamic of Racism and Oppression class I was the individual who had blinders on. I did not have a full understanding of what racism was, which in itself is shocking to me as I thought I had. What made me really stop and think was this class opened my eyes to the fact that I did not know my own identity. I have heard individual say “I’m black”, “I am of African decent”, “I’m Latino”, “I’m Canadian”, and “I’m white”. These are common statements of how individuals view their race and identity. I have even placed my identity in one of those categories, I’m white. I was unaware and unsure of what it meant to have a culture, which many individuals claim everyday. Some individuals know their identity, others do not, I was one

As mentioned in my Common App essay, Orange Lutheran was an extremely toxic environment for anyone who did not meet the criteria of being a white, straight, middle to upper-class male. We were in a college seminar and a teacher asked students to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Stanford, the teacher then proceeded to say “all of you put your hands down except ‘Adam’, because he is the only bi-racial person, so he is the only one with a chance.” While this may or may not have some truth behind it, it was extremely unfair to number one single out someone of a different racial background, and number two discount any student’s ability or talent because of their race. This, unfortunately, is only one example of the issues that people are

People often have an inaccurate picture of reality. Most people consider themselves friendly, forgiving, and welcoming human beings. They believe they have a sound sense of morality, adhere to their foolproof policies of right and wrong, and promote righteousness. Unfortunately, through the eyes of transgender students, this is rarely the case. Although The Title IX law is supposed to defend them from discrimination, sexual harassment, and bullying (Source A), the success of this vague list of rights is nonexistent.

This article was publish in the Business section of The Atlantic as this is an economic issue. Pinsker wanted to appeal to people who are of working status and who don’t really have an understanding of the vast effects of being labeled because of race, social status, and education. Because this magazine is also based in Washington D.C, many political figures could also be the intended audiences for this

Reflecting on my experiences with critical theory and critical race theory it reminds me of the challenges some students brought to our administration of how an individual wanted to be identified as a gender and how they choose to

Throughout my life, certain identities have remained consist. And these identities have come to shape my perspectives and my needs and wants within American culture. Typically, my social

As a young student in high school, I came to have my very first School Counselor. The school was in an urban area and there were approximately five counselors in our guidance department. I remember vividly that some students had a lack of respect of the position, claiming that their “counselor’s did not do anything”. While I cannot speak for others I was always pleased from what I expected of my counselor at the time. I was seen once or twice a semester to discuss what classes I should enroll in, received career advisement, and was given assistance in preparing for college.