Costa Rican-Lebanese Immigrant Family

I come from a large Costa Rican-Lebanese immigrant family. My parents believed that it was their duty to teach my siblings and I their native languages: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. It was also their intention to cultivate my native roots and culture. My family’s culture, assisted in shaping all aspects of my life, socially and academically. My mother is Lebanese and my father is Costa Rican which creates diverse traditions and tendencies. However, the most unique trait of my family is the dynamic created by having a total of seven children in my household. My parents native traditions and cultures helped shape the individual I am and the individual I hope to become. My family history is omnipresent in my values and personality. For example, my dad’s Spanish roots molded me into a determined and self-sufficient person.
Volunteer work has also been an activity that I like to include in my life. I currently volunteer at Saint Francis House feeding the
homeless. The Saint Francis House Mission is to engage the homeless in achieving stability, self-sufficiency, and a viable plan for their future by providing a safe, stable environment, access to essential services, and to advocate for changes that address the needs of the homeless population. I also volunteer in soup kitchens, where food is offered to the hungry for free. When I volunteer it is my goal to treat people with respect, equality, and dignity. It’s important that we serve as advocates for the homeless and the unfortunate.
While balancing all these activities, I have been able to maintain on the honor roll.
I have received the Spanish 3 award, the Lamp of Knowledge Award, and the Principal’s Honor Roll. The Lamp of Knowledge is an award given to students who maintained all A’s or B’s for the entire four quarters. I was given the Spanish 3 Award for maintaining all A’s in the class and engaging with the teacher and students. I was one of the few people in my grade who was chosen to be able to enroll in the Spanish Honor Society. It is an academic honor society focused on Spanish language excellence in secondary education and promotes a continuity of interest in Spanish studies.
I was heartened by the unique campus environment that is home to thousands of students from all over Florida and the world. I am drawn to how the university was established as a non-segregated university. FSU symbolizes unity and the willingness to give everyone equal opportunities. The level of commitment FSU has to its students is very
impressive.
From sharing my activities, work experiences, and honors or awards, I hope I was able to give you an impression of the person I am and what I hope to achieve. I believe the community can benefit from my personality, academics, and life experiences. As one of seven, I have learned to be strong willed and ambitious to achieve all that I desire. It is my greatest hope to be able to attend and experience FSU's unique campus environment and academic commitment to its students.