Personal Essay On Overachievement

Determination. Perseverance. Overachievement. These words are just a few of the attributes that encompass my essence as a hardworking, overachieving African American woman and student. Today and decades back to when my ancestors lived, society told me nonchalantly and often times overtly what type of future I was capable of achieving as an African-American woman.
Matriculating from a child into a young lady, the color of my skin often times influenced how I felt about myself and who I could be as an individual in society. As I sat in the front of the class at a predominately white school or walked down the hallways, I anticipated the moment that I would yet again be called another racial name- sometimes from those who looked similar to me but did not understand the essence of their doings. Reaching my final year in middle school, I began to define myself in a way that encompassed the names I was called. Instead of describing myself as the intellect I was or by my astounding level of accomplishments, I defined myself as someone who must be unfortunate to be African-American. Witnessing very few African-American women being presented in a positive manner in the news, learning my entire history and heritage in a single textbook chapter, and hearing demeaning words merely because of my dark skin tone inhibited me from seeing what roles I was capable of having in society. I often times asked
myself “Why can’t I be different?” and I thoroughly remember returning home from school with tears in my eyes begging my mother for skin lightning creams. The worldly influences from others bemused me of what I now adulate and advocate for today- being a part of the African-American community.
For many years the aforementioned experiences shaped my personal image, however, in the past and even today they serve as a reminder of the words and experiences that have changed me into the successful, overachieving individual I have become today.
They have influenced and inspired me to achieve the accomplishments that society said were not emblematic of African-American women-disproving societies predetermined image of who or what I could become. I refused to permit the color of my skin and what others thought of my ethnicity to hinder me from achieving my goals and
aspirations.
After these experiences I began establishing a work-ethic founded on desire and overachievement, in order to disprove society’s predetermined image. I became a full-time college student at just 15 years of age and graduating from a university at 19 years old with both a major and a minor is an accomplishment that many expected I could never do as an African-American woman and first generation student. I believe my work-ethic and desire to accomplish every task I have set out to do will make me a successful law student at Florida Coastal School of Law, as well as a successful lawyer in the legal profession. Admittance into your prestigious law school would permit me the opportunity of….FINISH
In addition, numerous hours of my life have been devoted to community service and giving back to my community- a community and its people who have given so much to me. Today, African-Americans are greatly underrepresented in the legal profession. In the city that I permanently reside, there is only one African-American attorney and for many years I have attended PEACE rallies in my community where underrepresentation has been a major concern for the black community- often times leading to a lack of trust and the conviction that issues among the black community will go unnoticed or will not be provided adequate attention. For this reason, I aspire to return to my hometown in order to provide legal services to the black community, while instilling a sense of trust in our local and national legal system. No matter how successful I become, I will always have a responsibility to help my community.
While specializing in civil rights and legal issues that affect African Americans within my community, I aim to be a role model to the black girls who may be experiencing the uncertainty I felt growing up. As a tutor for at-risk students in Alachua County, quite often I witness the lost innocence and desire for success of young black girls who are mistakenly believing societies preconceived notion of what is typical and atypical of African-American women. It is my desire to give the young black girls in society a new avenue to discover. If young, black girls who grow up in a sometimes demeaning society learn about other black women who have become successful, they will believe they too can achieve their goals and ambitions, irrespective of how “abnormal” they may seem.