When I was younger, I always accepted the words of my parents without any second thought. Maybe I was afraid to protest the authority figures in my life, or maybe I was too afraid to speak for myself. I learned not to question anyone. I became subdued and submissive, I felt my creativity being stifled. Introverted , quiet people were not welcome in this household, and were made into extroverts, whether or not it affected their well-being. Socialization has affected my life in many ways, as it does for every human being on Earth.…
If I walked down the left side of the hallway, I might get rude looks and people might say something like “okay, what does she think she is doing?”…
You have represented a dividing line between the middle class, the working class and poor. In your eyes, these are the most important classes in the United States because they illustrate a real, and the most common family status. Your writings have given us individual accounts of the struggling classes and many of the challenges we may face from day to day, and how this matters more to us because we are not all a part of the upper class.…
I don’t know how to begin to define myself in order for you to understand who I truly am. I believe there is more to a person than stories that mould us into who we are today; like when one asks, “Tell me your story," I don’t think about that time when my family broke into two or that time I was diagnosed with my mental illnesses. I think of coffee, because coffee is bitter and bitter people drink coffee, sad people; people with heavy hearts and heavy footsteps, with tangled thoughts, people with anxiety and words left unspoken, people like me. Lonely people drink coffee. I think of the world map I have in my room with thumbtacks marking every country I want to visit. I think of foreign languages, and how beautiful it sounds when words form…
Life is like a masquerade, everyone wears a mask to conceal their flaws, weaknesses, fears, and past mistakes. Everyone wears a mask to hide the fact that they’re human. Humans aren’t perfect; humans fuck up from time to time and sometimes, failure can lead to success. Failure can lead society to a different path, a brighter future. The wisest and most intelligent people are the ones that make mistakes and learn from them.…
There has been many cases in which I have helped an outsider feel welcome. One time in particular is when I played tag with this little boy at church since he was new and no one else played with him. Originally, I was outside eating candy and talking to my friends at church. I noticed that this little boy was standing all alone watching all the other little kids play without him. I thought that maybe he was upset so I went over to him and asked if he wanted the rest of my gummy worms. He seemed nervous at first, but eventually he started talking to me. I learned that he was five years old and he was visiting his grandparents for the weekend. His older brother was outside playing basketball with some of the other older boys at the church, and…
I am the eldest of three to a school teacher and professional musician turned deli clerk. I grew up on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Like most of my classmates, I qualified for free or reduced lunch. It is difficult for families to find any house to rent year-round, never mind a safe one. I remember in one house we weren’t allowed to jump, or run for fear the floor collapsing. I had classmates who didn’t have enough to eat; one of my best friends in middle school was a foster child whose mother struggled with addiction. I was among the few who, though poor, was well cared for and loved by my happily married parents. I believe that in a “civilized” society no one should have to struggle for the most basic necessities. At first, I was not…
My education will never be complete. This knowledge affords me the ability to grow each and every day. It teaches me to question the world and to learn from these questions. I learn through different lenses and circumstances I experience each day. At seventeen, I am nowhere near complete. I am young. I am flawed. I am naïve. What I have learned has led me down different paths in order to achieve different milestones on my own journey. I am strong. I am creative. I am poised...but most importantly I am learning. My education has allowed me to learn about myself, about others, and about the world. I am evolving through the educational process and through the effort of acquiring knowledge. I have no idea what I will learn tomorrow --some days…
My actions are always a direct showcase of my personal characteristics. A few that are particularly important are having patience, being non-judgmental, and thinking creatively. I learned a majority of my patience through my position as a research position. Research does not have immediate results; a good experiment takes time. My seemingly menial tasks, such as entering data, eventually contributed to the final product. I learned to be non-judgmental in my time shadowing an obstetrician, where I interacted with patients with so many stories. To judge them would cause a disservice, and potentially harm them. Finally, I learned to think creatively during my time at the Guild for Human Services. Each student was unique in his or her problems,…
I believe, as humans, we take aspects of life for granted; It’s a fatal flaw we all possess. Many of us are healthy, naturally smart, and grow up in ideal environments, but there are also many who do not. I am privileged enough to have grown up in a well rounded environment, so I have this frequent need to help others. I feel I would be taking my life for granted if not using it to help others. My application would be incomplete if I could not express how helping others makes me, me.…
Throughout the years, billions of individuals have inhabited the Earth, each with their own lives and their own particular choices. With every choice made, these individuals have started to compose their legacy, which is the exemplification of who they are and what they have accomplished. I, like the majority of the rest of the world, am starting to leave a legacy as well, and plan to continue and enhance it along the shining stone path known as my life.…
time for me to begin my 10 minute warming up. I move my head side to side, stretch my legs, and I begin to walk briskly. I drank my water because I need to stay hydrated. When I was ready I sprinted out like a rocket. My brother began to time me. It took me 12 minutes to finish my one mile. Once I felt that my heart was pounding, my stomach started to develop painful cramps, and my My throat was as dry as a bone. I stopped and took deep breaths in and out. I took a five minute break and finished my 3 miles by walking. Once I finished my three miles I felt proud of myself and motivated for the next days to…
Personal background starts off small, it changes and grows over time into something big, it grows into an identity. Walking down the hallway at school, seeing someone standing alone, my first instinct is to make conversation, compliment, or even just smile at him or her. This instinct came from someone once telling me an act so small could turn a person's entire life around. As a kid, reading encyclopedias about random topics, consumed my time. Many days were spent coming home to find an injured wild animal in my dad's arms waiting to be saved. My dad would sit outside and draw animals, trees, and anything else he saw. Nothing excited me more than trying to draw whatever my dad drew, and as good as he did. Any assignment that was handed to…
Ever since I was born, I was a military brat. Not knowing where to call home, or if any place could be home, I moved. I moved six times, four of those places were towns that nobody could think about. Germany, North Carolina, Alaska, North Carolina, Germany, and Alaska, yet no place to call home. May 22, 1999, my first day on this world; Kronach hospital had its first American baby in their hands, yet they acted like I was a different species. The only event I remember was when I was about one. While I was one, I grabbed everything in my reach, even a grill handle. As a baby, I did not know that the handle was moving, the grill top had smashed my thumb. Ever since that event, I now have a starfish mark on the side of my right thumb from where the stiches were.…
Ten years ago during late January, in my 5th grade class I was discriminated against by my classmates. This moment in my life I learned a life lesson that will always embedded in my brain.…