Off the top of my head, one movie that had a impact on me was Boyz-In-Da-Hood. The film was about a young man who had made an agreement with his mom...that if he kept getting in trouble he had to go live with his dad. Upon living with his father, he was exposed to things he didn't see living with his mother. His father was quite the intelligent man, and was able to keep him out of trouble. Some of the lessons his father taught him stuck with me to this day about how to be leader, He spoke on Gentrification in a clip in the film. Towards the end of the film, The young man was walking to the store with his friend and his friend was killed. At this point he was given a crucial fork in the road and had a very difficult decision to make. Rather…
She was born on a busy summer night on September 13th 1918 in Brookline, Massachusetts. I always had the feeling that Rosie was a little different from the rest of us. On the day of her birth the midwife arrived late, and my theory is that this action deprived her brain of oxygen. We were proven right when she failed to advance from kindergarten and was deemed to suffer from intellectual disabilities. When this happened our parents began to conceal their third child from society.…
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you pleased, or do you immediately come up with an endless list of insecurities? As a child one of my favorite memories was laying around the house with my older sister on rainy days. We would leave the windows open so we could hear the rain coming down on the tin roof over our patio, while watching reruns of our favorite tv show “America's Next Top Model”. I always thought that these women were gorgeous and I would catch myself constantly comparing their looks to my own. I wanted to be just like them until I realized the unrealistic expectations that they had to live up to. A sizeable butt and breasts, but not too large; they have got to be proportional. A skinny waist, impeccable hair, blemish free face although even with clear skin you are expected to cake on makeup because no one is actually pretty without mile long eyelashes, the perfect smoky eye, and exemplary contouring. Society has idolized these things as “beautiful” and shamed the girls that do not meet these standards; however, society should be making everyone feel confident in their bodies. Girls need to know that it is okay not to have an “hourglass figure” so they don’t…
My mother, sister, and I were driving down Highway 124 on a hot July day when my mom screamed and slammed on the breaks. Fear rushed through our bodies. Outside the car window, a short young African American man was launched into the air. As he came down, a loud boom sounded as his body helplessly rolled off the hood of the faint green Toyota Corolla in front of us. The man lay motionless in the road while we waited for what seemed like hours for the driver to exit the car. His red shirt and gym shorts were ripped. The driver of the opposing car threw the vehicle in reverse in a spasmodic action in an attempt to end the man’s life. The injured man made an effort to crawl onto the Wendy’s sidewalk, forcing his body up on the curb to evade the car. The driver drove up onto the curb and blew its tire, just barely missing the wounded man. Realizing the driver would stop at nothing, my mother drove her white suburban in front of the car, blocking the violent perpetrator from doing any further damage.…
As I look to the scenery I acknowledge its beautiful details. It is a wonder of the world that soon may fell between the cracks. A place that I will cherish all my life, a place that is one of a kind. Two hundred places I’ve seen only once. Vivid in my memory for a few years and but soon may be forgotten. But this did not. It will remain in me forever, and as scroll up it reached the end. The end of my photo album I have in my phone last summer vacation I had with my…
My mother, “Regina Hopkins,” has been a positive influence in my life. She has raised 6 kids all by herself as well as earned a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from a City College in Gainesville, Florida. My mother has been through pretty much everything a person can go through outside of war and was still able to be there and provide for all 6 of her kids. In high school, my mother wanted to play football and couldn't because she was a girl and back-in-the-day women were not allowed to play football with the guys. However, she remained strong by raising 6 kids and independently took care of all of us on her own. My mother has several qualities that I would love to develop. The first quality she has is balance; she certainly knows how to make…
Success through struggle is a story of one young soldiers attempt at something great. Through the struggles that I endure in this story of my attempts of joining an elite military organization are a testament to Army Values and the warrior ethos. You will learn that even if you do not succeed at first you will find success in other avenues. This story is not for quitters it is for those who enjoy tales that show triumph of the mind, body, and spirit.…
“We all stray from time to time….and when you do, OWN IT! If you deny it….you are giving up control again.” This can teach a lesson to people struggling with drugs and alcohol. If you deny that you have a problem, you will continue to let these things control your life, but if you own up to it, you can help yourself or get help from others. The quote, from the “I don’t know the Bible…” paragraph, “‘Well done, my good and faithful servant,”’ reflects what I believe in and what I have learned. Growing up I heard many people tell me, “God first, others second, and yourself last.” First of all, these two quotes are telling me to live a faithful life by putting God first. Also, to put others before me and serve them just like Jesus did.…
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.…
Samantha was my savior and protector till the struggle of social life took over our compact minds. I remember when Samantha and I first met in Kindergarten; I had just back to Fort Hood from Germany and hardly spoke English. I was the middle of the school year, kids had just come back from winter break and everybody knew each other by then but me. My new teacher had seated me next to Samantha and Sam welcomed me warmly. Sam would help me with assignments and talking to other kids and stood up for me against cruel kids when no one else would from kindergarten to third grade. I saw her as not only my best friend, but also my hero. However, Sam became more distant throughout the years and started talking to me less, but I didn't think anything…
Every human struggles everyone has hardship. When I was young I began to notice that maybe it is hard to understand what other people struggle with. The start of a mundane life began as usual a bus ride to school, but today something else happened a flash of yellow a soundless luxury sports car zoomed bass by a Lamborghini. As the car passed by everyone looked at it with amazement as the never seen a car pass from this part of the street. I began to wonder when will I get one with imaginary job I will live the high life. The bus hits a bump on the road I am begging to rationalize who much work will it take to achieve greatness to struggle to overcome adversity.…
When asked to write about a childhood experience most people think of the time they lost their first tooth when they were 6, or about the time they started school when they were 5, however, I’m going to write about summer. It wasn’t just any summer it was the summer that I went to the lake with my Dad and Papa. I was about 4 and couldn’t be any more excited about what was going to happen…
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.…
Prior to taking this course, I thought I knew what it meant to be versatile in various cultures. However, in reality, I really did not know as much as I thought I did. Last semester, I took part of the study abroad program to Costa Rica. I embarked on a cultural journey that forever changed my life. I was able to experience and embrace in a new and different culture than my own. I lived in Costa Rica for four months. While living there, I had opportunity to also travel to two other countries in Central America, Nicaragua and Panama. After living in another country for four months, I believed that I was culturally diverse; I believed that I knew what it was like to being cultural, little did I know that there was so much more than to living…
As Hannah knows, I had to take my car in for some unexpected repairs today so am a little short on money at the moment.…