College Admissions Essay: My Role In Education

The eldest of 3, ranging from 7 to 21, I thought of myself as a drill sergeant until I read my sister’s recent essay wherein she stated she would never be definitively organized despite years of my having meticulously taught her the skills ranging from swim to dinner preparation. Affronted by my mother’s uncontrollable laughter as she read it, she imparted a life lesson. Psychology 101: people do what they want to do, but only do what they must, when they do not want to do something, followed by you can only lead a horse to water, you cannot make it drink. I laughed too when I thought what my sister would be like if I had not continual monitored her behavior.

N is for nonconformist. I try my best to stay true to who I am. I do not let other people’s opinions affect my opinions or my actions. The type of person that I am is not determined by social expectations or what others expect of me.

The one teacher that will always have a enormous impact on my future and how I teach is Mrs. Moss. I had the opportunity to job shadow her a couple years back and it was an unforgettable experience. When the students were in other classes, I got to ask her questions that also helped me get an understanding of how hard she worked. She told me about the good parts of teaching, the negative parts of teaching, what was hard, what was easy, and we talked about some of her past experinces. This opened my eyes to see that not everyday in the classroom is sunshine and butterflies however, she showed me that no matter the day it is the teachers job to make it great. You (the teacher) are possibly one of the first few faces they see in the morning, your comments and gestures may influence how their entire day

My life has been dramatically changed by the teachers in my life. From Mr. Brink, to my 8th grade science teacher Coach Bradley, the love, service, and patience I’ve seen reflected in my favorite teachers astounded me every time.

Who am I? As a student, an answer to this question is becoming imperative as parents, teachers and institutions alike assume that students have a predetermined blueprint for their future. I had difficulty in answering this question, but as I found my passion, my drive to succeed and started to push my limits, some defining characteristics became evidently clear.

I love almost anything that has milk in it. Cream cheese, iced coffee, milkshakes, and cheese . But unfortunately the universe is against me and has decided to make milk irritate my asthma. So whenever I eat something with a reasonable amount of milk product in it, one of two things occurs. Situation one- I am completely fine and can go about my day knowing I have won this round against a weird cow byproduct. Situation two- The strange cow liquid/solid choses to take control of my throat and lungs, causing me unable to breathe normally for a while, and usually ruining a small part of my day. In fact before writing this, I ate a rather small amount of chocolate ice cream that decided to give me a cough and a itchy throat as revenge. Regardless, I have survived to tell the tale and because of my choice, a small part of my life has been improved.

Education has not been an option for me, growing up in an African household. Many children would have been bothered by this request, however I took it upon myself to implement it in everyway that I could. That I thank my mother for. As a person who values education as a key to having a successful life, I also know that simply believing in yourself will lead to bigger and better moments. I was once told that “Highschool is like a door of opportunities. All that you do will lead to a door either opening or closing.” It stuck with me and I have since been thankful for it because it allowed me to see what and how I wanted to live my life, even at such a young age. Loving myself for who I am, and knowing that education is power kept me on track and intack to achieving fulfillment within myself. And in the moment I cut all of my hair off, my sophomore year in highschool, I knew that this one little change of my appearance would bring loads of realization to my life.

Throughout my life, I attended a very small school. My teachers I had have been the ones that inspired me to become a teacher. I was inspired to become a teacher by my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Haney. She taught me that no star was too hard to reach. She made me believe that if I put a goal in my mind, that I could tackle it and that I could make it. Before I had her class, I really didn’t have any self-confidence. However, while I was in my class, she made my self-confidence boost. This wonderful person that was a part of my life has lead me to make the decision of become a teacher.

Some might call it “nosey” or “annoying”, but I've always favored the term “curious”. From a young age, my thirst for knowledge has been unquencable and well-known to those around me. My parents, teachers, and any other adults within an earshot were plagued by my constant questions. By the age of six, I had become obsessed with finances. I felt like I needed to know every last detail of people's fiscal affairs. Unfortunately, my six-year-old self was too young to realize that this was considered distasteful. Often at night, while my dad sat at the dining room table to pay his bills and balance his checkbook, I would accompany him. My interrogation into his finances was unrelenting, and most of the time he would comply. Whether he wanted me

Being a first generation United States citizen in my family, I have experienced both sides of the spectrum where my mother’s mere presence symbolizes a near sacrifice of life for a better quality of mine and work is valued over education. Sounds pretty strange when you think about it because most first generation stories you hear include an overbearing parent that values education over everything else. While my mother does value education, I never posed a need for guidance in that aspect until my junior year of high school but by that time my mother had grown accustomed to me being so independent. My mother in a way had given up on me. She found my struggle with mental health too much of a culture shock for her and consequently treated it as a burden whenever I needed support. I would go weeks without going to school because my depression was too unbearable and I was at the point where suicidal ideations were the norm for me. However, this didn’t phase her in the slightest. Attendance wasn’t something I grew up accustomed to. I

When I was in seventh grade, I got my first pair of glasses. I placed them on my face and looked around. I could see birds’ wings and blades of grass. I could see the curls in clouds and the creases on a sheet. I then looked in the mirror, and was rather surprised- I found that I didn’t look how I imagined. I had more freckles than I thought. My cheekbones were higher, my face thinner. After several years of seeing myself through unassisted eyes, I had begun to have an image of myself that did not match reality.

"Many will travel to hear you speak". I saw this on a fortune cookie from Panda Express during a time when I was unsure on what I wanted to be and what my talents were. I always had a passion for public speaking, but this seemed out of reach — especially since most of my family members only favored medical related professions. However, I know that I have another path to follow.

My education is my responsibility, no one can hand it to me, it cannot be bought, it can only be earned and worked for. You can pay for college, but that does not automatically mean that you are paying for an education. A person can attend class everyday and choose to not learn. It is a fact that I am going to need an education if I am going to have a comfortable lifestyle. Careers and jobs are becoming exceedingly competitive, leaving the best opportunities to those who have chosen to further their education. The great part about furthering my education is that I actually desire to do it! When I contemplate about not being able to further my education due to financial burdens, it completely breaks my heart considering I know what the value of an education is.

When I was growing up all I had was an education, I had no friends, activities, or even family to look to for support, strength, or a role model. I only had myself, my soul, and my mind, a body to work, a soul to express, and a mind to what? I didn’t know and with no one around me to ask I began to realize, around forth grade during school, minds are meant to be grown. A person’s mentality and intellect are traits not from my religious deity but in turn from education and progression in studies from our school systems taught by qualified educators. This thought sparked me to start realizing what my mind can acquire in literature, so I began reading in my abundant time expanding my previous vocabulary exponentially. In fifth grade I achieved

As a freshman in high school, only fourteen years old, I was as careless and immature as a teenager could get. A school was no more than a place I was forced to be each day. The first two years were filled with this carelessness and immaturity. I now view those first two years as a waste and look down upon them. As I became older and wiser I came to realize the importance of education and how school was a stepping-stone to my future. For the next two years of high school, I vowed to change my outlook on school and life in general. I went from being careless, immature, ignorant of school and learning, and noninteractive with other and the world around me to trying my hardest at everything I did and being interested in learning new things both