College Admissions Essay: The Man Who Changed My Life

Of all of the people I have encountered in my life so far, my father is the one to leave the greatest impact. I remember my dad would always ask me “ do you want to be the boss or be bossed? ” These word are what drives me to work hard and try my best in everything that I do. Maybe it was the fact that I have seen him grow so much over the years that his words and actions have affected me so much today. Through these words and actions I have been able to think of what i want to do and where I want to be in life after I graduate high school.

All little sisters look up to their big brothers, and I was no exception to the rule. I remember watching my brother Brandon, cheering him on at his high school football games, golf matches, and basketball tournaments. I was only six or seven at the time, so of course I wanted to be just like him. I proudly yelled his name in the bleachers, dressed in his big cotton sweatshirts. My little eyes saw Brandon as a superhero out there, on the courts, fields, and everywhere I saw him. I have forever held that notion in my mind, ultimately holding him on a high pedestal. Even though I regarded him as my utmost favorite human on earth, something happened that changed me and him.

Even though my father never went to college, I have always wanted to go. I knew I wanted to be better and do more than my deadbeat dad did. My father always told me “you are a smart girl”, and to him anything below a C grade wise was utterly unacceptable, well for everyone besides my brother who could never manage more than a D. The amount of punishment he had to endure for that I didn’t want to imagine how much it hurt. I remember the pit in my stomach every time report cards were sent out even though I knew I did well, but the better grades I got the easier it became to keep them up. I thank my father for his strict parenting when it came to education because I know now if I didn’t have rules like that I don’t think I would be where I am now, and better off than him.

“I can do it.” Although it may seem like a simple phrase, these four words comprise the root and core of my character. It makes me smile that the strength behind these four words came from a three-year old boy, my older brother Anthony. Anthony was born with a double right outlet and ventricular septal defect, meaning that he had twice the difficulty performing the same activities as any other three year old. He never let this ailment get in the way of enjoying the pleasures of childhood. He would say “I can do it” and sure enough conquer any task that was presented to him. He even uttered his saying before open-heart surgery and ultimately survived the procedure. Although Anthony passed away a year later from cardiac arrest, it is the strength of those words and the confidence embedded in his character that allow me to understand the wisdom in his

“You know Kwesi, I only came to this country with forty bucks in my pocket and the clothes on my back and look where I am today.” -- words from my father I thought to myself the first time I saw a rifle plummet down to my head.

Children, at a very young age, are taught to contemplate about their own future. What do we aspire to be when we grow up? What sport do we want to play? What college will we attend after high school graduation? It is not until we reach the adolescent phase or maybe even adulthood that we stop to think about what difference we can make in other people lives and what impact will we have on the future of others. At least that is how it happened for me. My parents, specifically my father, pressured me about what my grades were like in school, what career path I would choose, what type of significant other would I attract and many other things except the most important part of humanity: what difference will I make in the world?

At the age of 39, I decided to return to school and finish my undergraduate degree. Being a single mother I wanted my kids to see how hard work and dedication can really pay off if you commit yourself and push through any adversities, you will win. I received my degree in Healthcare Management and I have been working in health insurance for over fifteen years. Working with people and helping others is my passion. I love to see a smiling happy face.

During my time as a high schooler, I’ve moved three times to three schools. Each time I move I am in an entirely different situation. I come across new problems, new environments, and new friends. But, two people stay with me. Two people have been in every school I have attended. Even before my birth, they were there. One of them I love and the other I hate… Their names are Wisdom and Folly.

I heard rumors of what life would provide which were spoken by the endless waves of the New Jersey coastlines after they forced me down, under the salty waters and it was my personal duty to rise up again before I was swept away- a lecture on getting up when life pushed its members down. It was a lesson that life itself is tough, and resilience is required for advancement and that example has always followed me in life. I had also dared to follow a trail with my older brother up the Appalachian mountains while in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The higher up we went, the thinner the trail that ran along a cliff’s edge and the more ice coated the rocks underneath us. My brother was a gritty boy who never showed any affection and often treated

Each of us has a different story, where we come from, who we are, who we want to be or what change we want to create in this world. Every person has a story to tell, some of them are good, others inspiring, and others hard to explain. Today I am going to share an experience that change my life completely not in a bad way, but made me grow as a person and keep going no matter how hard the things in life can get. We have to move on and find new beginnings, new ways to appreciate the things you already have but you cannot see.

During our teenage years, we often become confused and lose track of who we are and what we are passionate of. Although I acknowledge that I am losing certain things in life, I am also gaining a variety of opportunities to make up my losses. I believe that I should be the winner of this scholarship because I have rediscovered what I can am zealous about and my first step to accomplishing my goal is to attend the college of my dreams. With this scholarship, I can lift a bit of the burden of tuition off of my family and can thoroughly keep my concentration on my studies in order to achieve my goal of becoming a successful financial adviser and help others improve their living situations. If I were to be awarded this scholarship, I can then reach

For most of my life I have been a bit of a loner. I’m not lonely, but I’ve always enjoyed my own company. I love my relationship with God, my family, and my friends, but I have no problem with spending time by myself. When I was in elementary school, I didn’t really recognize the importance of being by myself sometimes. I tolerated it, but I remember feeling like I always wanted and needed friends around. All of this changed once I moved to Colorado and started my first year in middle school at a public school. Before then, I had went to a private Christian school and now I had to attend public school. I was very nervous and deep down I didn’t want to go to school. I was sick and tired of moving at that point and didn’t want to make new friends

“Neha! Neha! Look at the Olympic gold medal I won! I used my pancake serve, just like you said!” exclaimed a faintly familiar voice behind me. I quickly turned around to be greeted by an ecstatic, bouncing girl radiating joy and excitement, proud of defeating the other teams in her bracket. It took me a few seconds, but it was Mimi, my special athlete unified doubles partner from the Special Olympics of Georgia of previous year. I couldn’t believe Mimi had remembered me and even recollected what I told her. That one butterfly-effect moment sparked a new trajectory in my life.

On a hot summer day, I was born on July 27th 1998 at Ohio State hospital. Since the day I was born I have experienced many things throughout my life. The experiences that I have had throughout my life have shaped me into the person that I am today. Who I am as a person today is successful, kind and thoughtful.

The first person that I wanted to heal, the first person that inspired me to do better and be better, was and is my mother. I have been raised in communities where abuse and violence are the norm, where everything around you is a sea of vast corruption, where the little man is of means of no concern. My community, my people have played the hand that they are dealt, so has my mother. She was the first person I wanted to heal, the person I wanted to save; she stuck by with the hand she was dealt with because she believed that was the right choice. Due to this choice I had to constantly witness her be abuse, watched her cry and suffer. I wanted to heal her bruises and scars, she was not the only woman suffering, other women in the community were