Growing up in the environment I did allowed me to live without the oppression that Peekay experienced in his daily life. I have been blessed with the ability to live the childhood that many kids do not have the fortune of experiencing. The people that have surrounded me, being my parents, sister, teachers, and peers, have given me the chance to grow on my own and experience life to the fullest. From this, I have become a very self-sufficient person, other than some of the more basic guardian based needs. They have been an influence to me through their words
AP English and Dual Enrollment Government have prepared me the most for college. My AP English teacher opened my eyes to different types of literature and sources that is constantly referenced in my first college classes at Tidewater Community College. for example, Karl Marx is quoted a lot in the many theories of sociology. My Dual Enrollment Government course prepared me for this ample amount of reading in college. My professor would provide my class with multiple reading assignments to push our reading limits.
Another thing I expect is to have the college life experience and be able to learn how college really works. Upward Bound has had a big impact on my life and I am so grateful for that. From the very first day of upward bound I knew
Not only did Upward Bound Math and Science expanded my knowledge academically but, we were also involved in many activities like
Going through our Dave Ramsey class, EverFi modules, and hearing my parents testimony, has increased my knowledge on financial stability to new levels. I believe that I am far more inclined, now, to begin college and venture out on my own than I would have been without these role models and examples set before
My hands became clammy and my heart started racing. I did not want to believe the words coming out of my mother’s lips, “His kidney failed three weeks after the operation, he is dead”. I was just 5 years old and I felt like there was no purpose to live. My father was everything to me. I already missed his genuine kindness, the way his smile formed whenever he talked to me about life, and the times where we had father-son time at the airport, watching airplanes fly.
I learned that hands on research is not as easy and clean cut as it seems on paper. What I mean by that is the many intermediate steps that one must go through in order to conduct good research. Furthermore, through time, my ability to ask more refined questions has been sharpened. My abilities to connect the dots have improved. Conducting graduate level research as an undergraduate has nourished my knowledge in ways I could not foresee.
I am fortunate enough to have worked hard my first year of college, and received an academic scholarship. I always credit my upbringing for who I am as a person. Growing up in the military life allowed me to see the world, and have a better understanding of different cultures. Staying out of trouble was instilled into my brain, and still applies now. The competitiveness with my sister made us stronger, smarter, closer, and our education had made us both better people.
By working with a team comprised of people from other parts of the country and varying in age and life experience, I continued to learn and grow and learned that I could teach those more educated and older than
I knew the solution to my problem the whole time but it was up to me to take action. I had to step outside my comfort zone and do something I had never done before. If you want something bad enough, you will make the time for it. I learned not to put something off for tomorrow if you can do it today. One of my favorite quotes is “By changing nothing, nothing changes.”
My misfortune in math later helped me realize that I needed to change my outlook on school. Instead of dismissing a subject just because I was not good at it, I would rather try and identify what I was doing wrong, and work to fix it. Taking the the ACT engage test helped me realize what my academic strengths and weaknesses are, and how I can use this knowledge to capitalize these strengths so I can be more successful in college than I was in highschool.
These opportunities have helped mold me into the person I have
I learned that any barrier you face there is always an option to overcome it and be successful. I can grow by working my hardest on my school work and never giving up, even when things get hard. I also learned that time management is a very great skill to obtain at this time in my life, because college courses take time, effort, and lots of patience. I must give myself time to prepare for class work and especially exams. Having a schedule for my school work and my personal life is the best choice to help me stay on track.
The direction I chose to reach this has also created a name for me as well as affluence and prosperity. I pulled in all these aspects to help me serve my purpose to prove that I am someone. I was a slacking, lazy, and a give up kind of person prior to my junior year of high school, and I will never forget the change. I became a completely new person. I lived by a few codes that made me the respected, successful, well known man I will become.
I learned how to manage my time more efficiently since I had to balance my work and education and still do all the activities that make me happy such as playing soccer and badminton with my friends or being part of clubs at my school. Although life does not go by rule; there are times when I think what would happen if my dad was still healthy and I wouldn 't have to work. I wonder what it feels like not to think about paying the rent for a day or being able to spend the weekend without working. Still, at the end of the day when I first bought my mother an iPhone with my earnings, I felt satisfied with myself.
