Undergraduate / 'significance of my garden' - the world you come from (family, community, or school) [3]

UC Prompt #1: Describe the world you come from (family, community, or school) and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Each bead of sweat nurtured the soil. Each hole dug in the ground was a step in the right direction. Each meticulously planted seed was cared for until fully grown. I was simply watching the hard work.

It was Thursday evening, and like every Thursday after school, I was at my grandfather's house my grandfather as he tended to the beans in his garden. As an elementary school student, I did not comprehend the significance of the garden. I did not understand why, instead of going to the park, we would work in the garden. I could not yet grasp the lesson I was being taught. However what happened in that little backyard garden, a small 25 square foot patch of soil, I have eventually appreciated as one of my greatest inspirations. As a boy, I watched my grandfather plant each seed, water each planting and with time, I observed his vegetables grow. Each stalk of beans grew from a seed into towering ten-foot vines that yielded oversized green beans. I ran through the rows of plants. Come Sundown, my grandfather and I left the garden and returned to the house, ending the work for the week. As I returned to the garden week and each year, I slowly increased my contribution, and as a result, I was given more responsibility. The garden became my source of pride too. I enjoyed watching the vegetables grow with my hard work.

When I look back now, I comprehend the significance of the garden. The yearly cycle of growth is a microcosm of our lives. Although finally eaten, my grandfather's beans are not grown first and foremost for consumption, but for the lesson they teach. My grandfather taught me to appreciate each moment, the importance of each opportunity and the value of diligence. With the motivation of my grandfather and my family, I grasp each occasion and make the best of each situation.

Almost an adult, I still benefit from the lessons I was taught as a child. The simplicity of my grandfather's dirt stained hands wordlessly give me inspiration. At the request of his Italian parents, my grandfather dropped out of high school to pick tomatoes on their Central California farm. He moved to the Bay Area, started his own electric contracting company and had a family. The youngest daughter, my mother, was the only one out of her four siblings to graduate from a major university. My mother, an engineer, brings a blue-collar attitude to my family. A unique blend of shovels and wrenches, with paper and pens, family has bestowed upon me an appreciation for the balance between work and result, dedication and accountability. My family provides me with the tools necessary to develop my life into one that helps, facilitates, teaches and eventually gives back to the world.

My Grandfather and I still grow beans on the same patch of dirt, with the same tools that have been used since I was young. My grandfather is now 92 years old.

Each bead of sweat nurtures the soil. Each hole dug in the ground is a step in the right direction. Each meticulously planted seed cared for until fully grown. This time my Grandfather was simply watching.

TEAR ME APART PLEASE!!!
Thanks so much

Undergraduate / Common App short answer: 150 words "OAKLAND ROYALS" [2]

Common App short answer: 150 words "OAKLAND ROYALS"

Prompt: In the space provided below, please elaborate on one of you activities (extracurricular, personal activities, or work experience) (150 words or fewer)

I began volunteering with the Oakland Royals, a youth baseball team created to influence the youth of the notorious Ghost Town neighborhood of Oakland, to escape the cycle of drugs and violence. To buy team equipment, I started a recycling program, by mobilizing my community and organizing a pick up routine. This led to my creation of Kappa, a non-profit service club chartered through my school and designed to raise money and recruit volunteers for the Royals program. In addition, as Fundraising Chair of the Key Club, a national service organization with a chapter at my school, I instituted a program of weekly barbeques where we purchase, cook and sell food, the proceeds of which go to the Royals program. Beyond fundraising, I spend hours on the field with the kids, where I provide encouragement, discipline and support through the teaching of baseball fundamentals. In turn, my involvement with the program has pushed me out of my comfort zone and given me lessons in gratitude, privilege and opportunity.

Undergraduate / 'undeveloped third world countries travels' BOULDER what can you contribute [3]

From my travels to undeveloped third world countries and Europe, I have learned much about contribution and diversity. I have brought this knowledge home and used the inspiration to participate in service to the youth and underprivileged in my local communities.

From my travels to undeveloped third world countries, I have learned much about contribution and diversity. I have brought this knowledge home and used the inspiration to participate in service to the youth and underprivileged in my local communities.

During three weeks traveling with my family through Tanzania's orphanages, schools and cities, I saw poverty on an appalling level. The lack of possessions, and even of hope, is overwhelmingly poignant. The children at the orphanages sleep on dirt floors, under leaking ceilings, with no source of clean water. The schools are without basic supplies; pencils are so scarce that they are broken in half so two students can write. As a family, we brought toys and clothes to the orphanages and pencils, paper and books to the schools.

Presented with this striking view of adversity, I was motivated to participate in my community's outreach program to poor families in Tijuana, Mexico. As part of a group that traveled across the border by bus, we built houses for families who lived in hovels built by cardboard and debris. The exchange of house keys from our community to the trembling hands of a family with their first solid roof is a memory that will stay with me forever.

The compassion I felt for the poverty-stricken youth in Africa and Mexico has inspired me to assist underprivileged youth in the neglected neighborhoods surrounding my community. I began volunteering with the Oakland Royals, a youth baseball team created to influence the youth of the notorious Ghost Town neighborhood to escape the cycle of drugs and violence. To buy team equipment, I started a recycling program by mobilizing members of my community and organizing a pick up routine.

My efforts with the Royals led to my creation of Kappa, a non-profit service club chartered through my school and designed to raise money and recruit volunteers for the Royals program. In addition, as Fundraising Chair of the Key Club, a national service organization with a chapter at my school, I instituted a program of weekly barbeques where we purchase, cook and sell food, the proceeds of which go to the Royals program. Beyond fundraising, I spend hours on the field with the kids, where I provide encouragement, discipline and support through the teaching of baseball fundamentals. In turn, my involvement with the program has pushed me out of my comfort zone and given me lessons in gratitude, privilege and opportunity.

Closer to home, I was selected after an interview process to be part of the Senior Peer Advisor program at my school. The program, supervised by the School Wellness Center, focuses on the educating of freshmen and sophomores in the handling of the pressures of high school social life, peer awareness and avoidance of drug and alcohol abuse.

For my city's recreation program, I have volunteered as a youth soccer coach regularly for the last eight years and as a youth basketball coach for the last three years. At camps comprised of kids ages four to nine, I serve as a role model and coach.

The experience and reward I have attained through work with the underprivileged and with youth in my community will allow me to contribute similarly to youth programs in the Boulder community.

Writing Feedback / ESSAY ON "THE WAR ROOM" MOVIE ABOUT CLINTON'S '92 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN [2]

The "War Room" is an award winning documentary analyzing the political madness that is involved with a presidential campaign. Examining the mental, emotional, and moral aspects of politics, Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker unravel the truth behind the seemingly cynical world of politics. The election under scrutiny is the election between (then) current President George Bush and upcoming Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. Providing a one-sided view, Clinton's campaign is the only one filmed. However, as the producers dive into the campaign, the realization is made that the president is just the face of a behind the scenes team of people who are in charge of transportation, strategy, media, and communication. The two people at the forefront of Clinton's campaign are James Carville, the seemingly combative strategist, and George Stephanopoulos, the quiet, soft-spoken director of exposure. Engaged in the most popularized election in America, each move is under extreme focus, causing great pressure and stress. However, unlike one may believe, the film shows a softer side to politics and the people involved. As a result, one is completely justified in saying that, although strenuous, the political process is rewarding and positive.

The presidential campaign is a stressful process that takes years of preparation and organization. The dedication involved is what makes the conclusion a moment of levity regardless of result. The "War Room" gives the viewer an inside view to the entire electoral process. The viewer sees the morning donuts ignored by blinded politicians focused on phone calls and the twisting of information to the benefit of the candidate. However the viewer also sees the development of a family and the close bonds being made by a team (or army if you will) that dreams of success and a unified goal (winning the WAR). George Stephanopoulos and James Carville are the premiere members of Clinton's team and ultimately responsible for his victory. The viewer sees a transformation between the two professional politicians that show an inner-softness to the world of politics. Most obviously, in a final scene of the movie, the two men receive praise from their co-workers for the political work. Carville, a hard-nosed kind of man, breaks down in front of national television thanking is co-workers, family, army, and supporters. Carville is unable to finish his thank you and secludes into tears, surrounded by about 25 fellow politicians. The impact on one's life is so significant when participating in of a movement that changes the world that the finished product is almost unbearable. The dedication is so widespread that even the smallest act of making a "home made sign with letters bigger than Jerry Brown's," is part of the machine that drives a campaign to victory. Like any fine working machine, a positive input is yielded when the process is done right.

Contradictory to the positive aspects of a politics, there is a blaring negative side as well. The deceit, lies, twisted information and cynicism involved in politics are an unfortunate side affect of a candidates drive to win. In a winner take all match, the presidential candidates in "The War Room," accept the necessity of doing anything required to win. These measures are exposed "The War Room" by Clinton's tireless campaign leaders Stephanopoulos and Carville. The two, along with the help of a dedicated volunteer staff use progressive, quick, and relentless tactics to maneuver their candidate to the head of the election. Stephanopoulos runs through the building at the end of the debate in order to be the first representative contacted from the presented parties. This allows him to be able to spin the information provided in a way the will help his candidate, Bill Clinton, when the press prints the paper the next day. This is just the way the "political game" is played. Although seemingly contemptuous, all sides in a campaign contribute to make this behavior not only accepted, but promoted. The negative behavior is not only performed by the candidate's immediate staff, but also by community volunteers and supporters. For example, the simple act of taking down an opponents sign, or creating and anti-support rally against another candidate, show the lack of morals present during a campaign. Although ending with a feeling of accomplishment, there are many negative steps made along the campaign trail; a trail that ends in positive emotions.

America is based on a democracy where everyone is entitled to their own opinions. The social availability the country gives to its people allow alternative parties to participate in elections. In "The War Room", we find that Perot, although completely out of the running is staying in the race. Whether this is for personal pride or attempting to ruin the population's unity, only Perot knows. However, the race between the two real candidates, Clinton and Bush, is altered due to the considerable percent voting for Perot. This presents the potential winning candidates with the controversial issue of neither candidate gaining 50 percent of the votes. This connects to today's perennial failure of a candidate, Ralph Nader. The disruption a third party causes is immense especially when the election is so close between the other two parties. There are many outside forces that sway campaigns and the political process as a whole.

The positive finale of an election and the process of getting to a final decision outweigh the negative aspects of trickery and deception. Simply playing the game, profiled members of Clinton's party correctly gain a personality of protagonists. Their grit and willingness to put family life and personal life in the spotlight of the nation deserves respect. Although under the assessment of every single American (and some international) citizen, Presidents allow every skeleton in their closet be examined. A negative aspect of being a world leader. But, as a leader of the world, one must be able to convince his or her people that the skeletons will contribute to a positive outcome. The campaign process is a journey of mixed emotion. However, one thing is certain in every campaign; the positive knowledge of knowing an attempt was made to make the world a better place