Undergraduate / THE STRANGE ROAD TO MY PASSIONS - CULINARY ARTS OR ENGLISH? - UC ESSAY #1 [3]

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Prompt:
Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

My parents have always had high hopes for me. Being the youngest of three, my parents want to see me achieve what my other siblings have achieved. Although I had struggles in my childhood, I have risen above them and become a person my parents can be proud of. The world I come form is one of trials, tribulations and, triumphs. From the stresses of my early childhood to my growing love of academics, my experiences have shaped my dreams and how I intend to achieve them.

I have taken a strange route to get to my ultimate decision on what I want to do for the rest of my life. Growing up, I struggled with the fine balance of tight rope walking the relationship between my mother and my sister, who both struggle with bi-polar disorder. The adversity I faced dealing with their problems allowed my people skills to flourish, I loved making people laugh. But I also learned that people loved food, this I learned from my grandmother, and it was food that made me happy. I would cook all of the time, the creativity and love put into food by my grandmother made me want to pursue culinary arts as a career. For years I dreamed about becoming a professional chef, like my idol Emeril. When I reached high school I was delighted to learn that my school had one of the best culinary arts labs in Southern California, and this further ignited my passion. However, my academic life sparked a new passion as well.

I have always loved reading, small and large books, fantasies and classics, but it wasn't until I entered high school that I began to see what the world of English really had in store. In my sophomore year, I had the pleasure of having a wonderful English teacher. She showed me that the subject had depth and sophistication that only one learned in the subject could master. I loved every second of it, that class became a new home for me, and a spark ignited in a passion that would bring me to the end of my journey. As we learned about everything from the ancient Greeks to the holocaust, I began to see myself becoming an English major. Not until my junior year, in AP English did actually see that as a majorly distinct possibility.

It was in the spring of my junior year when I began struggling with my two dreams, English and Culinary Arts. I began to doubt my passion for culinary arts and began to succumb to my love of the English language. The study of rhetoric in my English class that year had allowed me to fall deeper into the allures of a life studying the language fully. I became enthralled with the fact that we can manipulate people so powerfully with our words, even more interesting was the fact that it happened to everyone on nearly a day-to-day basis. I began to want to learn more and it was this passion for learning that allowed me to realize that I could, in theory, never stop loving to learn about the language I thought I had grasped fully.

My parents gave me choices in almost everything growing-up, with rewards or adverse affects, but despite the outcome it was the choices themselves that helped me to become who I am. My parents equipped me with the ability to choose for myself, based on what I wanted to happen, and who I wanted to be, it is this that truly shaped my dreams.

Undergraduate / THEATRE AS A CATALYST - UC ESSAY #2 [3]

The curtains ripple with the collective breath of the audience as I stand behind them, the small draping of velvet the only barrier between me and them. It is opening night the combination of first-run jitters and the lingering hype of the before show cast rituals accentuating every emotion. This is the moment I had been waiting for, my last play in high school, with me as one of the lead roles. "Good Evening and welcome..." my director's voice fills my ears, the time had come. By the time the message is over an eerie hush has fallen over the crowd, the ability to hear even a pin drop a major possibility. The velvet rippling as it rises, the momentary blindness brought by the lights hitting my face. This moment has been repeated many times over the years, by many people, from young children to professional Broadway actors, but it feels as if my experience stands alone.

I have always had a distinct love of the arts, beginning at an early age singing in the children's choir at my church. I would have to blame this on my mother, who inspired me to perform, by performing herself. It was my talent for acting however that caused me to continue. I won't boastfully state that I was the best actor in the world, or even in my city for that matter, but it was my memory that allowed me to excel. Directors could give me the largest part in the play and have no fears about me accomplishing the task of memorizing every line. The memorization of these lines further sharpened my innate ability, putting it into a kind of overdrive. The process also allowed me to sate my passion for reading. This gave rise to a drive for intellectual achievement.

My social skills received no small boost either. Acting showed me how to interact with all types of people. Giving me the ability to adapt and structure my behavior to a wide variety of situations. I have worked with individuals from all walks of life, and backgrounds. Not only giving me experience for working with people in an intellectual setting, but in every situation for the rest of my life.

Acting has given me a drive to shoot for what I want to achieve, and to stop at nothing to achieve it, the strength and tools for balancing a multi-faceted lifestyle, and a passion for excellence.