Undergraduate / 'The sky was clear' - CU Boulder Flagship Essay [3]

Hey guys, I was wondering If I could get feedback on this CU Boulder prompt. It'd be much appreciated, thanks!
The University of Colorado Boulder's Flagship 2030 strategic plan promotes exceptional teaching,
research, scholarship, creative works, and service distinguishing us as a premier university. We
strive to foster a diverse and inclusive community for all that engages each member in
opportunities for academic excellence, leadership, and a deeper understanding of the world in
which we live.
Given the statement above, how do you think you could enrich our diverse and inclusive
community, and what are your hopes for your college experience?

The sky was clear, the sun was out, and it was hot. Very hot. In front of me sat 9 individuals on a fallen tree trunk, ages 16-27, their eyes fixated on the words I was scribbling on the portable white board in front of them. Suddenly there was a murmur behind me. "Adam?" "Yes, Slavko?" "What is the use of school uniforms in the United States? I simply don't understand their function." The ensuing conversation-and subsequent debate-lasted the remainder of the morning and effectively ended the English lesson that day. Welcome to day 2 of New Life Church's English Camp in L'viv, Ukraine.

This past summer I had the unique opportunity to embark on a mission's trip to teach English with my church overseas. The 3 ˝ week excursion entailed everything from construction in sheets of rain to the weeklong English camp previewed above. It blessed me with multiple opportunities to lead and mature, and I truly believe that the lessons and situations I experienced overseas demonstrate the skills and assets I can bring to enrich CU's diverse and academic atmosphere. For one, I had to implement extreme patience when working with Ukrainians through the language barrier, and I believe this ability to listen and work with others-despite adversity-is something I can bring to Boulder's community. Additionally, while we were overseas our team faced a rather intriguing problem; we realized that we had failed to put together a worship team. However, despite this fault, my teammates and I worked together, and although it was rough, we got the job done. Adversity is guaranteed in life through ways unexpected, and just as I was able to overcome it in Ukraine, I believe I can take my problem-solving skills and put them to use in Boulder's inclusive community.

Most importantly, however, were the relationships that I built while on the trip. The multiple perspectives that I experienced through conversation and community on a vast complexity of topics really broadened my vision of the world. For me, one of the most appealing aspects of attending college at a large university is the numerous opportunities it brings to meet hundreds, if not thousands, of people who each have unique, individual ideas and viewpoints on the environment that surrounds us. Because of this, I strive to meet people with a positive persona in an attempt to deepen my understanding not only of them, but of the world. The relationships I built in Ukraine taught me that in reality one does not have to have an array of amazing qualities to enrich a diverse community. You simply have to listen. Why? Because everyone has their own story, and everyone's story counts.

Undergraduate / Snowboarding and Photography: UC Prompts #1 & #2 [2]

Hey guys, these are my UC essays for the two individual personal statements. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Prompt #1
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.

The weight of snow can be crushing. It's ironic, really, how something so airy, so minuscule, can turn into a substance of entrapment. And that's where I found myself: trapped in snow. I was alone, atop of Mammoth Mountain, with no one and nothing around me.

Being stuck at the top of the Sierras really puts things into perspective, and that afternoon, I found a new respect for the sport I love: snowboarding. From my youth, I had marveled at the feats of the professionals in this industry, and in my ambition I vocalized that I yearned to imitate them. I was laughed at by both family and friends for this repeatedly; it was understandable, I suppose, when you consider that making a career out of hurdling down a 14,000 foot precipice at sixty miles an hour isn't exactly a 'safe work path.' But they failed to realize that 'safe work' never really appealed to my senses. Numerous individuals make substantial careers crunching numbers behind desks-including my father-and enjoy doing it. I, however, am extremely spatial in nature, and the thought of being trapped in a cubicle horrified me (and it still does). Movement is vital to my daily existence, and a small dose of danger helps to feed my 'Y' chromosome as well. Thus, my ambition with snowboarding led to obsession, and consequently I convinced myself of the capacity I possessed to succeed. Sure there were obstacles, but in the mind of a young boy invincibility was a reality - I had no limits to dangers I put myself to. This mentality is how I found myself here, stuck waist-deep in powder snow as eighty mile-an-hour winds howled around me at 11,000 feet.

Since I was only thirteen at the time, I was horror struck at the thought of hypothermia, frostbite, or even death. Not being able to see your arms outstretched in front of you isn't exactly the most comforting circumstance for a young teenager. Yet in the heat of the storm, calm came over me. I realized that the professionals in this industry really were beasts of men-dangerous men-who knew exactly what they were doing. I realized that at a mere age of thirteen, the odds were stacked against me, and that my invincible mentality would ironically lead to my fall. I realized that perhaps failure leads to success, because in reality perfection is a false idol. I dug myself out, picked myself up, and charged down the mountain with a new vigor. I realized, as my Uncle Don repeatedly tells me, "difficulties strengthen the mind as labor strengthens the body." For the first time in my youth, the whisper of failure never sounded so sweet.

Life has obstacles, and rather than being discouraged by these roadblocks, I have realized that such adversity is really opportunity. The dream of being a professional snowboarder has departed from me, but my passion for the industry is still there, and I have shifted my visions to work in snowboarding, somehow, someday. As Napoleon Hill states, "If you think you can, you can!" And I will.

Prompt #2
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are?

It is often said that without art, the earth is just 'eh.' ClichĂŠ? Perhaps. But the fact remains that this planet has so much to offer in terms of its genetic makeup. Light can do phenomenal things when it is manipulated correctly, and that is why the aspect of photography has come to define me in recent years.

Life behind the lens is so often misinterpreted. In the modern age of digital photography, it can be all too easy to label what is actually a snapshot a piece of art. No. The art of photography is more than just pointing and shooting. It is defined in the origin of the word itself; as defined by the Greeks, it is the writing (-graph) of light (photo-). As my fingers contour around that sleek, magnesium Canon, I strive to capture what my iris sees in the viewfinder. Yet I don't merely shoot anything-I shoot with a purpose. I shoot to make you think. Emptiness is not what I strive to render in works, and there is absolutely nothing of substance in the lowly objects that surround one's habitat. Consequently, I rarely capture landscapes; emotion lacks there, and emotion is pivotal to express a meaning, a value, through art. My subject may be subtle, but it is definite, for there is nothing worse than a brilliant image of a fuzzy concept. I strive for one to be lost in my works. At the same time, I don't.

Photography is not the pretty lady of art. It is bloody. It is sweaty. It is waiting in a field of bramble for four hours, firing a shutter 836 times to simply get the one image, the perfect encapsulation of smoke wisping around the sun. It is being rejected for 13 jobs but shooting the 14th with the pursuit of being meticulous. And that is why I love it. It has created a passion of perseverance within me, one that has shaped me into a determined persona. Truthfully, I am proud of that. Am I a professional? Ha. I'm an eighteen year old male who taught himself with mother's Christmas present so many years ago. Call it what you want. But it is what I am. I am often asked what my favorite picture I have captured is. It is always the same one: the one I will take tomorrow.