aps456
Sep 23, 2013
Undergraduate / ADOPTION; U Wisconsin Madison - UNNOTICED [3]
Essay topic is - Consider something about yourself that goes unnoticed and tell us why it is important.
Would really appreciate any feedback to help make my essay stronger!! Thank you so much in advance :)
Every new situation brings the awkward round of icebreakers where I share a fun fact about myself. Usually I bring up my organs being mirror imaged simply because it is easier to explain than what actually makes me different from my peers and that is being adopted.
Many people assume that only foreign children from China and Russia are adopted by an American family, which is a common occurrence, but they hardly ever consider that children in the US are put up for adoption everyday as well. My birth mother was relatively young and irresponsible and was not able to provide me with the life I deserved which brings me where I am today. I have a loving family and wonderful life that would have otherwise been a dream. Despite this, adoption is common and I don't believe it truly makes me any different from my peers, but it has given me a certain appreciation for life that exceeds material objects.
I constantly consider what my life would have been like and how my adoption defines me as a person. Was I any different from my friends and did I miss out on having a loving family? No. The only difference I can identify is my true appreciation and love for the people around me. My two parents have given me more love than I could have ever asked for and they have supported my decisions since the day they picked me up from the hospital in Orlando, Florida. My mother has shared her wisdom and my father has shown me what passion and hard work can help you achieve. Their spirit and strength have been the guiding force in my life for almost 20 years now and I value what they have taught me. My sister, who is also adopted, has struggled with mental illness, but has overcome her battle due to the help and support from my parents and extended family. I have never in my life seen a love like theirs.
What I mean to say is that being linked by blood and having similar characteristics does not simply make a family. Family is undying love and respect for one another no matter what obstacle you must go through. What makes a family is respecting each other and supporting those who support you.
My adoption has helped me to acknowledge all that my parents do for me. Of course I am thankful for the beautiful home I live in and the clothes on my back, but most importantly for the values they have instilled in me and the endless opportunities they have provided me with. Being adopted is not a physical characteristic and it is also not something I share very often, as I do not want it to define me. I think of it as my best-kept secret because of the sense of purpose it has given me. I was given this life and my family for a reason and I could not be more thankful. I feel as if I have been blessed since day one as my birth mother allowed me to experience this life that I live and that is undying love in itself.
Essay topic is - Consider something about yourself that goes unnoticed and tell us why it is important.
Would really appreciate any feedback to help make my essay stronger!! Thank you so much in advance :)
Being Adopted
Every new situation brings the awkward round of icebreakers where I share a fun fact about myself. Usually I bring up my organs being mirror imaged simply because it is easier to explain than what actually makes me different from my peers and that is being adopted.
Many people assume that only foreign children from China and Russia are adopted by an American family, which is a common occurrence, but they hardly ever consider that children in the US are put up for adoption everyday as well. My birth mother was relatively young and irresponsible and was not able to provide me with the life I deserved which brings me where I am today. I have a loving family and wonderful life that would have otherwise been a dream. Despite this, adoption is common and I don't believe it truly makes me any different from my peers, but it has given me a certain appreciation for life that exceeds material objects.
I constantly consider what my life would have been like and how my adoption defines me as a person. Was I any different from my friends and did I miss out on having a loving family? No. The only difference I can identify is my true appreciation and love for the people around me. My two parents have given me more love than I could have ever asked for and they have supported my decisions since the day they picked me up from the hospital in Orlando, Florida. My mother has shared her wisdom and my father has shown me what passion and hard work can help you achieve. Their spirit and strength have been the guiding force in my life for almost 20 years now and I value what they have taught me. My sister, who is also adopted, has struggled with mental illness, but has overcome her battle due to the help and support from my parents and extended family. I have never in my life seen a love like theirs.
What I mean to say is that being linked by blood and having similar characteristics does not simply make a family. Family is undying love and respect for one another no matter what obstacle you must go through. What makes a family is respecting each other and supporting those who support you.
My adoption has helped me to acknowledge all that my parents do for me. Of course I am thankful for the beautiful home I live in and the clothes on my back, but most importantly for the values they have instilled in me and the endless opportunities they have provided me with. Being adopted is not a physical characteristic and it is also not something I share very often, as I do not want it to define me. I think of it as my best-kept secret because of the sense of purpose it has given me. I was given this life and my family for a reason and I could not be more thankful. I feel as if I have been blessed since day one as my birth mother allowed me to experience this life that I live and that is undying love in itself.