kjoalvey67
Aug 26, 2014
Undergraduate / "Tall Dreams, Short Arms" - QUESTBRIDGE Bio Essay [6]
Biographical Essay
We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors caused you to grow? (800 word limit)***
Since birth, I have been small. I was a premature baby, and now, I'm still five-foot-zero and nearly an adult. The environment around me is filled with people who can touch the ceilings flat-footed while I have to work to avoid being stepped on! Often times, I am completely excluded from discussion, merely because I am not visible to those of the average height. So, what do you do when you are ignored solely on the basis of height? You compensate!
Since I am often overlooked due to my stature, I try to use my charm and personality to my advantage in social situations. Many people call this "personality" The Napoleon Complex, and they mean it negatively. I don't take it as an insult. Napoleon Bonaparte may have been a very loud, rude and sarcastic person, but he did secure France as a major power. I like to take into perspective how successful Napoleon's life was, and how successful I wish to be, and compare our identities. As much as I shield myself behind sarcasm, I am never intentionally rude to someone, and that is the difference between us.
Although Napoleon Bonaparte and I have differences, we also have similarities. I can be ear-splitting when I'm vying for attention, and my tongue is sharper than Napoleon's own sword, but there is something more important between us; we both felt the need to hold the attention of our peers. I love attention; the rush, the expectation, and the drive it takes to meet the audience's standards are electric to me. This is why I have chosen to pursue a major in Communications. At the moment, my ideal job would be a television news anchor or a public relations specialist, but it wasn't always that way.
Recently, my career choice shifted from education to communication. At one point in my life, my strongest urge was to be able to relate to children going through some of the things I went through in childhood. In sixth grade, I started to realize that the school I was raised in wasn't the same. Attitudes had shifted; the administration was even becoming impatient with my brother over absences due to Crohn's Disease! Then, the bullying started. Every day was a struggle to get up, go to school, and focus on what I was there for; an education. The administration of my school saw no fault in my peers' actions. The worst feeling I can remember is sitting in the principal's office and having to face my parents after I tried for so long not to fight back, but ultimately failed. That was my freshman year. After that day, I couldn't pretend that I felt safe or remotely comfortable in that school. Collapsing into tears became a daily routine. I never thought I would make it through my high school years, but I had hope that things would get better, and they did.
On January 7, 2013, I walked into the hallways of Eldorado High School as a transfer student. My hopes were high, as was my anxiety. Trying to put my fears of not fitting in behind me, I jumped straight into new friendships. The quality of education, environment, and excellence had dramatically increased. The decision to switch schools was, hands-down, the best decision I have ever made. Life may not be perfect, but it was drastically improved. Even my brother, who has Asperger's Syndrome, feels less anxious about school. Even though I drive further to attend Eldorado High School, I feel that I can live up to my full potential now that I am learning in a better environment. After my transfer, I made a score of 31 on my ACT, something that would have been impossible a year prior. It is like Albert Schweitzer said: "Happiness is the key to success." I still struggle sometimes, but this quote proved true. As soon as happiness was no longer a worry, neither was success, until I tried to reach the peanut butter. Another thing to remember: Some things never change.
Although I may never get taller, my charisma and knowledge grow every day. In the future, even if I am still a mere five feet tall, I want to be seen as more than a girl that can't reach the drive-thru window. I desire for people to view me according to my personality, which is ten feet taller than I am. My dream is to let the world know that even the shortest people can climb the tallest mountains. So, when things get tough, I remember: It takes a lot of jumping for a petite girl like me to reach the sky, but, if Napoleon can do it, so can I.
Biographical Essay
We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors caused you to grow? (800 word limit)***
Since birth, I have been small. I was a premature baby, and now, I'm still five-foot-zero and nearly an adult. The environment around me is filled with people who can touch the ceilings flat-footed while I have to work to avoid being stepped on! Often times, I am completely excluded from discussion, merely because I am not visible to those of the average height. So, what do you do when you are ignored solely on the basis of height? You compensate!
Since I am often overlooked due to my stature, I try to use my charm and personality to my advantage in social situations. Many people call this "personality" The Napoleon Complex, and they mean it negatively. I don't take it as an insult. Napoleon Bonaparte may have been a very loud, rude and sarcastic person, but he did secure France as a major power. I like to take into perspective how successful Napoleon's life was, and how successful I wish to be, and compare our identities. As much as I shield myself behind sarcasm, I am never intentionally rude to someone, and that is the difference between us.
Although Napoleon Bonaparte and I have differences, we also have similarities. I can be ear-splitting when I'm vying for attention, and my tongue is sharper than Napoleon's own sword, but there is something more important between us; we both felt the need to hold the attention of our peers. I love attention; the rush, the expectation, and the drive it takes to meet the audience's standards are electric to me. This is why I have chosen to pursue a major in Communications. At the moment, my ideal job would be a television news anchor or a public relations specialist, but it wasn't always that way.
Recently, my career choice shifted from education to communication. At one point in my life, my strongest urge was to be able to relate to children going through some of the things I went through in childhood. In sixth grade, I started to realize that the school I was raised in wasn't the same. Attitudes had shifted; the administration was even becoming impatient with my brother over absences due to Crohn's Disease! Then, the bullying started. Every day was a struggle to get up, go to school, and focus on what I was there for; an education. The administration of my school saw no fault in my peers' actions. The worst feeling I can remember is sitting in the principal's office and having to face my parents after I tried for so long not to fight back, but ultimately failed. That was my freshman year. After that day, I couldn't pretend that I felt safe or remotely comfortable in that school. Collapsing into tears became a daily routine. I never thought I would make it through my high school years, but I had hope that things would get better, and they did.
On January 7, 2013, I walked into the hallways of Eldorado High School as a transfer student. My hopes were high, as was my anxiety. Trying to put my fears of not fitting in behind me, I jumped straight into new friendships. The quality of education, environment, and excellence had dramatically increased. The decision to switch schools was, hands-down, the best decision I have ever made. Life may not be perfect, but it was drastically improved. Even my brother, who has Asperger's Syndrome, feels less anxious about school. Even though I drive further to attend Eldorado High School, I feel that I can live up to my full potential now that I am learning in a better environment. After my transfer, I made a score of 31 on my ACT, something that would have been impossible a year prior. It is like Albert Schweitzer said: "Happiness is the key to success." I still struggle sometimes, but this quote proved true. As soon as happiness was no longer a worry, neither was success, until I tried to reach the peanut butter. Another thing to remember: Some things never change.
Although I may never get taller, my charisma and knowledge grow every day. In the future, even if I am still a mere five feet tall, I want to be seen as more than a girl that can't reach the drive-thru window. I desire for people to view me according to my personality, which is ten feet taller than I am. My dream is to let the world know that even the shortest people can climb the tallest mountains. So, when things get tough, I remember: It takes a lot of jumping for a petite girl like me to reach the sky, but, if Napoleon can do it, so can I.