Undergraduate / Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a new understanding of yourself. [2]

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Admission essay: common application

The sky lied naked without clouds. The sun was 90 degrees from the ground with its most scorching heat heating the roof of the hut I was resting in after a long day of farm work. As I was resting, there was such a great silence, and a small still voice was head within my head, "who am I?

I reasoned with my confused mind, melodies of chronicles of my thoughts roared through my amplified reasoning as I tried to comprehend who I am. Some say I am Barack Obama, some say I am Isaac newton while other say I am the author and the voice of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, but all the same I am a writer, a philosopher, a business man, a charismatic leader, an inventor, and a preacher of the gospel of Christ Jesus.

I fill many roles and I have such varied interests that sometimes I am not sure who I am. I describe such confusion and feeling best as a man rolling varied stones least he finds a diamond beneath one of the stones. In such uncertainty, I describe myself as a searcher. I view my search as a concerted search, looking for an identity and answers in many diverse and interesting activities I do along the journey of life.

I am a searcher. This was as the result of being raised in a family of five children and the only boy and the last born in the family. My family believes in gender equality in doing home chores: washing dishes, cooking, sweeping the house, doing laundry, fixing broken appliances, and gardening. Among other things, my family affirm and promote free and independent choice for career path. My upbringing installed in me a sense of moral responsibility. It taught me the meaning of service, gender equality and the importance of respect. What has shaped me the most, though, is the ideal of an "independent choice for career path". My family, or rather my parents teaches that choice of career path should be made individually through consideration of diverse input.

In my search I turn to everything for input: academic, extracurricular and community activities. I have participated in JETS (Junior Engineers Technicians Scientists) club fair were I got a bronze medal. I also participated in math, press, chess, environmental clubs competitions, in sports activities under volleyball and netball provincial high school competition, and in youth entrepreneurship at Zanikachinga under community activities. My most meaningful experiences, though, have being inviting things under JETS club and interactions with other people via club competitions. Through JETS club, I have come to know the fun and reality of science in practical sense. I am very social and outgoing person. I enjoy having different friends because I am given the opportunity to see from diverse perceptions.

This search for "who I am" is something I hope to continue for the rest of my life. Already it has made me a socially aware person. I hope never to stop learning, never to stop youth curiosity, and never stop showing and sharing my confusion, because each new experience I meet is a shared opportunity to learn. Perhaps by rolling various stones I will find a diamond, or perhaps not. In the end, it is not the diamond I am interests in so much as enjoying the search.

Undergraduate / Describe a difficult or challenging situation you have faced. [3]

the lesson that comes either from defeat or victory

My dream was and is to become an aerospace engineer. I have worked hard and did my best in my studies in order to achieve my dream. With such great records that lied before me, I thought "failure and defeat will never touch me." With such great enthusiasm and belief, I was unstoppable in pursuing my dreams.

In august 2016, when I was in Lusaka, Zambia, I was under shock when I received a shocking news of my mother's cancer and that she was admitted because cancer had spread in great multitude. On a whim, I travelled back home to Petauke, Zambia.

The sight of seeing mother been in pain and bad condition was the greatest wound of my life. I have never experienced such great tumour of emotions. Pain and fear polluted my mind and body. With nightmares I woke up every day of my days. I failed to study for my SAT exams I was about to write in October, November and December.

I thought for a second about all she did and what she was doing for my life and how she has being the greatest female figure of my life. I was and will always be inspired by her great deeds and hard working. She was a mother to many orphans, a husband to widows, and a mentor of this generation. She has raised many teachers, nurses, accountants and business men and women with her sweet and labour. She supported me in all area of life. She sponsored me in my education and even when I was sitting for sat tests, and she was the one who gave me monetary support.

Every morning up to late nights I would go to the hospital to visit, chat and comfort her. Weeks and weeks passed by, and when the day of writing my exams reached, I wrote my SAT exams with less readiness but great optimism.

My father was in shock upon seeing his beloved wife is such condition for a long period, and sugar disease shot to it greatest pick leaving my father unconscious, and he was admitted in hospital for two weeks, in the month of December.

When the worst day of them all came, 31st December, 2016, my mother passed away. I never celebrated New Year like other teenagers. I guise mine was with tears and great pain.

Another man's battle was my battle.
Every month that passed by, I felt victory is not the end journey of what we are fighting against but the lesson and the progress that comes either from defeat or victory is what matters the most. I guise Victory is not given but is earned, and mine was not victory nor defeat but in-between lies the results of my battle.

"The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress." - Joseph Joubert, but I rephrase the statement "The aim of hard work, or of battles of life, should not be victory, but progress." - Patson Daka.