Scholarship / "Role in America" (advice,opinions, suggestions needed) [3]

Criteria
Focus: Role in the America of tomorrow
criteria-spelling, grammar, organization, adherence to topic

"My Role in the America of Tomorrow"
My goal stemmed from" I, Too, Sing America;" in the final line, Langston Hughes boldly remarked " I, too, am America." He knew that those who made differences in this country had the gifts of wisdom, confidence, and a desire to accomplish goals that many deemed either impossible or trivial. It stemmed from understanding that I had a purpose in the future of my country- a purpose that summoned me to advise people through teaching, mediating, and counseling.

It was Saturday morning. "Kwame and Adwoa, it's time for school," I called out to my siblings. Annoyed that I had awoken them, they looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "But it's Saturday," they complained. I couldn't help it though; I loved to pretend to be their teacher. I had lesson plans laid out, flash cards, stickers, and most importantly the desire to educate them in hopes that the would experience a profound sense of academic enlightenment. Although I was only nine at the time, I had envisioned the day that I would be a leader and role model for young people. I had a gift. I am a teacher now and tomorrow.

"She started it!" my sister screamed. "No, she did!" my youngest sister retorted. As the eldest of four, I was constantly seeking ways to settle the continuous disputes between my siblings. Yet, I always knew the remedy- patience, understanding, and a diplomatic solution. Eventually I utilized my skills to restore friendships, relationships, and mend broken bonds. I eventually realized the meaning of being a Peacemaker, a recognition that I received every year in elementary. Each teacher saw in me what I obviously disregarded as simply being a little nice. They understood that I was the girl in the playground who made sure everyone got along, the girl in the classroom who worked well with my classmates, and the girl who would grow up one day and proudly declare- I am a mediator now and tomorrow.

Tapping into people's emotional needs and addressing their concerns by offering heartfelt advise is very fulfilling to me. I have a natural affinity for counseling people regardless of their circumstances. From my friends up to strangers, I willingly devote my attention and time to listening to each individual's story. Communicating with people on a personal level povides me with insight on existing problems such as drugs, divorce, alcohol, and self-esteem. I hope to eventually use what I gain though counseling to reduce these existing problems. I am a counselor now and tomorrow

As a senior I am prepared to step into a future of endless possibilities and
embrace the phrase, "I, too, am America." I know that my love for inspiring people will serve as my candle, lighting the positive differences that I hope to make in the lives of others.

Undergraduate / Race is only skin deep Stony Brook (revision help) [4]

I tried to do a general experience-is it clear or do I need to narrow it down?

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Race is only skin deep, I whisper to myself as I walk into a room filled with Asians, Indians, and Caucasians. I am the only black female and I silently think to myself-I am the odd one out. I cannot possibly blend in and I quickly want to seek refuge somewhere I cannot be seen. However if I turn back, I know that I will lose my opportunity to become more knowledgeable about my research project. After all, I was the first student from Malverne High School to ever be accepted into the 2009 Simons Summer Research Program. I expected criticism. I anticipated being looked upon as dumb and illiterate. Yet to my surprise, I was given respect, acceptance and recognition, all of which I received wholeheartedly in spite of my race.

So as I entered the room, I took a deep breath in, put on my mask, and proceeded to try to assimilate to the crowd. I vowed to myself that I would be a chameleon; I would speak properly at all times intertwining bombastic terms in my sentences without the slightest hint of colloquialisms. Soon my thoughts were interrupted by a student who introduced himself as Eddie. When I told him that my name was Akua (Ghanaian for girl born on a Wednesday), he asked me if I was Ghanaian. When he saw the surprised look on my face, he explained that he visited Ghana last summer and fell in love with the people and their culture. I was intrigued by the fact that a seventeen year old teenager of European decent was so connected to Ghanaian customs. To know that he revered a land that so many viewed as primitive provided me with new insights on how people are becoming more culturally accepting of others.

When it came time to meet my roommate, I inhaled deeply and unlocked the door only to see a smiling Asian girl who did not hesitate to greet me. "You must be Akua," she said. "I'm Michelle." As we talked more, I learned that she was born in Korea. I also learned that she spoke Korean fluently. I looked forward to listening to her say, "Yobosayo" each time her phone rang. I loved the way she accentuated it so much that I finally just had to say it, "Yobosayo Michelle" I said to her one morning and she smiled, amused that I told her hello in her native language. When I went to sleep that night, I realized that the people that I met were ordinary teenagers who were not looking at me any differently than they would another person.

The next morning I met my mentor who reviewed the basics of my project for me. Throughout the weeks I had a very tough time understanding the new material. I was working with fruit flies for the first time and made a few too many mistakes in the lab. Surely my professor my mentor would think that I was not intelligent enough to be in his lab, I thought. It turns out I had been wrong. He met with me and told me that he had never met a high school student who could write a scientific layout as well as I did especially with limited knowledge on the topic. I could not believe that he had observed this about me. I realized that he never once thought that I was dumb.

My experience as the only African -American individual in a program has shown me that race really is only skin deep. I realized that I allowed myself to anticipate what others would think of me without giving them the benefit of the doubt. I will no longer let race cloud my judgment. I will no longer be a chameleon. I will be myself.

Undergraduate / last summer, Jerome Najee Rasheed, year 2050 - NYu short answers [3]

1. In addition to any work experience that you listed on your application, please tell us how you spent your most recent summer vacation

Last summer, I went on a church sponsored trip to the Niagara Falls with my family. The way the rainbow illuminated the falls was vividly striking and being able to experience the attractions firsthand was ineffable. I will never forget Journey in the Falls , wandering into an array of butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory, dining in the Skylon Tower, and walking right near the falls in the White Water Walk. Most importantly, I will cherish the time I spent with my mother sisters and brother simply because we usually never come together and take time to embrace a sense of interconnectedness that families should have.

2. If you had the opportunity to spend one day in New York City with a famous New Yorker, who would it be and what would you do? (Your New Yorker can be anyone -past or present, fictional or nonfictional - who is commonly associated with New York City; they do not necessarily have to have been born and raised in New York.)

To spend a day in the city with Jerome Najee Rasheed would be like experiencing a new age jazz renaissance. We would go to a jazz club where he would play his hit single"sweet love" and have me join him as a clarinet accompaniment. Afterwards, we would go "musician hunting" and offer aspiring musicians usually found roaming around the city streets an opportunity to pursue their love for music by giving them a chance to sign with HighNote records.

3. Write a haiku, limerick, or short (eight lines or less) poem that best represents you.
Still a seed today
Wishing to grow tomorrow
Tree in the future

4. In the year 2050, a movie is being made of your life. Please tell us the name of your movie and briefly summarize the story line.

Chasing Faces
Akua was the girl with one identity to all who knew her-smart, conscientious, and introverted. Yet, her dreams reveal the other side of her she withholds from her peers and family. Each night she escapes from reality into a series of flashbacks. In each flashback, she recounts lost dreams of singing and acting in plays, attempts to rekindle a broken relationship with her mother, and her doubts. This movie depicts the struggles of a young woman who must accept her identity before she can finally wake up to reality. Based on world- renowned author, Akua Boakye-Yiadom's thought-provoking memoir, Chasing Faces.

Please tell us what led you to select your anticipated academic program and/or NYU school/college, and what interests you most about your intended discipline.

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is the one question that I still have no definite answer for. I enjoy English, band, counseling others, debating, the sciences and history so simply choosing one seems too risky for me at this point. I am eager to find my niche in terms career aspirations which is why I am applying to the College of Arts and Sciences. A liberal arts program will provide me with new insights on my strengths and weaknesses in various subjects during my freshman year and further prepare me to pursue the career of my choice.

Undergraduate / Temple essay - who will I be in 10 years?; education administrator [3]

Please type an essay of 2000 characters (approximately 300 words) that tells us more about you. Imagine you have graduated from Temple University. You are preparing to attend your 10-year reunion, and the alumni office has asked you to write a one-page essay about your personal and professional accomplishments since graduation. What would yours say?

Ten years ago if you asked me where I was headed, I would fumble to come up with what I thought would sound impressive. I honestly didn't know where I was heading or who I was as an individual. I was constantly trying to find my niche in society. Not only was I uncertain of what I wanted to major in, I simply felt like I had no exceptional talents in one specific area. Could I be a future doctor? No too clumsy How about a a lawyer? Not objective enough. Fortunately attending Temple University has unleashed my insecurities while molding me into a confident and well-rounded professional. I have pursued my love for teaching, interacting with young people, and assuming a leadership position as an education administrator.

Before becoming an administrator, I worked as a secondary school teacher for eight years and received the teacher of the year in all of New York State, an honor that I'm delighted to have. I went on to get my M. Ed., and I am a principal. I love being able to organize school activities, set academic requirements, and most importantly watch students embrace education as their own foundation for success. Under my new program: Success in the hands of me, Drop out rates have decreased, teen pregnancy rates have dwindled, and drug abuse has been replaced with students desires to take control of lives.

When I applied to Temple I knew I was signing a contract with my future-one that I didn't perceive to be as rewarding as it today.

Undergraduate / "judgement awaited me" - Boston University essay 1 [5]

In an essay of no more than 500 words, please select three words that describe you best and tell us how you will use these qualities/characteristics to contribute fully to the BU community.

It is remarkable to step outside of yourself and really ponder on the positive qualities that you have rather than working tirelessly trying to mold yourself into the image of what others believe you should be. For me, having a profound objective view of myself has given me insight on my strengths. I now understand that as a devoted, responsible, and persistent individual, I have much to offer to my family, friends, and the BU community.

I never thought I would be as devoted as I am today. After all growing up was so easy. I jumped from one activity to the next. It seemed to me that everything was a breeze. I never spent more than an hour on homework and never had to worry about time. In truth, there was nothing that I passionately clung on to other than fun activities, watching television faithfully, and playing outside with my friends. Yet with each passing year, I learned that I was no longer a child and realized that success did not lie in the hands of the remote or the playground. After having to see that F on a test, I called myself to action. It was time to go to extra help and open that biology textbook and actually study. When I realized that I wasn't a music prodigy, I made sure I took that clarinet home to practice until the squeaks transformed into music. There was only one remedy to being successful at these things-devotion. My F's had now become A's, I had risen as a 1st chair clarinetist in the wind ensemble, and was even able too spend two summers at research programs manipulating gene function in fruit flies and nematodes in hopes of making innovative connections to mammalian systems. In a college setting being devoted takes patience, perseverance, and time management skills all of which ...I possess??(don't know if I should put this)

Bring the essay full circle by tying in BU ..complement the intro still trying to conclude this