Undergraduate / "How my /Spic/Wetback/The Mexican/The Cuban culture has influenced me" Common App [4]

"Spic", "wetback", "The Mexican", "The Cuban", various comments about my undoubted inherent swimming abilities, I've heard it all. Growing up with ethnic origin in a southern, rural town that is primarily agricultural is anything but easy. As an adolescent you want nothing more than to fit in. That was near impossible for me. If it wasn't my slightly yellow tinted skin tone or unusually dark brown hair covering my head, arms, and legs, then it was a name like "Francis Diaz" that really set me a part.

Some of my earliest memories are of my abuela and me walking from her house down in Hialeah to a nearby lake to feed the ducks. The whole way there and back she would sing children songs in Spanish about ducks. As I walked with her around her house, she would point out objects and tell me what they were in Spanish. I was just raised with that being a part of my life and up until I started school I never thought anything of it. In elementary school, the students were accepting and didn't tend to see a difference in race, gender, ethnicity, or social status. So although they would every so often make playful comments, it never caused me to think anything of it.

As children grow up and reach those adolescent years they became quite a bit more hostile, and that naïve understanding fades away. The change between elementary school and middle school was like a switch being pulled, it was so dramatic and sudden. It went from a small group of kids making comments, to my entire grade. I can't recall a day going by in which I wasn't singled out for not being "white". One student would begin the banter and soon after, the rest of the class would join in, not even excluding my closest friends. At a time where everyone feels awkward and insecure, they feel the need to tease others, and I was the easy target. I became so worn down and upset by all the teasing, I grew to hate everything having to do with the Cuban culture. I wanted nothing more than to get rid of it and be like everyone else. I hated that side of my family, my name, the way I looked, the language, everything.

Then one day in the beginning of my ninth grade year, my abuelo sat down and told me the story of how they came to be here. He explained how things were once Castro took over, how they suddenly had nothing over night. He and my abuela wanted a better life than that for my uncle and father, so my abuelo spent three years in a work camp to become eligible to immigrate to the United States. My abuelo's courage to start over and risk so much was so inspiring to me. It suddenly didn't matter to me what any of my peers thought or said, I became proud of my heritage and everything it represented.

Undergraduate / "What Can I bring to the College Campus?"-Common App-Feedback? [4]

When trying to describe me, people have been known to use a variety of adjectives, however, the majority seem to pertain primarily to two attributes: my intellect and my strong-mindedness.

My intellectual pursuit began when I first started school. I was able to correctly answer every question on the entry evaluation to kindergarten and was IQ tested soon after starting the first grade. Due to the test results, the next year I was admitted to the Chrysalis Enrichment Center for gifted students. The Chrysalis Center was a program for students throughout the county with above average intelligence to go once a week in addition to their regular schooling. We would go there to be intellectually challenged in a way that the public school system couldn't offer. The biggest difference, however, was that they taught us how to think. Being a student there permanently changed the way I approached problems and only furthered my intellectual curiosity. I have always maintained "A's" and "B's" and I have earned an Academic Letter every year of my high school career. My intellectual curiosity and pursuit even extends beyond the classroom. Since the second grade, I participated and won Science Fairs for eight consecutive years and participated in such things as the Annual Science Symposium at the University of Florida, along with being a member of the Varsity Academic Team. My constant motivation has earned me a spot in Who's Who of both Middle and High School students.

Another defining characteristic of mine is moral strength. I've attended Parkview Baptist Church every week for as long as I can remember. This built a strong faith-centered foundation that has guided my moral compass which has played a major role in my life. I've always been the person that my friends have gone to in search of guidance, encouragement, and advice. This can be illustrated in my elected position as Student Body President. There have been many times, despite what the popular consensus is, where I've had to stand up and make decisions based on what I thought was right and fair. As a leader, it is my responsibility to be an example to others. I want my council, my school, and my friends to be able to look at me as an honorable illustration so they can become sound leaders in their own right.

As a member of the college campus, these attributes would still shine through. I'm an excellent student whose constantly improving and who always tries to do the right thing. Also, as a leader, I would hope to unite the students through their diversity and make the school the best it's ever been.