Undergraduate / Perfect Score- (talent, quality) UC PROMPT 2 [5]

prompt: tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

The science of argumentation has always produced an adrenaline rush inside me. Making others comprehend and coincide with my position of a debate is something I want to continue doing for the rest of my life. Growing up I was constantly asked the same question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and I continued to respond with the same answer, "A lawyer." I had the naive idea that the life of an attorney was like the one portrayed in television. Thanks to the Mock Trial program I realized how childish my view toward attorneys was.

Mock Trial gave me opportunity to face-off against different schools' team to prosecute or defend a party in the court of law; an activity that helped me understand the more realistic life of an attorney. This program taught me how to study the facts of any given event and understand the various angles any situation in order comprehend why others might disagree with my opinion. Tasks such as preparing for a trial, defending a client, or prosecuting a criminal are intellectually challenging obstacles that I love solving; a passion that was ignited in Mock Trial.

The Mock Trial program shaped me into the efficient and dedicated worker I am. Often, I willingly gave up my holiday social time to work with my teammates in order to perfect my closing argument or my pre-trial motion. Being the first one in the history of my schools' teams to achieve a perfect score on the closing argument is one of my greatest accomplishments. It was what caused me to realize that I have the potential to succeed the evolution of our legal system. Whether in a debate or casual conversation, I am able to exercise my new perspective to the exchange thanks to my newfound ability. Mock Trial challenged to think in ways that school courses did not.

Undergraduate / Influenced by drugs and now I'm applying to a UC [5]

Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

I am the one that keeps my family together. When I come home from school nobody greets me as I walk in, no food is offered after a tiring day at school, I am the one who has to prepare the meal for that evening. I am responsible for providing my younger sister with something to eat, with freshly laundered clothing, and a quiet place to study. My parents are away, in an unknown place, my guardian is working and there is no one around to offer support; no one to warm me with their embrace. Broken promises lay upon my heart, the people who vowed to always be there are no where to be found.

Sophomore year was the most devastating year of my high school career, for at the age of fifteen I was to live without my parents and live under my brother's roof. Because of my parents absence, one night, I was introduced to alcohol by my "friends." That night I discovered how quickly alcohol allowed me to break free from the excruciating pain that was burning inside me.

A few weeks after my first date with alcohol, I began smoking marijuana. At first, I was only consuming it a few times a month, eventually it became twice a week. By the beginning of my sophomore year I was consuming the drug daily, until eventually it was scheduled twice into my day. I was convinced that this drug was the only way to numb the agonizing depression that was overpowering me. Ironically, I woke up the next morning with the same pain in my chest.

Despite all the emotional distress I was undergoing I accepted taking AP World History; a decision that made my second year in high school the most significant of my high school career. Everything inside me screamed against the idea of asking for assistance, however, I admitted that I had an issue that was impossible to overcome alone. It wasn't until the second semester of my sophomore year when I decided to open up to my AP World History teacher: Mr. Kimmons. He became someone I was able to confide in. I was able to share my current struggles with him and not only did he listen and consoled me but he also made me realize that the decisions I made then were going to permanently effect me in the future. I was informed that drugs were not the only way of coping with my issues, I was offered advice and aid and soon I was standing in the entrance of a new beginning.

The following school year I decided to take not only AP English Language and Composition, but AP Physics as well. I became aware that Mock Trial was a program offered at my school and I soon began to attend daily practices for three hours; an activity that allowed me to meet a new group of people and kept me from further harming myself. I was able to juggle both Mock Trial and my AP classes and obtain a 3.6 GPA that semester; it was the first time I received Honor Roll and I was proud of my accomplishments.

I was forced to grow up very fast due to my parents absence, but because of this I gained a strong sense of responsibility at a young age. This strong sense of responsibility has continued with me and is evident in the dramatic change I made with my life: the decision to change the direction I was taking and focus more my attention in my education than the opinion and acceptance of people who, in reality, did not care for me. I am grateful for the maturity that I have gained because it has helped me succeed in school, in becoming captain of the Mock Trial Team, and life in general.