Undergraduate / Why my maturity will make me successful in life--Prompt 1 [3]

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?

When contemplating on a personal quality or talent that is important to me, the first word that comes to mind is maturity. I have spent my life focused on bettering myself as a person while also playing a major role in my family. In order for me to stay focused in school while working full-time, emotionally and financially assisting my family and more importantly, myself, I have had to adapt to a higher level of maturity not commonly found within people my age. As a daughter I have helped my father communicate with others due to a disability from a stroke while also helping my mother with the bills and raising my younger adolescent sister. I grew up a bit faster compared to my peers because of these family circumstances which I have no shame in whatsoever. Aside from my familial responsibilities I also have responsibilities to myself. I dedicate about thirty-five to forty hours a week at Nordstrom as a sales associate working solely on commission while also remaining focused on my studies. In the beginning it took a lot of adjusting to attain such a well-balanced life and I must admit it was a struggle working full-time while also being a full-time student. I have learned to find a balance between work and school and also between my family and myself as an individual. Leading a well-balanced life has helped me build character. Growing up I never would have thought my life would turn out the way it has because of my father's stroke. Although traumatic events can cause pain, they can also bring forth new beginnings and strength. I have gained infinite amounts of lessons because I have always tried to conquer all the challenges life has faced me with. Whether these challenges are from within or with the outer world, I have dealt with them as best as I can with no regrets, but with hopes for a better future. My focus has been to make the best of my life, which for me is working to support myself, furthering my education, being the best daughter and sister I can be, and gradually building on a better me. Upholding such a strong role in my family and having to be dependent on my own income along with my reliance on financial aid has been of utmost priority to me, which may explain my lack of participation in extra curricular activities in college. As much as I would have loved to dedicate myself to activities I enjoyed in high school such as choir and student government, I had to accept the fact that I have different circumstances. Despite this fact I would prefer to believe that I have attempted to excel in all areas of my life and hope to continue to do so through continuing my education. My maturity has helped me develop a strong sense of self-identity along with a balance of the more important matters in my life-family, education and finding my place in the world.

Undergraduate / "The most fulfilled as an English major" How I decided to major what I genuinely love [2]

What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field - such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities - and what you have gained from your involvement.

Growing up my favorite pastime was reading. My love for reading dominated most of my childhood memories. I spent endless nights totally engrossed within pages and pages of stories full of knowledge and life lessons. As much as reading made me happy, I had always been under some kind of belief that reading and writing would only be hobbies-never anything to dedicate my future college education in. My mother having been an English college professor at a prestigious Catholic University in the Philippines always supported me and purchased all the books I ever wanted as a child. I have always been a well-rounded student, acing most of my tests in nearly every subject. I was always in the school spelling bee and could type over one hundred words per minute by the age of twelve. My teachers always boasted to my parents of my eagerness to learn and how easy it was for me to grasp essentially more difficult concept matters. These events led me to always believe that I was a smart girl. My personality has always been stronger than most and this eventually got the attention of most of my peers and family members. Therefore throughout high school I always told myself I would be like my father and become a businesswoman. Not once did I actually stop to question myself whether or not business was something I would actually want to study. During my first year in college I took an accounting, economics and mathematics class in the hopes to transfer as a Business major in the next two years. These courses never actually gave me the feeling of fulfillment in comparison to when reading books and composing essays for English classes. My grades were not as well as they could be my year at Chabot because my heart was simply not in it. Learning should be enjoyed and appreciated; not dreaded and taken for granted. I met with a counselor, Michael D'Aloisio, at my community college to discuss the pre-requisites needed as a business major. Our meeting eventually got to the topic of my favorite author I was introduced to in my senior seminar class at Moreau Catholic High School, Italo Calvino. I opened up to him about my love for Calvino's short stories and for other contemporary writers and their works. Michael D'Aloisio eagerly listened to me and began laughing. When I questioned him as to why he was laughing at me he replied, "Don't you see? You know what you love and what you want to study. Don't major in something just because it's what is expected of you. Major in something because you love it". I walked out of his office beaming with happiness as if I had just made a new discovery. But the truth is, there was nothing to discover. The love I have for English has existed my entire life. Not only shall I be truly happy as an English major, but it shall also help me perfect my reading and writing skills for my ultimate goal, which is to attend law school. I am confident knowing that there are numerous paths I could choose amongst, but my heart and my mind agree that I will feel the most fulfilled as an English major. I am a firm believer that where there is happiness, there shall be success.