Undergraduate / "Gunpoint; God had answered my prayers" -UC prompt 2 [5]

I feel that the repetition for the ending is a bit bland and doesnt flow so well in particular. Greatly appreciated if I could receive some input on the essay as a whole as well.

Prompt #2 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?

I had not the faintest idea of what was to come that day. I was seven years old, imagining that I would just have another long day of school as usual. I woke up and got out of bed to get some breakfast. As I descended to the final steps of the stairs, I saw my mother on the floor, crying. I ran towards her, and the next thing I knew, I was facing the barrel of a gun. Then it became evident: we were being robbed.

It was all too much to comprehend at first. I only saw robberies in cartoon shows and movies before, and now it was happening right before my eyes. My eyes were fearfully fixated on the gun, staring down the thick barrel of darkness. Then they shifted to the robber himself: his face was masked, except for the slits where his black, piercing eyes laid. With his gun he motioned for me to get on the floor like my mother, and I willingly obeyed. My hands were vigorously tied together with thick ropes and my eyes blinded by numerous layers of duct tape. Petrified, I began to sweat all over, saturating the carpet beneath me. I was then dragged onto my feet by a strong pair of arms, and ushered into what I sensed was my mother's bedroom, where I was seated on the floor. I heard footsteps ominously pacing about the room, along with the nervous pounding of my heart. After what seemed like hours, everything was silent, except for the sound of my own knees shaking. As I began to relax myself, I felt something hard and cold digging into the side of my skull, horrifying me in a matter of milliseconds. Tears began to form, overwhelming my face with salt water. "I'm going to die," I thought to myself. I began to pray silently, asking God for mercy upon my life. For a brief moment, I thought I was already dead; I could no longer the cold barrel against my head. Suddenly, the blindfold was slowly unwrapped from my face, revealing my mother's worried face. Hugging me furiously, she shouted: "He's gone! We're safe!" God had answered my prayers after all, He had saved me.

The face of death was just before me, and I prevailed. I wiped my tears away, and purged myself of all the fear that I felt just moments before. Picking myself up, I smiled and tried to comfort my mother. There was no need to be afraid. In His presence I would protected and guided at all times, no matter how adverse the circumstances. Never again from this day on, did I back down from anything.

There are many more challenges to come, and this was just the beginning. Never again will I flinch in fear or shed a tear. I will face every one of these obstacles, every gun barrel, without a hint of fear or retreat; nothing will hinder me. I will attempt to overcome each and every one of life's obstacles with the utmost effort, drive myself to the point of triumph and nothing less. I will be the very definition of courage, determination, and success.

and this is nearing the absolute word limit by a few words or so. Is it any better?

Undergraduate / UC Prompt-smile for the moment, one day I will be great [4]

I'm coming across a bit of trouble between the second and first prompt-I simply find the topics vague and feel that they can somewhat overlap. is this the case with mine? and any input would be greatly appreciated as well(content, grammar, etc.)

#1 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.

Prompt #2 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?

My essay is dedicated to prompt #1

Approaching my apartment door as I come home from school, I would hear the lively cries and shouts of young children inside. As I open the door, I would see my mother in the living room, struggling to feed four children. And while doing so, she would catch sight of me entering and muster a weak smile. I would only be able smile back, for the moment. This is my daily life, my world, the birthplace of my dreams.

My mother babysat children in our very own home from the morning till the evening nearly every day. Children would scream and shout nonstop, giving her only seconds to read the newspaper or rest. After their departure, she would make food for the next day to come. By then it would be near midnight and time to sleep. This routine would repeat daily. She never wanted such a tedious and low-paying job, but she didn't have much of a choice either; my mother was unable to go to college, as her family could not afford to do so. The opportunity to live out her dreams was never available to begin with. And In spite of her robbed dreams, my own dreams ultimately came about.

Upon the everyday sight of my mother's position, my world was unbearable. But at some point, I eventually realized that lamenting her loss would do nothing. I decided to take action; I would embrace the opportunities that were unavailable to my mother, and from them I would become a well-paid statistician and free my mother from her wearisome life. Beginning in my junior year, I became double the student I was before. I took on handfuls of AP classes and school opportunities. I took on a bit more than I could handle, but it didn't matter to me as long as I continued to give it my all. Through the eyes of many it would've seemed futile and absurd, but to me it was certainly a start; judgment and ridicule were not to hinder me. My efforts were to be peaked and endless, my fatigue extinct and forgotten.

From my daily life at home, I've learned to seize opportunities, embrace dreams, and take inspiration from the most adverse situations. Not only do I want to end my mother's daily struggle, but I also want to take back what was taken from my mother and make something of it; revive her lost dreams, in a sense. I want to her to know that from her own womb, a man who lived his dreams to the utmost came about. As president Woodrow Wilson once said: "We grow great by dreams." For the moment I can only smile for her, but I eagerly await the day that I can do much more; one day I will be great.