Undergraduate / "The American Dream to help others not only in Ghana" common app essay [4]

Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

A stream of rich red pigment meets white in perfect harmony and a deep blue ocean meets the two, while fifty bright stars lay afloat. The wind carries the white, blue and red lines into a longitudinal wave that seems to reach endlessly into the sky. Many define America by its opportunity and opportunity is a quality that millions of people world-wide seek each day. Many look to our great nation to attain that opportunity through the so-called American dream. However there is a sad reality in the American dream; the lack of it.

Undergraduate / "Taking care of an Autistic and deaf boy" - extra curricular activity [3]

Is this appropriate for my common app short answer and any revisions will be greatly appreciated.

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (150 words or fewer).

This summer, I had the opportunity to take care of an Autistic and deaf 6-year old boy. At first, Michael refused to acknowledge my presence and often spent our time together alone in his room. However, what brought us together was the necklace that hung around my neck. As usual, when I put a bowl of cereal in front of Michael, he frowned at me and pushed the bowl aside. However, that particular day, Michael turned his attention back to me when he saw my necklace. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, but Michael spent the rest of the day playing with the necklace. After that incident, when he woke to see me ready for our day together the usual frown on his face was unapparent. Babysitting Michael, a six-year-old deaf and Autistic boy, was enlightening because I never thought that a mundane object could spark a young boy's imagination and bring us closer together.