Undergraduate / "all the drama that is prerequisite to being a teenager" essay on self description [5]

Hey guys! I was wondering if anybody could help me out with my Georgetown University essay?? The prompt is: Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you: I was planning on using my Common App essay but i don't know if it sounds too immature/childish or even covers the theme of this prompt...so any help and feedback is GREATLY appreciated!!! Also, it's only supposed to be about a page, so any ideas on what I can edit/cut out?? thanx so much in advance :~)

Truth Lies in the Eyes of the Acceptor

Essay by Varsha Yerram

So there's this girl. You've examined her application, but do you really know her? You may know she is a hard worker and she dreams of achieving her utmost potential as an individual, but does that really count as knowing her? I'll tell you a little bit about her. Then, you decide.

She is seventeen and has known her parents for only twelve years. She was born in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, but flew when she was just six months old to live in India with her widowed grandmother and great-grandmother, because her immigrant parents' incomes could barely pay rent, let alone support her. Her parents missed all the firsts of their first-born child's life--from thumb sucking to first steps and first birthday--as they worked day in and day out to provide for her overseas.

The girl has had hard times, especially at home. Her relationship with her parents was nonexistent for the first quarter of her life as they were separated by continents, and as she was suddenly introduced to their lives at the age of five, these distant beings called mother and father finally became her very own "mom" and "dad." From language barriers and loneliness to caste systems and loss of identity, she has had to make countless decisions about the "big stuff" on her own. She has had to deal with the financial troubles of a low-income immigrant family, the constant strive to find unconditional acceptance, and not to mention all the drama that is prerequisite to being a teenager.

*****

Surprise, surprise, I am this girl! But don't worry; my life has by no means been all so disrupted. I play an active role at school, serving as the president of the Science Competitions Club and cofounder of the feminist organization Pennies for Peace. I seek to open up the art of dialogue through my writing as a member of the Writing Fellows. I spend my summers perfecting my martial arts techniques in the dojo and practicing Indian classical dance, and this year I spent my free time at Goodwill Fire Company training to be certified as an EMT.

This past summer I was granted observational privileges in the OBGYN department of Chambersburg Hospital, located in a downtown part of southern Pennsylvania which serves low income families. For two wonderful weeks I had access to patient charts, bright green scrubs, ugly Crocs, the pungent odor of iodine, screaming women, and the magnificently lit territory of the operating room. As I weaved my way in and out of as many patient rooms as I could, looking at cervixes at seven in the morning, learning the art of maintaining bedside manner as patients in labor crumpled my hand, and finally witnessing the miracle of birth itself, I felt like a free bird with an aerial view of all the perks, progresses, and endless stream of problems in medicine.

Amidst all the chaos and mind boggling chronicles, the theme of acceptance seemed to ignite itself in every patient chart. The hospital is not the only place acceptance is necessary to accommodate the wide range of maladies common to human existence. Acceptance also breeds solutions. From working with a Hispanic surrogate mother, confused teenage mothers, and countless single mothers dealing with the stress of another child's mouth to feed, encounters with a versatile pool of women have exposed me to diversity of thought, of application, and an unconditional love that helps one to keep calm and carry on. Through getting to know people of different backgrounds and appearances both in and out of this hospital, I learned that there may be countless schisms dividing humanity, but nevertheless we are all breathing organisms sharing the common goal of surviving this test called life. These women; doctors, nurses, grandmothers and mothers alike, have subconsciously allowed me to grow up at this hospital.

For many years, people have been throwing terms like "mature" and "responsible" at me, but only now do I understand the breadth of these words. I am responsible for my actions, my successes and my accomplishments, my failures and my mistakes, my hopes, hurdles, dreams, and the path by which I choose to reach them.

Looking at my application, there are still many things you won't know about me. My name means rain in my dialect, Telugu. I always try to come up with different homonyms in my mind when I go running. I dream of food. I dream in black and white. And sometimes I dream of food in black and white. I love meteor showers, thunderstorms, fireplaces, and the smell of mint toothpaste. I don't understand baseball. And I believe in true love! I know one pair of socks can be worn multiple times, but four times might be pushing it. Occasionally I like to make believe that I am Buzz Lightyear from "Toy Story," destined to '"infinity and beyond.'" I secretly believe I was put on this earth to be a great hip-hop dancer. I swear by true friends; they are angels in disguise. I also think 17 year olds should not be judged for owning eight pairs of footie pajamas. And snow days rock!

It occurs to me that one can learn a great deal by moving from place to place. So my life has taken a crooked trail. Nevertheless, as I continue on this path to what lies ahead, I fervently believe - and invite you to do the same - that life is what one makes it out to be, and we are the authors of our own fate. I cry a river sometimes, and sometimes I laugh till my intestines hurt. Despite my vibrant salad of emotions, and my moments of frustration, I am vigilant. Believe me, I know, many times you'll be ready to break down and quit, but you will reap the rewards of your hard work and looking back, personal growth will make every trial and tribulation worth it.

Why do they call it "acceptance" anyway? I am not applying to college to be accepted for being who I am. I am applying to college to be given the chance to further evolve into the best version of myself. Whether rejected or admitted, I already accept myself.

Varsha Yerram