Undergraduate / Common App Essay - she became my "Best Buddy" [2]

A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

She was sitting all by herself in the corner of the room. Even as a member of an organization that prides itself with accepting all types of people, she was not included because she was so different. Despite this, that day she became my "Best Buddy". When I first met Alex, the only thing I knew we had in common was that we were both part of our school's chapter of Best Buddies, an organization that creates one-on-one friendships between students with intellectual disabilities and students without. Aside from this, it seemed as if we were completely different people.

I pulled up a chair and sat down next to Alex. "Hey, Alex. I'm Katie." I received no answer. "So Alex, what grade are you in?" Still no answer. Usually, I have a tendency to make friends very quickly and it's not difficult for me to engage in conversation for long periods of time. However, this time was different. I awkwardly sat next to Alex attempting to observe any social cues that would steer me in the right direction. She made no eye contact and appeared to be off in her own world. Attempting to help me, Alex's caretaker came over and explained Alex's disabilities to me. Unfortunately, Alex has several severe disabilities that make communicating rather difficult. She has muscular development problems, she is blind, she has a speech impairment, and is intellectually disabled. Responding to my plea for advice, Alex's caretaker told me to be creative and advised that Alex liked music and clapping. I began to realize there were methods of communication that I had been overlooking.

Deciding that it would be in both our best interests to try something new, I commenced to clap alongside Alex. For the first time, Alex responded to my actions. She began to clap, and soon we were clapping together in a unique sort of rhythm. We used clapping as a tool for communication when we worked together to create a clapping game. Although Alex couldn't observe the game to memorize it, she could hear the musicality of the beats and could feel the vibrations we made. Through the clapping I discovered Alex's love of music. Despite her physical disabilities, when I played music she gracefully swayed to the song and clapped out the underlying rhythm. I even found out that we had a similar music taste. We both enjoyed listening to Classic Rock, Motown, Blues, and the Beatles. Using these uncommon communication techniques Alex and I were able to understand one another despite obvious differences that we had.

Through this experience I discovered that I was overly focused on outward appearances. Because Alex did not encompass the conventional appearance of a high school student, I did not know how to treat her. When I disregarded Alex's disabilities and got to know her at her own pace, I realized that we had more in common than I originally perceived. In regards to my transition to the college community I believe that this experience will prepare me for many future encounters I may have. My friendship with Alex has given me a willingness to communicate with all different types of people and has taught me to be creative in my approach to connecting with others. I believe that these qualities will continue with me to the college environment where I will encounter many people that differ from what I am used to and will continue to offer my friendship through Best Buddies.

Undergraduate / "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" - Christmas party; UC / World I come from [4]

This is my response to the prompt:
Descr -ibe 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 would like to phrase the last paragraph a bit more eloquently and other than that basic edits are always appreciated!

It's Christmastime again. The off-key rendition of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" echoes through the festively decorated home as the young children wait for Santa to arrive and the adults take sips of their cider. My Great Aunt Joan hurries after my cousin John to make sure he is holiday picture appropriate, while Uncle Richard eagerly videotapes. Off in the corner, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Judi fervently debate some matter of the utmost importance such as the names of Santa's reindeer or the lyrics to "Adeste Fidelis". I stand in the midst of this chaos and prepare for the festivities to commence. After a moment's wait, "Santa", otherwise known as Uncle Tom, arrives and greets the holiday guests. The Lahey Christmas party has officially begun.

Ever since I was little, I remember traveling to Sacramento for this celebration. Year after year, my family and I pack up our car and embark on the three-hour journey. After what seems like an eternity, we finally arrive at the Marriott, where we have all of ten minutes to get ready for the party. Then, we rush back into the car and travel to the home of this year's host. We are welcomed by Great Aunt Nadine's everlasting lipstick kisses and her counterintuitive but well-intentioned children's gifts. In her eighties, she is the only remaining member of the Lahey generation that began this long-standing tradition. This year she has brought a small ceramic vase for three-year-old Chloe, and a tub of bubbles for me. I make a mental note to discretely swap gifts with Chloe later. I am then greeted by my remaining 30 to 40 relatives. After countless hugs and polite conversation I finally flop down on the couch near my Uncle J.B., my cousin Sara, and my newest cousin Marcus. While Sara chats about college and Uncle J.B. gently rocks Marcus, I slowly take in the wonderful, sometimes chaotic group that is my family. What started 49 years ago as a small party for an Irish Catholic family has now grown to include family members from ethnicities encompassing African American, Scandinavian, German, and Persian ancestries with religious affiliations ranging from Catholicism to Judaism, Islam, and Atheism. Despite our differences we still come together during the holiday season and celebrate the bond our family holds.

This ongoing family tradition has taught me how to communicate with all different types of people and also has made me realize how important it is to treat others equally and accept them. As a future lawyer, I see myself helping a unique range of clients and interest groups to achieve equal treatment under the law and to fight for acceptance of new political ideas and civil rights.

Undergraduate / "Helping Sebastian" - UC Prompt #1 [2]

All of a sudden, I screeched to a halt. Hands clutching the steering wheel, I took a deep breath, unbuckled my seatbelt, and left my car to investigate. I bent down and came face-to-face with a tabby cat in the middle of the road. At first the cat seemed to be fine. I backed up to persuade it to follow me out of the street, but it would not budge. I then noticed that the cat's left hind leg was in an unnatural position and that the cat wore a collar. The cat's name was Sebastian, and belonged to a person who lived close by. I decided to call the owner to receive consent before helping Sebastian. After several rings, someone picked up, denied the cat was his, and promptly hung up on me.

Not knowing exactly what to do, I called my friend Prathvin, whom I was supposed to meet before the cat fiasco occurred. He agreed to help, and biked over to offer his assistance. We decided we needed to move Sebastian out of the road to prevent an accident from occurring. Prathvin, being terrified of cats, awarded me the full responsibility of this mission. Acting carefully to avoid further injury to Sebastian, I carried him down the road to a friend's house to get supplies and plan our next step. Despite his injury, Sebastian purred while I carried him and clung to me like a small child. Although my friend was not home, her mom lent us her cat carrier and gave us directions to the Humane Society. Thanking her profusely, we set off to get Sebastian medical attention. This proved to be considerably harder than expected.

After missing the exit for the Humane Society, and hearing Sebastian object loudly throughout the car ride, we finally arrived, only to discover the Humane Society was closed. Refusing to accept this agonizing discovery, we fervently knocked at the door until a frazzled employee eventually answered. Rejecting our heart-wrenching story, he thrust a flyer for the Emergency Animal Hospital at us then slammed the door. Sebastian meowed plaintively and we knew we had to go.

My car clock now read 11:45pm. I was driving after curfew in an unfamiliar environment with an injured cat and a tired Prathvin. It seemed as if we would never make it to our final destination. We were lost, frustrated, and ready to give up. At long last the lights of the hospital appeared before us. A woman greeted us as we entered. She gave me a form, and said that by dropping Sebastian off, we relinquished all rights to him. Though I wanted to get Sebastian medical care, I had become attached to him. In the end I realized that they would be able to help Sebastian more than I could. I signed the form and looked at Sebastian for the last time.

Although I was not able to keep Sebastian or even find out if he survived, I know I made the right decision. I am proud of my dedication and perseverance despite the countless obstacles I faced that night. This experience illustrates my approach to difficult situations I encounter in the other aspects of my life. When I face a problem, I keep going until I find an appropriate solution and try my best to adapt that solution to benefit all those involved.