Undergraduate /
Minutes Of Fame--UNC Supplement [3]
Thank you so much for helping out, I chose the
What's your latest discovery? What do you hope to learn next? Prompt. I went in a bit of a different direction, but it's going out tonight and I need your help! Here it is.
What's your latest discovery? What do you hope to learn next?
I got my fifteen seconds of fame at age 3, when Santa Claus dropped me on my head while an elf filmed, landing me a starring role in the popular show, America's Funniest Home Videos. Infantile head injuries may not be the best topic for a college applications essay, but as soon as my high pitched wailed permeated through nearly every household in America, I knew that I was destined to be a star. My sterling strange presence and bravado earned me a place in the hearts and minds of Americans everywhere. I'm only kidding, the audience laughed at my tears, and John Fugelsang switched to a video of Santa peeing his pants. The moment may have been piddling and insignificant, but the mentality of my "fame" stuck with me.
Ever since my "big break", my ambition for fame has followed me. I've mingled with celebrities (I gave Morgan Freeman a pen) and starred in a middle school production (as in, I literally played a star). I spent my three years of middle school behind a desk every morning, reading the news off of a teleprompter. Every time that I was recognized in the hallways, I was that much closer to fulfilling my dreams of being famous. Growing up under the shadow of ESPN and the fame of the SportsCenter anchors in nearby Bristol, Connecticut, I was on my way to becoming a household name. It was only recently, as I senior in high school, that I've made a sobering discovery; I neither had the talent or desire to be a celebrity.
The discovery which shattered my career plans revealed itself to me slowly. I found myself unwilling to speak in front of large groups. Until there is an American ping pong championship, my mediocre athletic ability will never be enough for even the most low-budget and programming starved sports network and I have an inherent tendency, which was told to me by others, to mumble so that no one could understand me. Taking a stand against my fate, I decided to give my dreams a final stand by running for Senior Class Treasurer. I campaigned charismatically, yet my best efforts fell short, seemingly an omen to the fact that I may never again have the opportunity to handle large amounts of money.
This failure put the definitive stamp on my thesis. I would never have the chops to be famous. I no longer had the ability to perform in front of even the most meager audiences. In addition, the feeling in my stomach told me that I did not even want to be purported into the public spotlight. The easy job reading a teleprompter which I had envied throughout my childhood had become a dreaded position to be in. This was precisely the reason that my discovery did not depress me. I no longer had the restrictive hold of sought after fame defining my career. I could venture into my own field, and make a name for myself through my work in business or other academia. I could be a household name, with my wife and kids in my own household. I can't wait to discovery what I'm going to be when I grow up, without the pressure of fame, or more likely, the pressure of my desire to become famous. The 15 seconds on AFV will be enough for me, as I discovered that "what could have been", is something that I couldn't do anyway.