Undergraduate / 'connection with the song' - UVA Arts and sciences common app essay [3]

Prompt:What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank youuuuuuu. :))))

During the mid 1900's the civil rights movement was in full throttle and it was as if the whole country was holding its breath because of the uncertainty of the future. Sam Cooke's "A change is gonna come" is not only number twelve on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time but it was meant to be an inspiring song for struggling African Americans. Lyrics such as "then I go to my brother, and I say brother help me please. But he winds up knocking me back down on my knees" portrays how the African Americans reached out for the help and support of other citizens but instead of a helping hand received a cold shoulder. This surprised me because even though we learn about the civil right's movement we don't get the sense of all the pain and frustration that many African Americans went through and Mr. Cooke's voice conveys this with great pathos.

I had an immediate connection with the song due to a personal experience of being treated differently because of my ethnicity. Being from a very diverse high school I was lead to believe that racism was mostly a thing of the past, but I was soon corrected. During my freshman year my soccer team traveled to a distant, unheard of high school in the western part of Virginia. As the game began tension began to surface, the opposing team, which wasn't nearly as diverse, began throwing out racial slurs. Comments such as "You're in America now speak English!" were said. I was appalled at what I was hearing; I simply couldn't believe how teenagers just like me could be so cruel for no reason other than the difference of skin tone. Therefore, when I heard the words " It's been a long, a long time coming but I know a change gon' come" I knew that the long sought after change was still in progress and that it was up to the every generation to continues to get rid of the ignorance of the past.

Undergraduate / 'A young professional couple's daughter' - William & Mary supplemental essay [3]

Prompt: We know that nobody fits neatly into 500 words or less, but you can provide us with some suggestion of the type of person you are. Anything goes! Inspire us, impress us or just make us laugh. Think of this optional opportunity as show and tell by proxy and with an attitude.

I wanted my essay to show where I come from and how it has influenced who I am today but also who I want to be in the future. I know it is useful to talk about your intended major but I'm applying as undecided so I wasn't really sure how to use that. Any help is welcome. Thank youuuu. :D

I am the daughter of a young professional couple with an established life but I'm also the daughter of a struggling couple who works low income jobs and continues to fight for the future of their children. I am a hybrid. I was born and raised in Cochabamba, Bolivia for almost the entire first decade of my existence. During that time I lived a peaceful and joyful life surrounded by a large loving family, attended an excellent private school, and lived in a lovely single family home. That fairy tale was brought to an abrupt end when news came that my father's employers were going out of business. Time was running out and decisions, large decisions, had to be made. Next thing I knew we were waving goodbye to a crowed of teary loved ones through an airplane window. The next decade wasn't as easy as the first one; several sacrifices had to be made.

With the introduction to a new world my parents were now limited and had no choice but to accept hard labor jobs, my brother and I had to grow up without that tight-knit family feel, and we all had to adjust to the new ways of American culture. As the years went by and the magnitude of the sacrifice that was done for me sunk in I realized that it was up to me to make sure it wasn't wasted. This motivation shaped me into a down-to-earth, hard-working girl but overall someone who values both sides of her story.

Witnessing both sides of the coin has made me very aware of the world beyond my living room but I continue to face the world with a smile. I take full advantage of each opportunity that is given to me, I relish simple moments such as playing a board game with my mom, and I especially enjoy volunteering in several non-profit organizations and local businesses. Because I enjoy these things I see myself focusing all my experiences and motivation into my college career to not only excel in my studies but to go the extra mile and use my acquired education to make a difference in both my new community and my old one back in Bolivia. I may enjoy playing soccer, baking a cake here and there, but giving back to the ones who have helped me has always been an important part of who I am.

Undergraduate / 'Preparation for diploma and the real world' - UVA personal essay [14]

Well the common app gives you many choices and I thought I would put this under "own topic". Do you think its a good idea? I kinda wanted to use it because its a fun little essay that kinda shows my personality and also shows why I wan't to go to that college. ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!

To me the University of Virginia is like the ultimate sundae that you only seem to find in one ice cream shop in the world. How is the university similar to a sundae you may ask? The answer is quite simple. Like any good sundae it contains three different ice cream scoops, UVA contains three different top qualities. It has a challenging, well planned curriculum, a staff that is well prepared and more than willing to help you reach your goals to graduate, and a beautiful, well equipped campus. The fluffy, sweet whipped topping of those three scoops is the unimaginable pride and love that each student feels for the University of Virginia. All the positive energy that the student body emits is so overwhelmingly captivating that it's practically impossible to resist the urge to one day call yourself a Cavalier. The cherry on top of this sundae is just as small, but it is so important that any sundae just wouldn't be a sundae without it. This cherry is a diploma. UVA works from the ground up to help you reach that day that you proudly receive your diploma and graduate. Not only does it prepare you for your diploma, but it also prepares you for the real world, whether that be in Virginia or some other part of the globe. So you see, like the ultimate sundae, you can never find another "University of Virginia" out there no matter how hard or how far you look.

Scholarship / Hispanic Scholarship Fund extracurricular activity essay: Giving back to the HYI [6]

Ok so this is my essay about my participation in the Hispanic Youth Symposium.
Describe your participation in extracurricular activities.
What have you learned from your experience(s)?

Please answer this essay question (400 to 600 words).

One of the most memorable activities I've been involved in is my continuing participation in the Hispanic Youth Institute, first as a student and later as an alumna. As a student the program allowed me to meet many Hispanic teens from all over Virginia, Maryland, and even some students from Michigan. With the program's emphasis on how important it is to pursue a career, I was able to learn multiple ways of how to get closer to those dreams, network with successful professionals, and acquire valuable resources for my future. Not only did it reinforce the importance of college, but it also strengthened a special bond, that we could all feel for one another. We began as complete strangers who were used to putting up walls and obstacles to keep everyone out, but by the end of the program we were all one big family who shared the same dream to not be just another statistic. As the summer reached its last weeks and with the new school year being around the corner, I found myself more motivated than I had ever been to stay focused on school and to spread the word about how hard work and perseverance can make any goal an achievable one. After that wonderful experience I was more than willing to go back and lend a helping hand the following summer as an alumna.

As an alumna volunteer all I wanted to do was give back to the program that meant so much to me and to the community, I knew needed as much help as I once did. I knew how it was to lose sight of what is truly important so I recognized that I had to help make a difference in the student's lives. It took long hours from early mornings to late nights, several cross campus walks, and various errands under 90 degree heat, but I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. As each day passed I witnessed students open up and begin to build the powerful connection with the program that brought me back. On the last day of the program all the students simply couldn't stop mentioning how much they had learned, how much they loved being part of the program, but most important of all how much their mind had opened up to the importance and the real possibility of college. It was then that I realized that all the hard work was more than worth it to see how the students opened their eyes to a great future. Being part of the "behind-the-scenes" of the program for the first time also opened up a new door for me; it established my desire to continue encouraging my fellow teens to not give up on their future and to keep on helping them down the road, even if we're both learning at the same time.