Undergraduate / "human beings are influenced" - significant influence essay [2]

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

I believe that in the process of our mental and physical growth, we human beings are influenced by many natural, environmental and social factors around us. These influences have the power to shape our attitude, belief and overall personality to a large extent. Being born and raised in a poor African family, I have seen my parents struggling with a strong chain of poverty and underdevelopment. I have always observed my father sacrificing his own comfort to the well-being of his two children, my older brother and me. This has always been making me feel that my entire life would not be long enough to pay the debts that I owe my father, who (without whom...) sacrificed everything possible for the best of his family.

On the day my father was retired from his job, there was a memorable joy among the entire family, his staff members and his friends who were all glad to see his chance to take a long break after 27 years of teaching. Everybody was enjoying the small party that was organized by the last school he has been teaching. (One more sentence to give more power for the next idea) However, my father was strangely immersed in a deep thought and was very sad despite the happy atmosphere that was around him. Being the only person to observe that and confused of the strange sorrow on my father's face, I got closer to him and asked what was perturbing him on that happy day. He replied, with that voice which has always given me hope and courage.' I am now retired, but you two have to live as happy as before, nothing should be given priority over your academics." It took me a while to get what he meant, but I finally realized that what was giving an extreme pain for my father was the lower income of the family that immediately followed his retirement.

A week after that day, I started seeing the happiness of my father coming back. My father, that person, who I have always been proud of, has used that short period of time to regain his confidence back and decide to start a new chapter in his life which will ensure the long term happiness and welfare of his family. He put all his determination and courage in to maximum and proceeded to face all the negative consequence that he will encounter for deciding to get new job which was highly scorned by our villagers. There was no doubt in his mind when he decided to work as a cattleman in a nearby ranch. Without any regret, he sacrificed his personal pride and respect in the community for the fulfillment of his family's basic need.

I wasn't ashamed to see my father working as a cowhand; I was rather impressed with his strength and hard work. His respect for work and his fortitude to face challenges were the characteristic traits that make me the person I am today. It was because of his struggle and passion that I am now presented with all the opportunities that I have been blessed with. He has enriched my life through his endless sacrifices. His love and affection for his family has taught me how to be responsible in the different aspects of my life and his consistence effort for success has taught me lesson about patience and tolerance. In general, my father was that person without whom my entire life would have just been a dream.

Undergraduate / Undecided: every success we achieve we owe. [2]

Describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your family, your school or community activities, or your involvement in areas outside of school.

In my opinion, for every success we achieve, we owe a lot to people around us. I believe that the best way to pay this debt is through our active involvement in any constructive action. It is when we fulfill this duty, that we can have a moral satisfaction through seeing the happy faces of those around us.

I will never forget that important day because of the impact it brought upon my life and its influence in defining me afterwards. It was my first time to stand in front of children who considered me as their teacher. When I started teaching, I felt their open mindedness, curiosity, and their hope to see a brighter tomorrow. These were children who had lost their parents and left alone with no one by their side. However, someone with sympathy and who felt responsible gave them shelter, food and access to education. For a while, I thought of their bleak past and compared it to their life at that moment. They now have the dream of a brighter future like most of us. Their spirit was alive with freshness and energy to make sense of that life that they did not get the chance to experience before. Their smiling faces showed me my little importance for them and on the sour side; it reminded me of the illiterate community that helped me reach my present status. I felt that my entire life would not be long enough to pay the debts that I owe that community which sacrificed everything for my present personality.

When the setting sun was giving way to the rising moon, I left the orphanage and set on with my journey towards my home. As I was walking past through the streets of my town, I felt my personal pride fading away. I was feeling guilty that I had not done my best to change such situations that I have been seeing in my day to day life. In the next few days, besides teaching the kids in the orphanage, I was deeply engaged in telling myself that I can be responsible for what tomorrow will look like. I was fully confident that only my determination, purpose and consistent effort are what will determine the accomplishment of this big dream. That significant day made me realize that I have to first fulfill my simple duties in order to manage the harder and challenging situations I will face in the future. I vowed to my self to take the initiative and responsibility in my academics and extracurricular activities.

It was from that day on that I made myself believe that I have to put my best thought and effort in every activity I am involved in. I have seen the considerable influence of that particular day on my high school life and I am quite certain that the positive outcomes of that day will also play a major role in my contribution to the UF campus community. I do really believe that the decisions I made and the important facts that I became acquainted with about my own self because of that day, will help me handle challenging situations that I will face in my future life.