hiiamyu13
Nov 2, 2012
Undergraduate / "All they wanted was a better life for you" ; The Dream, the Seed, and the Fruits. [7]
This is the Common App essay. My intention for this essay is to give a general outlook on my personality, while allowing my supplemental essays to target my more specific "ambitions" and "goals."
Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
The Dream, the Seeds, and the Fruit
A clamor of rushed footsteps was fast approaching me. I shrunk back into the corner of the couch where I had just awakened and whimpered like a forsaken puppy. How did I get here? Where is Grandpa? Have I been kidnapped? Tears poured down my face as the footsteps came to an abrupt halt. A woman stood by the doorway: her hair was long and black, and on her tanned face was a bittersweet smile. She warily approached me and her fingers interlocked with mine, tugging me towards a room down the hall. Strangely enough, though I did not know where I was or where I was headed, I felt warm and secure in this woman's presence. Together, we approached the two men in the room. Relief flooded over me. One I instantly recognized - Grandpa - and the other was a gentle face with thick-rimmed glasses, looking at me with joyous eyes. A brief silence cloaked the room before my grandfather stood up. "Say hi to your parents, YuYu. You're in the United States now!"
Parents? They were like exotic animals to me. I occasionally saw my friends in China walk with their "parents" but I never questioned why I didn't have them. Sometimes I
would furtively observe their interactions with each other. Piggy-back rides. Laughter. Hugging. Talking. Hand holding. I looked at my strangers inquisitively for a few seconds, unsure of what to do, and finally forced out a "hi." Their eyes began watering and before I knew it, I was in their arms crying along with them. Looking back, our tears were only watering the seeds of a powerful relationship.
After that day, my grandpa purposely faded into the background of my life, allowing my parents to become the center figures of my life. A month passed in minutes and my grandpa returned home. To my surprise though, I found his departure to have little bearing on me. Before parting, he left me with my parents' single ambition:
"All they wanted was a better life for you."
What little bitterness that I harbored in me suddenly vanished. I realized then that when I first opened my eyes on that couch, I was merely awakening to another dream - the dream of my parents. My parents had to toil for years, barely earning enough money to even survive, let alone paying for my airfare. One thing was certain though: they fought to keep their dreams alive. At night, they worked two jobs and during the day, they fiercely studied as college students. With my arrival, the seeds of their dreams were finally watered and nurtured. But what are these seeds? Love. Tenacity. Bravery. Dedication. Purpose. Today, the seeds have flowered. I am no longer YuYu. I am Owen. To others this is merely a name but to me "Owen" is the fruit of my parents' struggles, successes, and dreams.
So yes, part of who I am today was bestowed by my parents; however, I chose to use these qualities that flowered from the seeds to chase my own decisions and ambitions, to utilize every opportunity to its fullest. Though I am the fruit of my parents, I have since fallen from the tree, eager and prepared to sow my own seeds into the world.
This is the Common App essay. My intention for this essay is to give a general outlook on my personality, while allowing my supplemental essays to target my more specific "ambitions" and "goals."
Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
The Dream, the Seeds, and the Fruit
A clamor of rushed footsteps was fast approaching me. I shrunk back into the corner of the couch where I had just awakened and whimpered like a forsaken puppy. How did I get here? Where is Grandpa? Have I been kidnapped? Tears poured down my face as the footsteps came to an abrupt halt. A woman stood by the doorway: her hair was long and black, and on her tanned face was a bittersweet smile. She warily approached me and her fingers interlocked with mine, tugging me towards a room down the hall. Strangely enough, though I did not know where I was or where I was headed, I felt warm and secure in this woman's presence. Together, we approached the two men in the room. Relief flooded over me. One I instantly recognized - Grandpa - and the other was a gentle face with thick-rimmed glasses, looking at me with joyous eyes. A brief silence cloaked the room before my grandfather stood up. "Say hi to your parents, YuYu. You're in the United States now!"
Parents? They were like exotic animals to me. I occasionally saw my friends in China walk with their "parents" but I never questioned why I didn't have them. Sometimes I
would furtively observe their interactions with each other. Piggy-back rides. Laughter. Hugging. Talking. Hand holding. I looked at my strangers inquisitively for a few seconds, unsure of what to do, and finally forced out a "hi." Their eyes began watering and before I knew it, I was in their arms crying along with them. Looking back, our tears were only watering the seeds of a powerful relationship.
After that day, my grandpa purposely faded into the background of my life, allowing my parents to become the center figures of my life. A month passed in minutes and my grandpa returned home. To my surprise though, I found his departure to have little bearing on me. Before parting, he left me with my parents' single ambition:
"All they wanted was a better life for you."
What little bitterness that I harbored in me suddenly vanished. I realized then that when I first opened my eyes on that couch, I was merely awakening to another dream - the dream of my parents. My parents had to toil for years, barely earning enough money to even survive, let alone paying for my airfare. One thing was certain though: they fought to keep their dreams alive. At night, they worked two jobs and during the day, they fiercely studied as college students. With my arrival, the seeds of their dreams were finally watered and nurtured. But what are these seeds? Love. Tenacity. Bravery. Dedication. Purpose. Today, the seeds have flowered. I am no longer YuYu. I am Owen. To others this is merely a name but to me "Owen" is the fruit of my parents' struggles, successes, and dreams.
So yes, part of who I am today was bestowed by my parents; however, I chose to use these qualities that flowered from the seeds to chase my own decisions and ambitions, to utilize every opportunity to its fullest. Though I am the fruit of my parents, I have since fallen from the tree, eager and prepared to sow my own seeds into the world.
