Scholarship / The best things in life aren't things; SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY [6]

Describe your participation in extracurricular activities.
What have you learned from your experience(s)?
(Examples may include: community service, volunteer work, employment, school clubs, sports, family, church, etc.)

The best things in life aren't things. This is a quote that can make us think about what are those things that aren't things in our lives. For me, the best things in life are the smiles for the people; those smiles that can make you change your day. I have seen so many people that are unhappy with their life even if they have so many material things and health. The feeling of contentedness that comes from buying something fades rather quickly after the purchase is made, leaving us feeling just as empty as before.

I have done so many extracurricular activities in my life. I joined the basketball team in my school, enrolled in many school clubs like the student newspaper, the environmental team. I have learnt so many things from every activity but the more impactant lessons have been from my church group. I belonged to a teenager church group where we volunteer in many places. Some of the places that we have gone are: home of elderly, orphanages, go to the streets to bring food to homeless people etc. In my church I used to be very active with all the activities that they planned.

Every Saturday we used to visit an orphanage called "Divina providencia" in El Salvador. In this orphanage live approximately 300 children between three to sixteen years. It is an institution that cares protects and ensures the most vulnerable children such as orphans, abused children, homeless, etc... Every Saturday we used to play with the children and teach them about the miracles and the love of God.

Some of them don't have a family, material things, health, etc... but they are happy with a hug. I have leant from every of this children that love is the most important thing in life. See their smiles in their faces after we hug them were priceless for me. Sometimes the adults are shier to new people than the children in that orphanage. The children act like they know you for a lifetime, they kiss you and hug you, they play with you, tell you about their lives. That's another thing that I have leant from them, you have to spread love to all the people even if you don't know them. You can make a big difference with just a smile.

Every Saturday was a blessing to me; it was like becoming a child again. What strike me as really wonderful in children are their innocence and their ability to trust everyone around implicitly. They play, dance, make silly faces and they don't worry about what the people will say or think about them. They are honest about what they want and what they like or dislike. They do not hide things. They speak what they think. I have learnt that if you take these attitudes as examples for your life you can be happier and appreciate what you have.

I truly believe that there is always a child in each one of us. So let us learn to share our genuineness and smiles with everyone. Let's open our heart to know that the best things in life aren't things.

Scholarship / Graphic designer; Tell us about your academic/career short-term and long-term goals. [2]

Im very bad at writing essays but i need this, can you help me please.

Tell us about your academic/career short-term and long-term goals.
How has your heritage influenced these goals?

America is a continent where billions of people live. In the center of this continent there is a small strip of countries that without them it could not be called continent America because this countries get together North America with South America. El Salvador, land where I was born and grow for 19 years, has left me many qualities as my Hispanic heritage. I have learned from the small details of life that everything that is around you gives you a heritage. After 19 years I am here, in the U.S., with many dreams and goals.

The Salvadorian people have been a big influence in my life. I have the opportunity to visit some families in "San Antonio", a very poor town. I used to go there with a charity group from my school. We gave them food and clothes from donations in our school. The people were always happy and grateful with us when we give them those things. They get money from the coffee that they harvested. It is a huge process to get the coffee ready to sale. They first grow the plant, after that they cut the grains, then they dry it with the sun and finally they separate the bad grains from the good grains.

It's a long process that can take a week or more to get finished. They used to tell us that it is a very hard and exhausting job but they always make it with passion to get the best results. Have you ever wondered how the people behind that daily cup of coffee that you drink are? They told us that they always try to do their best to make a person happy with that coffee even though they don't even know who will drink it. They said that at the end of the process they feel very satisfied to be part of someone's day even if they didn't realize it.

Can you imagine how big the heart of this poor people is? They can't buy the biggest house or the latest model of car, but they make their job passionately, thinking of the happiness of someone else before their own happiness. That's one of many lessons that I have learnt from the people in El Salvador.

I'm about to start my first year of College studying graphic design and I have many goals ahead. One of them is to show that even though I come from the smallest country in America I have great academic potential. I'm proud to be Latin; they are always smiling, with a lot of creativity in their hands and in their minds. Handcraft is one of the most beautiful things that Salvadorians can do. Graphic design is a career that requires all of that creativity, and I plan to exploit it to the fullest. I want to show that you can create something out of what you cannot imagine.

I want to be that person who designs something that people need and do it with passion. I want to be, as the people who harvest the coffee, part of the day of someone else, even if the people do not notice it. In the future my biggest goal is to become a renowned graphic designer. I do not want this for the fame or money but mainly to influence others. Many people think that because they are in a third world country cannot achieve their goals in life; I want to show them the opposite.