Undergraduate / 'Dad, Life, and its Offerings of Value Experiences' -COMMON APP-PERSON OF INFLUENCE [5]

When I experienced my first real heartbreak, my father held me as I cried. While this was emotionally comforting, it was what he said to me which has stuck with me for the past two years. He said, "I know you thought that you were in "love", but LOVE stands for Life Offers Valuable Experiences." Holding this acronym close to my heart, I have developed a new perspective not only on life, but on people and their actions too.

Growing up in a single-parent household with little recollection of his father, sticking by my mother in times of mental health crisis, and being the rock for our family as it fell apart while my sister was hospitalized with a life threatening condition, through all these things my father continued to give off a refreshing liveliness, while taking all his Experiences to work towards a bigger and brighter future. As a high school student, an employee, a girlfriend, a sister, a daughter, and a human being, I have Experienced my own set of struggles and conflicts. Sometimes when I feel like the world is on my shoulders, I think of his advice and say "hey, I can learn from this." Looking to my father as an example, modeling after his ongoing determination and optimistic spirit, I've come to realize that there is so much more to Life than today.

One of the most fascinating things I've noticed over the past few years is that I find myself giving out the same L.O.V.E. advice to my friends and family who are facing their own set of trials and tribulations. No matter the person's age, I have discovered that they too find themselves walking away with a more optimistic mind set. Translating philosophy into practice, I have been able to greet challenging experiences, and work with them, not only amongst my peers and co-workers, but with any Experience Life has to Offer, the greatest of these Valuable Experiences being turning a negative situation into a positive one, regardless of where I started. With this broadened perspective, I developed an interest in Psychology-hoping to further my understanding of human thought and interactions, while utilizing L.O.V.E. to its highest capacity. Following my father's example, I strive to one day guide others along the same path he laid out for me when he opened my eyes to a new outlook on Life and its Offerings of Value Experiences.

Like my dad always says, "I don't tell you these things to steer you wrong," and that is definitely one of the things I am most sure of when I look back on the influence my father has had on my life. With his wise advice, I greet the future and what it has in store. When I walk across the stage in June, I will take my experiences and his acronym with me. Through my father, I have learned that Life is only as good as I make it-take it in for all its worth, embrace its Offering of Valuable Experiences-LOVE.

Undergraduate / My class teacher who palyed a key role in shaping my character; William & Mary [3]

William and Mary Supplement: me in 500 words. Comments.

I'm here in the classroom of my favorite teacher, the woman who held a key role in shaping the person I am today, pondering how to approach this task: describing me in 500 words. I look at the walls covered in student paintings, sketches, and inspirational posters. I remember always being fascinated by the dĂŠcor of the walls. In my search for inspiration, the first thing to catch my eye is my mandala: the physical embodiment of my spiritual self. I remember this Humanities assignment well, along with my struggle to come up with what to put on my sun and my shadow side, to choose what I felt accurately represented me.

Within my sun side, my Apollonian self, my outer self, I am like a white, baby owl-young and still learning, one day destined to fly off into the unknown world full of knowledge and experiences. I am like a rose, indulging in the sweetness and beauty of the world; giving all my love, while sometimes letting others pick away at my petals. I am like a hexagon-continuously moving forward, yet sometimes breaking away from my path. I am like a pearl, a unique and one of kind treasure. I am like the pink of a blushed cheek-innocent and gentle, playful and childlike. I am like the flam of candle-passionate, brightening the perspective of others, while burning myself out in the process.

But within my shadow side, my Dionysian self, my inner self, I am like a turtle-an old soul, taking life one step at a time-taking it in for all its worth and all its knowledge. I am like a trunk of an oak tree, strong-willed, determined, and deep-rooted. Paired with the branches of heather and hazel trees, I am always healing, always learning, utilizing both my inner strengths and weaknesses. I am like an acute triangle, small in size but part of a bigger whole, a bigger equation, yet still incomplete in finding my own solution. I am like coal, hard and stubborn, yet meant for a meaningful purpose. I am like the wind-soft as a whisper, sometimes unnoticed, but also moving forward. Cool, calming, and refreshing.

When my teacher assigned me this task, the task of choosing what animal, shape, or color represents the person I am, these were my answers, and in some ways, these statements are still true. This mandala, representing infiniteness, symbolizes what I thought myself at the beginning of this year. But like wind, I am always changing course. I don't know where I will go or what I will do next. Will I always possess the dual nature of a rose, gentle and hazardous, or will I become a lotus, relaxed-resting upon the surface of the currents, letting them take the lead? Today, I may think these things, but my mind could easily change tomorrow. But that's okay because I am always learning something new about the world and myself, every day.