Scholarship / I will have to get straight A's; Long and short term goals! [6]

A goal can be described as my ambition. What is it that I truly want to achieve in my life? Ever since I learned how to talk, I have learned about responsibilities; all the responsibilities I have had have lead me to the right path towards my goals. For my short-term, it is something I want in the near future. I can obtain in twelve or less months. The first short-term I have in mind it is to graduate high school as an honor student. Even though I have worked on it all my four years of high school, these last two semesters will be either I accomplish this goal or not. By this means, I will have to get straight A's this semester just like I did the first one. Another short-term I want, it is to attain is to get a part time job to help my parents with the tuition to college. I will also spend some of the money I get from my job, to help a kid in Africa by paying monthly for their necessities. I also want to start volunteering in hospitals; one of my dearest dreams has been to read stories to the ill patients. Another short term goal is to help out my community with recycling. I want to start a club, so that we can go around parks picking up any trash there is around. Additionally, I want to get to a weight that I am comfortable enough with; I will go to the gym and exercise and even eat healthier in order to have a healthier way of living. I am trying my hardest to be determined enough to reach these goals, and hopefully in a year I will be able to look back and be proud of myself for what I have completed. However, when it comes to long terms, I will need a little more time in a year for me to reach my dreams. My first long term that it is my main priority it is to graduate college with a bachelor's degree in speech pathologist. Also I want to travel the world after college; the main places I want to go are Australia, South America, and Asia. I wish to gain knowledge of more about each different cultures, peculiarities, and traditions. Also, I want to save money, and go on Mission Trips to Nicaragua. I have always wanted to help construct water tubes, so that the people in the village can acquire water. Last but not least, my long-term goal is to raise a family. I want to be able to have explored the world and my youth, but I cannot wait to start my own life with my significant other. I know these goals are challenging, but if I manage to stick through my plans and have a time management I will hopefully achieve all of these targets. In a way I see all of them related because they are part of my happiness. These are goals I want to have to lead me to success.

Scholarship / Discuss a leadership experience you have had in any area of your life [3]

Ever since I moved here, I have been made fun of. Bullying is a subject you really cannot escape during the school years. However, I have learned to stand up for myself. I do not let others walk over me, and I truly hate watching people bringing other people down. In the eighth grade, I witnessed a boy in my grade been made fun of. It was almost the end of the year, and we were having lunch outside instead of the cafeteria. We all carried our lunch trays, and sat in a circle. I was enjoying my food, but then I heard some of my friends laughing. It caught my attention that the boys who thought they were so cool were pointing at this kid named John. He was sitting by himself, and he knew the guys were pointing at him and cracking jokes about his outfit. Even though those boys were my friends, I thought it was really cruel of them; after all they had no idea who that boy was, and it was really unfair of them to lower his self-esteem. Just watching that, it made my blood boil. I told them to stop, and I grabbed my foot and sat next to him. To this day, I still remember the grin on his face. His smile was so big; it was ear to ear. My peers were shocked, but some of my friends decided to sit with us. John was a little shy, but he was just so unbelievably content. When the bell rang, he timidly waved us bye. Honestly, it really made my heart warm. It was such an easy act of kindness. That same day, my teacher called me over and told me she was very proud of me. Then I was nominated student of the month. Now that we are both in high school, I get really excited whenever I see him on the hallways. We both wave hello, and I will always remember him as my lunch friend in the eighth grade. This really made me open my eyes to how malevolent peers can be to each other, and it has made me realized that helping others always has a positive outcome in my life. Every day I want to stand up for others. I enjoy making others happy, and I am learning to accept other people as they are. I want to keep making optimistic effects in others. I am just a teenage girl wanting to change the world, with one step at a time.

Undergraduate / 'Colombia' Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. Success factors. [3]

When I was eleven years old, I moved from Colombia to the United States. It was a young age, but such a drastic change hit me hard. On the first day of school here in America, I could remember it as my most terrible experience. I walked in, and all eyes were on me. The teacher welcomed me and introduced me to the class, but I could not understand a word she was saying. I had tears in my eyes, and all my peers were staring and pointing at me. As far as I can remember, all I really knew what to say was: hello, thank you, yes, and no. On that day, all the girls were asking me questions, and that was seriously so frustrating. I felt lost inside, and I just wanted to have my old life back. When the school year was almost over, I still had no friends. I used to walk around recess by myself, and no one would talk to me because I was the girl who could not speak English. In addition, I kept getting appalling grades, and I ended up having to go to summer school. Back in Colombia, I used to get astonishing grades, and since I could not comprehend what the teacher was teaching I almost failed fourth grade. In middle school, I had a strong accent and people still made fun of me. I was so introverted, and I was not able to ever speak in front of the class. Asking questions to the teacher was so nerve wracking, and I was finally put in ESOL. I hated going to it so much. It took part of my lunch, and talking to the teacher made me truly anxious. However, I decided to help myself; I started going to the library, and reading books. It became a hobby. I started to watch TV with subtitles, listened to the radio and translated the songs. Without knowing my speaking became fluent and it became easier to understand what people were saying. Now that I am in high school, I am confident enough to do speeches, and go in front of the class. I get all A's in all of my classes. I am proud of myself, and it makes me really glad when people get astonished when I tell them I am Colombian. Some people even say I do not have an accent. I worked really hard to fit in, and I still am.

Scholarship / Our family was menaced by a group named Guerillas [3]

During the month of December, families are usually in the spirit of the holidays. Parents are busy shopping, and kids are writing letters to Santa Clause. However, in the year of 2005 my family had a burdened heart. Instead of decorating our house for Christmas, we were packing boxes in order to leave our house as soon as possible. We were not just leaving the house that held so many memories of our lives, but we were leaving our county. My parents who grew up in a small town in Colombia all their lives, never once thought living there it would become a danger to their family. Our family was menaced by a group named Guerillas; they left a letter on my dad's windshield saying that if he did not quit his job then his family would be kidnapped and murdered.

At the age of eleven, I didn't understand the consequences. I was very baffled, but I just really remember the worry on my parents' face. It was really heart breaking because everything that we owned was being thrown away, and we had less than a month to leave it all behind. Since everything happened so fast, my brother and I were sent off to my aunt's house in Georgia while my mom went to her cousin's house in Washington DC. On the other hand, my dad had to stay in Colombia for a whole other month, so he could sell the house and get rid of all of our belongings. For my parents whom have been married for 26 years, this was very hard for them to be away from each other for this long; let alone the fact that their children were far away from them, and none of us knowing if we were ever secure or not. My brother and I were so little, and sadly it affected us the most. We have come to a foreign country with only just a bag in our hands without knowing what was in store for us.

To tell the truth, I thought moving and living away from my parents was going to be the hardest part. However, I was completely wrong; I had to finish second semester of fourth grade in a country that has a complete cultural difference than mine. I remember walking in my classroom, and all eyes were on me. In all honestly, I was so worried and as soon as I walked in I wanted to turn around and hoped my life hadn't changed. With tears in my eyes, I waved goodbye to aunt. In that moment, life as I knew it was gone. The first day, everyone kept talking to me, and I had no idea what they were saying. They were speaking so fast, and I got really anxious every time I could not respond. As time went by, I realized all the kids in the playground would point at me and make jokes about me because I did not speak English. As hard as that was, class was even more difficult. I, who used to be such a great student, kept getting appalling grades. I did not comprehend the teacher or the assignments. I used to cry myself to sleep because I could not understand my homework, and my mom was not there for me to help me with it. At the end of the year, I was sent to summer school. Because of this, I started to open up more to some of the kids that were in there with me. To help me with the language, I would read a ton of books, and watch television with subtitles. I had a strong accent, but I was more comfortable with myself. Then in middle school, I had a few friends and after my English had improved so much more. My parents were now in Georgia, and got a small apartment. The four of us were finally reunited, and started to build our home once again.

Now that I am in high school, you could never guess I went through all of that. The little girl who was once too shy to speak is just a memory. Back then I would have never thought that I would say that I absolutely love living here in the United States. After all, my future is here; moving to Georgia was the best decision my parents could have made. Everything happens for a reason, and if it would not have been for that threat we would have never migrated here. I over came the fear of not knowing English, and decided to make the best out of our situation. Fortunately, I can say I improved myself over the years. I am confident. I am a straight A student. I am outspoken. My family and I have come a long way, and we have built so many things over the years. We have been more than blessed, and I would not want my life any other way. Even though my parents still struggle with the cultural difference, they are trying their best. My brother and I, in the other hand, have adjusted easily throughout the years. The fact that these seven years have been so difficult for me, I truly believe I am still improving in a positive way. Not going to lie, I still get made fun of for my accent sometimes. Also, other people make racist immigrant jokes, or even joke about my country. However, I have realized that what other people think of me it is none of my business. Whenever someone tries to bring me down, I just let it slide. To put it briefly, this is journey has not been easy, but I am proud of who I have become.