Undergraduate / McIntire essay - Taking life in stride, multi-cultural experience [2]

We value differences in background/perspective/experiences. What can you contribute to our learning environment?

My muscles ache with each step I take off the bus into the balmy Spanish evening. I have never been this far away from my family. I am bundled up with a sweater and scarf, yet I cannot stop shivering. We start walking through the city, unsure of where we will be sleeping tonight. We have to rest every five minutes because my body is so tired. My lymph nodes are so swollen swallowing is painful. I think I have the flu. We keep wandering.

Eventually, we find a place to stay. We climb on the roof of a building overlooking the port. I have never slept on the streets before. I sleep uncomfortably on the hard rocks. I wake up before dawn and realize various bugs have taken breakfast on my face.

Yet I could not be happier. I witnessed the port waking up, haloed by dawn's rosy glow. The fishermen getting ready to make their day's pay, with their nets and their indistinct shouting. The cafes turning their signs to 'abierto' and setting out their terrace. The rare early-wakers walking the docks, their figure reflected in the water. The little discomforts are unimportant, they are just part of the experience, and I love every minute of it.

Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, whomever I am with, I take it in stride. Whether I'm bathing in a plastic suitcase in the blazing Australian dessert. Trying to assimilate the morning prayer my Dominican classmates are reciting. Assisting a sow give birth and seeing miniature piglets breath for the first time as I help take the membrane off of them. Helping a Columbian stranger with her paperwork, when I myself am new to this land. Misspelling tie-dye as 'tye-die' as I set out my first stand at the farmer's market, with a handful of English and quarters in my pocket.

Having grown up in a constantly changing environment, I am comfortable in any setting. I take every experience as a chance to learn something. I will readily admit when I am ignorant on a topic - it only opens doors for more opportunities. Wherever I end up - be it the mountains of Nepal or the concrete jungle of New York - I know I will make the most of every moment.

Undergraduate / Depression is a curious disease; McIntire essay - Overcoming depression [3]

Hindsight is 20/20. What something you'd wish you'd done better?

Depression is a curious disease. You are drowning but you cannot get out. The world still tries to reach you, but you're slowly sinking to the bottom. Your mind gradually becomes asphyxiated as the sunlight fades. You stop laughing with your classmates. You cannot find the motivation to read. You lose pleasure in cooking and singing.

Depression started bringing me down in the spring of 2012 and got at its worse in the fall of 2012. It impacted my friendships, my family, my academics, my work - everything that touched me.

When you do feel something, you dissolve in tears and despair and grief. Laying on the bathroom floor one night, my face blotched and swollen, I realize I had struck bottom. I was losing my family, my grades were dire, my friendships had disintegrated - my life was not what I wanted it to be. Some part of my rational mind realized that if I did not do something quickly, I might never see the light again.

That was a turning point for me and I began to take back control of my life. I recognized that I had to withdraw and take some time off from UVa. I began working 60, 70, 80, even 90 hours a week. It allowed me to save money, but more importantly it was a way to prove myself again after having failed my family, my friends, and myself. Even though my body was constantly working, my mind was given time to reflect.

I realized that without failure I would never fully understand or appreciate success. Overcoming depression has given me greater mental strength and determination as I venture through life. So although I wish I'd performed better academically in 2012, I gained invaluable knowledge that will serve me my entire life. Being able to breath again is invigorating and empowering.