Undergraduate / Abandoned do not means useless! My parents influenced me. [2]

Please give me your insight, does it address the question fully? Im aware that I mention 'parents' rather than a specific individual.
Any blatant errors or things to improved on?

Prompt- Describe a person who has had an influence on you, and share with us why and/or how the person has influenced you (300 words).

As I tinkered with the newfound computer fished from my void-deck's recycling bin, I inspected its components and current condition, "An AMD processor, 8 gigabytes of ram, it could be a powerful machine," everything seemed to be intact apart from the hard drive. That wasn't a problem, a quick trip to the Salvation Army store would fix that. I would make it work again. My name is Bertrand Lau and I occasionally find "junk" to take back home with me. I am no hoarder, however, I do take pleasure in restoring things that others might deem useless or obsolete.

There was once a baby, premature and abandoned. The doctors predicted that he would not make it. However, a couple saw something special, something beyond what his birth parents or doctors had seen. This tiny, struggling life, discarded of hope was taken in and given new life, a second chance, and in a sense, a "heart" drive to be something that he would not have otherwise been able to become. That baby was me.

Even though I was too callow to understand what was happening then, I retrospect and recognize that without my parents, I probably would not have lived to tell my story today. Indeed, even the tiniest and most-broken things can be restored to something of great value; just like a "diamond in the rough."

This experience has influenced me to see value in even the most broken and "useless" things, just like the discarded computer. I believe that there are people who feel like they are unwanted or forgotten. In my own small way, I try to emulate what my parents have done for me by making a difference in another person's else's life. For all you know, that gesture might save that person's life too?

Undergraduate / All roads lead to Rome. Share about a person who greatly influenced your life and why? [4]

Please give me some pointer for my College Application Essay.

Prompt- Describe a person who has had an influence on you, and share with us why and/or how the person has influenced you (300 words).

As I go through the now yellow photo album which holds fond memories of my childhood, I cannot help but take notice of certain pictures: my third birthday at Burger King, the trip to Iceland, and a bunch of pictures that depict adolescent years. Flipping through the pages I find myself struck by a particular picture. It is one of my mother, and in her arms lies a tiny, helpless lifeform of no more than one kilogram.

Whenever my future is at stake, I know that I can count on her to go the extra mile. As a child, I was hyperactive and intensely curious; therefore, I was easily distracted and it was hard for me to excel or even fit comfortably into the rigid Singapore education system. However instead of attempting to make me conform to the system through the use of corporal punishment, she made a bold move of transferring me to a private school where I was given the opportunity to work at my own pace. Initially I was not keen on transferring to that school as such a curriculum was unknown to me, and also because I would be faced with the challenge of adapting to a new environment. Despite my uncertainty, I realized this was a chance to move forward. Soon, I adapted to this new curriculum and my grades and character transcended.

I believe that her giving me this opportunity has vastly influenced my thinking that one must conform to a route that is deemed acceptable by the society in order to succeed. This has helped me gain confidence and develop a mindset that it is sometimes beneficial to step out of one's comfort zone and find a path that is best suited to one's needs. Just as the idiom goes, "all roads lead to Rome."