Undergraduate / Everything is diverse - Umich Diversity Essay [5]

"We know that diversity makes us a better university - better for learning, for teaching, and for conducting research."
(U-M President Mary Sue Coleman)
Share an experience through which you have gained respect for intellectual, social, or cultural differences. Comment
on how your personal experiences and achievements would contribute to the diversity of the University of Michigan.

I am Christian. They are Muslim. I am Arabic. They are Korean. I am liberal. They are conservative. I am a female. He is a male. I am under representation. They are the majority. I am captain of my basketball team. They are my teammates. I am apart of the Students Today Leaders Forever Program. They are apart of American Red Cross. I am fourteen taking my first stride into my high school career. So are they.

To declare I felt completely and incandescently happy walking into high school would be an overstatement. I truly feared what to expect; this fear seemed inevitable. I knew the next four years would be a long lasting experience and I as an individual would gain a lot from them. I met people who are intellectual, the academic reputation, while I adore academics as well as playing sports and joining clubs. At times I felt like I didn't belong since I am a minority; (I being Christian while the majority of the students are Muslim) I wanted to be the dominant one. I felt as if I as always ignored. Yet as hard as it tried to rid myself of the intellect, the curiosity, and most of all acceptance it returned to me with full force; I could not avoid it. Gradually I have begun to accept the people around me as peers and people to learn a lot from. While others are the author I am the reader and together we intertwine. While I may seem different than everyone else, everyone can be different than me. We all contribute to what makes this country different. Each individual attending the University of Michigan brings a new perspective of life as will I.

This country is diverse. University of Michigan is diverse. We are diverse. I am diverse.

Undergraduate / "how we manage these imperfections" - Umich setback essay [18]

Hey just wanted to know if anyone is willing to recheck this paper and let me know of anyways to improve it before submitting.

Setback Essay
Describe a setback that you have faced. How did you resolve it? How did the outcome affect you? If something similar happened in the future, how would you react?

He who is my beaming ray of sun is humble, openhanded, and keen. For a part of my life, he guided me through many choices I made. It was he whom I shared un-forgettable life lessons, un-regrettable life memories, and an un-changeable bond. "He" was my father.

January 2006 I knew everyone including myself had to be ready for change. My father was given an opportunity by the military and federal government to take on a job that would change our lives and the lives of others forever. He felt obligated to take on such an important role for the security of our country and left everything that was significant to him here in America. As I watched my father leave the country I felt a part of me disappear with him. I operated on my consciousness of fear for his safety that I began to lose perspective of things around me. From that point on I began to get that mere feeling of what it was like to not have a father figure around. Communication was and still is not easy, those daddy-daughter talks are no longer there, and that boost of motivation in my life is so distant that it faded away. I began to rebel and felt that maybe that was a solution to bring my father back home. I did not listen to my mother, I did things I was taught not to do, and lacking concentration towards my academics were few of the many ways. My mother took care of my brothers and I, the business, the bills; I noticed a little bit of stress and depression overtaking her. It felt as if everything began to fall apart. I soon realized this is a wake-up call and I listened to what is being taught through this. I trained myself to become independent and chart the waters on my own; I was no longer daddy's little girl. My father's absence motivated me to become the strong self-determined person I am today. Setbacks are choice points in life; I had the choice to become independent and rebuild that missing part of me, or to leave it empty and I chose to rebuild.

Change is inevitable. It is a tool used by some to improve or change, while it is used by others as an excuse or reason to give up or whine about their circumstances. The big issue is not our setbacks; they are part of life. The issue is how we manage these imperfections so that they do not dictate us. As we liberate from our own setbacks, our presence automatically liberates others. I plan to liberate others with my presence at the University of Michigan.