Ok so this is my essay about my participation in the Hispanic Youth Symposium.
Describe your participation in extracurricular activities.
What have you learned from your experience(s)?
Please answer this essay question (400 to 600 words).
One of the most memorable activities I've been involved in is my continuing participation in the Hispanic Youth Institute, first as a student and later as an alumna. As a student the program allowed me to meet many Hispanic teens from all over Virginia, Maryland, and even some students from Michigan. With the program's emphasis on how important it is to pursue a career, I was able to learn multiple ways of how to get closer to those dreams, network with successful professionals, and acquire valuable resources for my future. Not only did it reinforce the importance of college, but it also strengthened a special bond, that we could all feel for one another. We began as complete strangers who were used to putting up walls and obstacles to keep everyone out, but by the end of the program we were all one big family who shared the same dream to not be just another statistic. As the summer reached its last weeks and with the new school year being around the corner, I found myself more motivated than I had ever been to stay focused on school and to spread the word about how hard work and perseverance can make any goal an achievable one. After that wonderful experience I was more than willing to go back and lend a helping hand the following summer as an alumna.
As an alumna volunteer all I wanted to do was give back to the program that meant so much to me and to the community, I knew needed as much help as I once did. I knew how it was to lose sight of what is truly important so I recognized that I had to help make a difference in the student's lives. It took long hours from early mornings to late nights, several cross campus walks, and various errands under 90 degree heat, but I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. As each day passed I witnessed students open up and begin to build the powerful connection with the program that brought me back. On the last day of the program all the students simply couldn't stop mentioning how much they had learned, how much they loved being part of the program, but most important of all how much their mind had opened up to the importance and the real possibility of college. It was then that I realized that all the hard work was more than worth it to see how the students opened their eyes to a great future. Being part of the "behind-the-scenes" of the program for the first time also opened up a new door for me; it established my desire to continue encouraging my fellow teens to not give up on their future and to keep on helping them down the road, even if we're both learning at the same time.
Describe your participation in extracurricular activities.
What have you learned from your experience(s)?
Please answer this essay question (400 to 600 words).
One of the most memorable activities I've been involved in is my continuing participation in the Hispanic Youth Institute, first as a student and later as an alumna. As a student the program allowed me to meet many Hispanic teens from all over Virginia, Maryland, and even some students from Michigan. With the program's emphasis on how important it is to pursue a career, I was able to learn multiple ways of how to get closer to those dreams, network with successful professionals, and acquire valuable resources for my future. Not only did it reinforce the importance of college, but it also strengthened a special bond, that we could all feel for one another. We began as complete strangers who were used to putting up walls and obstacles to keep everyone out, but by the end of the program we were all one big family who shared the same dream to not be just another statistic. As the summer reached its last weeks and with the new school year being around the corner, I found myself more motivated than I had ever been to stay focused on school and to spread the word about how hard work and perseverance can make any goal an achievable one. After that wonderful experience I was more than willing to go back and lend a helping hand the following summer as an alumna.
As an alumna volunteer all I wanted to do was give back to the program that meant so much to me and to the community, I knew needed as much help as I once did. I knew how it was to lose sight of what is truly important so I recognized that I had to help make a difference in the student's lives. It took long hours from early mornings to late nights, several cross campus walks, and various errands under 90 degree heat, but I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. As each day passed I witnessed students open up and begin to build the powerful connection with the program that brought me back. On the last day of the program all the students simply couldn't stop mentioning how much they had learned, how much they loved being part of the program, but most important of all how much their mind had opened up to the importance and the real possibility of college. It was then that I realized that all the hard work was more than worth it to see how the students opened their eyes to a great future. Being part of the "behind-the-scenes" of the program for the first time also opened up a new door for me; it established my desire to continue encouraging my fellow teens to not give up on their future and to keep on helping them down the road, even if we're both learning at the same time.
