Essay topic: Tell us about your academic/career short-term and long-term goals. How has your Hispanic heritage influenced these goals?
I was around five or six years old as I bounced eagerly on my abuelito's lap, begging him with childish enthusiasm to teach me how to count to one hundred in Spanish. At the time, I only knew how to count to ten, and what fun was a number as unimpressive as ten? I remember his patient smile as he counted, slowly, from one to one hundred over and over. (Uno, dos, tres...) At first, the words (...veinticinco, veintiseis, veintisiete...) sounded alien to my ears and tasted unfamiliar on my tongue as I attempted to repeat them. But soon, I became accustomed to them, the 'oh's and 'ay's that trailed from my lips, the richness of the sounds, and before I knew it, I had reached cien.
The next day I rushed into my classroom, bubbling with excitement as I gathered up my friends and burst into a deluge of Spanish. At the looks of awe and envy on their faces, I was filled with a sense of pride-not just for my ability to count, but for the beauty of the language, and for my unique Puerto Rican heritage. I have carried that pride throughout the years, embracing everything from my dark, curly hair and my unusually full lips to the unrivaled flavor of pasteles and arroz con gandules made at the wonderfully skilled hands of my abuelita.
Some would say I am at a societal disadvantage, being not only a woman, but a woman of color. I, however, do not see color as being a disadvantage to "overcome." Color brings to mind images of life, passion, intensity, warmth, and particularly, culture. It is because of the culture of my people, my heritage, that I became interested in cultures around the world, especially those of the past. In the fall, I plan to attend the University of Missouri as an honors college student with a double major in archaeology and photography. Both archaeology and photography have the ability to reveal to us the characteristics of a people of a culture-- one past, and one present.
My long-term goals include obtaining my Bachelor's Degree of Fine Arts in photography and a Master's Degree in archaeology. I also hope to study abroad at least a few semesters, if not an entire year. As for my career, I plan to be an archaeological field worker as well as a travel photographer. As my high school career is coming to a close, what was once viewed as the distant future through the eyes of an eager five-year-old- as distant as cien- is now the very nerve-wracking future of a soon-to-be adult. Though thirteen years have passed, I am still as eager to learn as I was that day as I sat upon my grandfather's lap- except this time, I won't stop at one hundred.
First off I'd like to say this is a really good essay; you're writing is good and the story is even better.
I especially like the way you talk about color :)
Now a few corrections:
I'd recommend making all the Spanish words italicized, otherwise it makes the essay difficult to read (and Spanish is my first language.)
Here's a webpage detailing how to use foreign words in essays according to MLA style: daily writing tips/italicizing-foreign-words/
