What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given, and why? 500 words maximum. It is 540-ish. That's fine, I think.
I loved times like these. Moments where my father's breath reeked of too much alcohol. When the Puerto Rican humidity made my skin sticky to the touch. When stars were perfectly visible for the first time in months in the night sky.
My father and I usually sat on my grandmother's porch, rocking on our chairs. We often spoke of old memories of my mother, my childhood, and---how much he loved me. My father made sure that I knew I was his tesoro, his treasure, his everything. "Nunca dejes que nadie te diga que no puede hacer algo," he would say, "si alguien duda de sus capacidades, demostrar que están equivocados." Never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something; if someone doubts your abilities, prove them wrong. With a kiss on my forehead and an arm around my shoulder, his advice had become much more than mere words of wisdom.
When I returned to frigid New York at the end of my vacations with my father, it always seemed like he and I were miles apart. Still, his advice lingered. Coincidentally, it was through academic adversity that the value of what my father preached became more than a father and son "talk." I was quick to realize that my own underestimation fed into other's own perceptions of my capabilities.
Enrolling in Advanced Placement courses was the start of my own personal academic growth. Most of the "honors" students had already taken atleast one AP course prior to their junior year---I certainly felt like a fish out of water. My first days as an official "AP student" were not the most welcoming. Faces of curiosity and confusion followed me as I sat, took notes, and raised my hand to answer questions. I could not help but wonder if my peers believed that I did not belong among them. "Who is he?" "Is he even smart enough to be here?" Surely, many questions like these ran through many of their minds. My insecurities began to build up. There came a point where I felt compelled to stop myself from raising my hand in class, in fear that my answer would be wrong.
More than ever, my father felt close to me. His advice had become an echo that stuck more than the tropical humidity that I missed. Inexplicably, I had been given reassurance of my capabilities. Confidence in myself, something I lacked, was the only way to offset anyone's doubts towards me. My father made sure to instill in my subconscious that there will always be those who view you as inferior, or incapable. In my case, my new classmates wrongfully judged my high school origins. I was a student that came from something less. I used to be a "non-honors kid."
The day I received my scores for my Advanced Placement examinations was the day I had achieved a personal goal. That day I gained satisfaction in myself. I was a changed person. A changed student. Underestimation had become my drive. The fuel to my fire. My father's priceless advice had become my guide, my motto---building blocks to the person I have become.
I loved times like these. Moments where my father's breath reeked of too much alcohol. When the Puerto Rican humidity made my skin sticky to the touch. When stars were perfectly visible for the first time in months in the night sky.
My father and I usually sat on my grandmother's porch, rocking on our chairs. We often spoke of old memories of my mother, my childhood, and---how much he loved me. My father made sure that I knew I was his tesoro, his treasure, his everything. "Nunca dejes que nadie te diga que no puede hacer algo," he would say, "si alguien duda de sus capacidades, demostrar que están equivocados." Never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something; if someone doubts your abilities, prove them wrong. With a kiss on my forehead and an arm around my shoulder, his advice had become much more than mere words of wisdom.
When I returned to frigid New York at the end of my vacations with my father, it always seemed like he and I were miles apart. Still, his advice lingered. Coincidentally, it was through academic adversity that the value of what my father preached became more than a father and son "talk." I was quick to realize that my own underestimation fed into other's own perceptions of my capabilities.
Enrolling in Advanced Placement courses was the start of my own personal academic growth. Most of the "honors" students had already taken atleast one AP course prior to their junior year---I certainly felt like a fish out of water. My first days as an official "AP student" were not the most welcoming. Faces of curiosity and confusion followed me as I sat, took notes, and raised my hand to answer questions. I could not help but wonder if my peers believed that I did not belong among them. "Who is he?" "Is he even smart enough to be here?" Surely, many questions like these ran through many of their minds. My insecurities began to build up. There came a point where I felt compelled to stop myself from raising my hand in class, in fear that my answer would be wrong.
More than ever, my father felt close to me. His advice had become an echo that stuck more than the tropical humidity that I missed. Inexplicably, I had been given reassurance of my capabilities. Confidence in myself, something I lacked, was the only way to offset anyone's doubts towards me. My father made sure to instill in my subconscious that there will always be those who view you as inferior, or incapable. In my case, my new classmates wrongfully judged my high school origins. I was a student that came from something less. I used to be a "non-honors kid."
The day I received my scores for my Advanced Placement examinations was the day I had achieved a personal goal. That day I gained satisfaction in myself. I was a changed person. A changed student. Underestimation had become my drive. The fuel to my fire. My father's priceless advice had become my guide, my motto---building blocks to the person I have become.
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