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Essay 1
Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what factors do you attribute your success?
Many of my peers have tried to sway me from taking Biology Honors because they believed that the class was too difficult, and although I appreciated their concerns I felt that any subject could be conquered with the right tactics. From the first day of Dr. Butler-Pearson's biology class, I already had my plan worked out. I would stay after school for tutoring on Tuesdays, read half the chapter on Mondays and Tuesdays and the second half on Thursdays and Fridays. I took advantage of every opportunity to do well in the class. Therefore, I succeeded in maintaining an "A" throughout the course.
Essay 2
Discuss the subjects in which you have had difficulty. What factors do you believe contributed to your difficulties? How have you dealt with them so they will not cause problems for you again? In what areas have you experienced the greatest improvement? What problem areas remain?
Although I was born in the U.S., my education began in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It took me a short time to learn how to speak English. However, writing in proper English was a different story. One of the most challenging classes that I have taken was 4th grade language arts. I had to quickly learn different grammar skills, such as punctuation, spelling, and parts of speech. I had to understand that homophones, such as there, their, and they're sounded alike but have completely different meanings. It was very frustrating for me at first, I felt inadequate and inept. Although I have improved dramatically in language arts, I still seek ways to strengthen my English. I research words I do not know and I learn new words by reading articles and books.
Essay 3
Briefly describe a situation in which you felt that you or others were treated unfairly or were not given an opportunity you felt you deserved. Why do you think this happened? How did you respond? Did the situation improve as a result of your response?
In my third grade class there was a boy named Matthew who had physical deformities and a mental disability. The other children were frightened of him because of his appearance and tried to avoid him anyway that they could. I felt sadden that they could treat another human being so unfairly, especially because they didn't understand him. I didn't want to be one of those children who avoided or intimidated him and so I made it my mission to protect that little boy from the others. I wanted him to know that not everyone was mean and so I befriended him. One day, I made him a goody bag filled with toys and I wrote him a friendly letter. I will never forget the joy that I was able to bring to Matthew on that day.
Essay 4
Discuss your short and long-term goals. Are some of them related? Which are priorities?
My major short-term goals are graduating from high school, enrolling in college, and accumulating scholarship money to help me pay for college. My long-term goals are earning a medical degree and having a medical clinic. Most of my short-term and long-term goals involve obtaining an excellent education to help me give back to my community by providing care to the needy.
Essay 5
Discuss a leadership experience you have had in any area of your life: school, work, athletics, family, church, community, etc. How and why did you become a leader in this area? How did this experience influence your goals?
My first leadership position was at Everglades High School coordinating the Harvest Drive. The Harvest Drive is a holiday event, in which local schools gather canned foods and toiletries for deprived families who cannot afford a meal for Thanksgiving dinner. As the organizer of the Harvest Drive, I had a huge responsibility for making sure that my group collected enough items. I had to learn to work with different people. With a short amount of time and few cooperative members, it was a challenging project in the beginning. In order to gain the group's respect, I had to work alongside them, helping them make flyers, gathering boxes, and collecting the supplies. In the end, we successfully collected over a thousand food items and toiletries. This was a wonderful experience that has taught me much about how to work with people and the joy of helping others.
Essay 6
Discuss your involvement in and contributions to a community near your home, school or elsewhere. Please select an experience different from the one you discussed in the previous question, even if this experience also involved leadership. What did you accomplish? How did this experience influence your goals?
As a member of the Science Honors Society, my club prepares road shows for elementary school students. This is a time in which members create lab activities that allow younger children to participate and conduct scientific experiments. The purpose of these activities is to have the children gain greater understanding of science and to help them find their passion for learning. I hope that through this Society, I can help young science students realize their intellectual abilities and promote learning through hands-on activities.
ESSAY 7
Other than through classes in school, in what areas (non-academic or academic) have you acquired knowledge or skills? How?
As a volunteer at Memorial Hospital Miramar, and a former Memorial Regional Hospital volunteer, I have acquired knowledge and skills by interacting with the patients, doctors, and nurses at the pediatric emergency room. I have learned how to handle disturbed and angry individuals, and how to properly control stressful situations. Being a hospital volunteer has certainly helped improve my work ethics and my knowledge of general humanitarian practices. For instance, while still a volunteer at Memorial Regional Hospital, I encountered a panicked patient whose claustrophobia almost had the best of her. She tried to pry the syringes and tubes from her body, complaining that the sheets from the bed were suffocating her. I was terrified at first because I was the only person in the room at the time. Nevertheless, I needed to calm her down to prevent her from hurting herself. Therefore, after pressing the emergency call button to the nursing station, I helped her remove the tangled covers from her body while trying to keep her from removing the intravenous (IV) tubes. This is one in many events at the hospital that have taught me to control myself during stressful situations.
ESSAY 8
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about that may help us evaluate your nomination (i.e., personal characteristics, obstacles you have had to overcome)?
Participating in the arts helps soothe me during traumatic situations. I have played the piano for about 12 years and I also enjoy drawing. During painful events, such as the recent deaths of my aunt and piano mentor, I have looked to playing my music and drawing to express my grief. These deaths happened within a short amount of time. It is a very strange thing realizing that death is just a moment away. My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer and died within six months. It happened so fast that I still can't believe that she is gone. Seeing the emaciated shell that she became in comparison to the vibrant 38 year-old woman that I remembered her to be was extremely shocking, and it has ingrained itself into my memory forever. Just a few months earlier, after finally mastering Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and planning to reunite with Floyd, my piano teacher of 10 years, I learned that he committed suicide. These events almost ruined my high school experience since those were people that I loved dearly. However, I realize that death is a part of life without which people would not value their existence. I believe that life's tribulations can strengthen a person's resolve to improve their lives and society.
