1. If there has been some obstacle or bump in the road in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances.
2. How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are?
3. Why did you choose to apply to UCF?
4. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that will allow you to contribute to the UCF community?
1. Broken bones, cancer, and other physical diseases are perceptible, but try explaining to a five year old that your father suffers from a mental disorder. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder since he was a teenager. When my siblings and I were young, my parents referred to it as the "sad sickness." My father was fairly good at hiding his mood swings, but as we grew older, it became more and more difficult for him to hide the symptoms from us. Weeks at a time he would spend the majority of his day sleeping. He began to take off work, which lead to his unemployment. By the time I was 13, my mother decided it was necessary for her to go back to school in order to provide for the family. It was not easy living with an unstable father, and a mother whose face was glued to a computer screen studying for exams. Money was tight and with my mom stressing over school, matters only got worse. My father blamed himself for the situation we were in. He felt like he was failing as a father and as a husband. He occasionally turned to negative coping mechanisms in attempt to ease the pain, which scared us all. These episodes continued throughout my high school years and were distracting, to say the least, from my studies. After my mother finished nursing school, circumstances seemed to improve. My father's depression became less severe and less frequent. I believe it is nearly impossible for someone to understand the depths of an invisible disease such as bipolar disorder unless you have personally experienced it or have lived with someone who has. Although having a parent with a disorder was a major obstacle in my life, I am able to understand and view people from a whole new perspective. I am typically a technical person, yet over the years I have learned the significance of mental health and the affect it has on one's well being.
4. My whole life I have set very high standards for myself from making straight A's to being successful in sports. My parents were never on my back about school and I never got paid for good report cards. I didn't need any of that to motivate me. I had enough responsibility all on my own. Duel enrollment my junior and senior year also required a lot of independence and determination, which I believe I can bring to the UCF family and community. Another quality that has been stressed in my household is gratitude. My parents let me know that whenever I thought I had it bad, someone in the world had it worse. For years, my family has been supporting a girl in Haiti. While we are worried about getting that new car or new phone, her main concern is to survive. This allows me to put things in perspective and appreciate everything I have been blessed with, just as I would appreciate the opportunity to belong to a school as advanced and spirited as UCF.
2. How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are?
3. Why did you choose to apply to UCF?
4. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that will allow you to contribute to the UCF community?
1. Broken bones, cancer, and other physical diseases are perceptible, but try explaining to a five year old that your father suffers from a mental disorder. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder since he was a teenager. When my siblings and I were young, my parents referred to it as the "sad sickness." My father was fairly good at hiding his mood swings, but as we grew older, it became more and more difficult for him to hide the symptoms from us. Weeks at a time he would spend the majority of his day sleeping. He began to take off work, which lead to his unemployment. By the time I was 13, my mother decided it was necessary for her to go back to school in order to provide for the family. It was not easy living with an unstable father, and a mother whose face was glued to a computer screen studying for exams. Money was tight and with my mom stressing over school, matters only got worse. My father blamed himself for the situation we were in. He felt like he was failing as a father and as a husband. He occasionally turned to negative coping mechanisms in attempt to ease the pain, which scared us all. These episodes continued throughout my high school years and were distracting, to say the least, from my studies. After my mother finished nursing school, circumstances seemed to improve. My father's depression became less severe and less frequent. I believe it is nearly impossible for someone to understand the depths of an invisible disease such as bipolar disorder unless you have personally experienced it or have lived with someone who has. Although having a parent with a disorder was a major obstacle in my life, I am able to understand and view people from a whole new perspective. I am typically a technical person, yet over the years I have learned the significance of mental health and the affect it has on one's well being.
4. My whole life I have set very high standards for myself from making straight A's to being successful in sports. My parents were never on my back about school and I never got paid for good report cards. I didn't need any of that to motivate me. I had enough responsibility all on my own. Duel enrollment my junior and senior year also required a lot of independence and determination, which I believe I can bring to the UCF family and community. Another quality that has been stressed in my household is gratitude. My parents let me know that whenever I thought I had it bad, someone in the world had it worse. For years, my family has been supporting a girl in Haiti. While we are worried about getting that new car or new phone, her main concern is to survive. This allows me to put things in perspective and appreciate everything I have been blessed with, just as I would appreciate the opportunity to belong to a school as advanced and spirited as UCF.