This is my 10th draft. I tend to be long-winded, so please feel free to tell me when that is occurring in my essay. It's about 954 words and I feel like it's too long. I appreciate any and all feedback.
In my lifetime, 19 generous years, I've had many eureka moments. Moments when I realized that my feathered prom dress was not beige but champagne, that I could put water on my pressed hair and my afro would come back in under 5 minutes, and that textbooks are cheaper when rented. Though all of these moments were deemed life-changing at those particular times, they did not lead me to the conclusion that I am built to influence people emotionally and mentally with my quirky, creative ideas through my use of words and images. It would be the formation of my high school's Fashion Club, which would bring me closer to yelling, "Eureka!," when thinking about what I would want to do for the rest of my life.
In high school, I was known as "Asi' Phresh" and the founder of my high school's first fashion-related organization-- Fashion Club. Honestly, Fashion Club was a flop its first year as an active club due to the fact that none of my peers knew it existed. At the time, I thought two things: people know me to be "phresh", namely "Asi' Phresh" ,and Fashion Club is lacking members, so what campaign could I create that would emphasize that the organization is open to all and not just those who considered themselves to be fashion gurus?
The "Who Said I'm Not Phresh?" campaign was created and from there Fashion Club began to catch the attention of not just my peers but teachers and administrators. It took a picture of my high school's drafting teacher, "Big Jim" Streeter simply posing under a phrase that stated, "Who Said I'm Not Phresh?" on posters and shirts to create a buzz for Fashion Club. The image was one that spoke volumes to the student community. There was Mr. Streeter smiling with his hand on his waist, with his stomach slightly peeking from under his infamous striped shirt, with his jolly smile, and a phrase that highlighted the fact that anybody can be fashionable or "phresh".
It took me connecting my personal brand of being "phresh" and a friendly, recognizable image of a teacher to bring the recognition Fashion Club sought. At the moment, that I had my peers asking me to include more faculty into this series, I had an epiphany- it's possible to positively influence my environment with my quirky, creative ideas through my use of words and images. Two years passed by of floating on a cloud of enlightenment, coordinating and executing Fashion Club events, and graduating when I finally arrived on my college campus. At that moment, I realized that high school students were running Fashion Club and I was an alumna of Decatur High.
Immediately, I fell off my cloud of enlightenment onto the hard concrete to find myself as a declared marketing major. However, I assumed that I would be able to take some marketing classes, so my hope was still alive. I learned never to assume anything in college. A semester went by and I did not partake in any extracurricular activities, I ended my first semester with a 4.0 but no experience or knowledge of the marketing field. I was beginning to feel empty as though all my creative ideas would forever be stuck in a composition book labeled "One Of These Days". It was the beginning of spring semester, and I finally decided to take things into my own hands. I opened my composition book filled with concepts and looked for the name "Invented Visions".
From that day, I created my own creative outlet. I started an organization named, "Invented Visions". It is a haven for innovative college students to display their passion for creativity through event production. However, I was the only active member but I did what I could with the knowledge that I had. From that moment, I let my passion be my drive and allowed it to open many doors where I have networked with professionals, executed many events and projects, and gained hundreds of supporters. However, it has been a year since the birth of Invented Visions and I still feel knowledgeably malnourished in my school environment. My high school and college experiences brought me closer to realizing that what I was settling. I knew that marketing was not the field that I wanted to pursue but my school did not have an advertising program. I made the decision to search for a school that would bring me closer to my dream. Immediately, I had another epiphany with a little bit of research this time. I had no longer wanted to be a big fish in a small pond, so I sought and found the University of Texas-Austin's-- A big pond that creates big fish.
The advertising program at University of Texas is one that is notable and very prestigious. However, I do not admire the program because of its ranking or number of alumni and faculty that have received ADDYs and Art Director Club cubes but because their faculty has positively influenced the world with their quirky and creative ideas. I would like to learn from their experiences while creating my own. I want to transfer to the University of Austin's advertising program because I will not be given a strict path to follow but I will have the choice of enhancement programs and a plethora of electives to equip me with the knowledge to becoming an exceptional creative director. Becoming a Longhorn and being a part of the university's advertising program will allow me to execute many of my ideas in my "One Of These Days" composition notebook and yell "Eureka!" once I find the right path to positively influencing large audiences with my quirky, creative ideas.
The advertising program at University of Texas is widely recognized and highly esteemed . However, I do not admire the program because of its ranking or number of alumni and faculty that have received ADDYs and Art Director Club cubes butadmire the program mainly because its faculty has positively influenced the world with their creativity . I would like to learn from their experiences while creating my own. I want to transfer to the University of Austin's advertising program because I will not be given a strict path to follow;instead, I will have numerous enhancement programs and a plethora of electives to equip me with the knowledge to becoming an exceptional creative director. Becoming a Longhorn and being a part of the university's advertising program will help me execute the ideas in my "One Of These Days" composition notebook.I look forward to the University of Texasenabling me to yell "Eureka!" as it leads me to the best ways to influence people with my ideas.
Thank you for your edits. I wanted to answer some of your questions:
1. "Was this before or after you made the club? And you should define "phresh" for your readers here."
-I got the nickname before I started the club.
2. "I don't understand why you were so shocked and disappointed by this"
-I was shocked and disappointed because it was the moment I realized I had to find a new outlet to express my creativity. It was the moment I realized I wasn't in high school anymore and it was time to create new experiences.
3. "All of this is still confusing; why didn't you participate in any extracurricular activities?"
-What in particular is confusing? Should I omit that sentence?
-To answer your question, I did some volunteer work but I didn't participate in extracurricular activities because my mom was worried it would be a distraction from my books.
