I'm with llama on this one. Citing a dictionary definition to start an essay is, in my opinion, overused and underpowered. Even if you end up using it, only one of the three definitions cited are really applicable, so why not just say that one? Saves seven words at the beginning and a whole sentence whose sole purpose is to identify the applicable definition.
This occurrence is one that has continued to mold and build me throughout my short lifetime.
I took the ACT yesterday. This kind of sentence, where a writer uses two verbs that mean practically the same thing in the context of the sentence, is one of their favorites.
If there is anyone thing that this significant experience has taught me, it is to carry on, despite hardships, and responsibility for ones future.
There are two ways to interpret this sentence because of the three clauses at the end and the faulty parallelism.
1) It has taught you "to carry on and responsibility for one's future"? That makes no sense since responsibility is not a verb. So it must be...
2) It has taught you "to carry on, despite responsibility for ones future"? That seems like it wouldn't be a good thing. But you put a comma between hardships and "and," so this also doesn't make sense. It could be...
3) It has taught you to carry on and to take responsibility for your future. This is probably what you're shooting for. But in this case, you need a verb for "responsibility;" it can't just hang out there.
By the way, the definition probably "evokes" a part of your life, not invoke. Unless a part of your past life is a deity that can be summoned to help you. Instead of saying "the one expression that seems to jump from the page" and later tell us it's the last one, you could be more economical with your words by merely stating "..., it's "to endure" that seems to jump from the page..."
It evokes parts of your life like a projector "evokes" a movie? I don't like the analogy here (it's written badly in the first place because you don't have a verb that the projector is doing, you just say "like a projector to a movie screen"). But since I suggest you just ditch all the extraneous definitions at the beginning, you can sweep away all this sentence's problems by the push of the delete key.