THE ASSIGNMENT: Write a personal statement that tells the reader: what your family background is, your interests and hobbies, and what you plan on accomplishing in the following year in Israel and the future.
Making $160 in an hour is not something most people can say they did as a six-week-old baby. Well, that's what I did, for about a year, at least. I was a baby hand model and I probably loved all the attention and being in the spotlight, even though I was too young to talk.
Fast forward eight years later, and when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer seemed obvious to me: "a doctor, of course!" I loved watching all the hospital shows on T.V., and I loved the thought of helping people get better.
That ambition soon changed about a year later; I wanted to become an archaeologist or paleontologist. At first, it was the job names themselves that made me excited to stand out from all the other kids wanting to be doctors or ballerinas. Then, it became the actual interest in dinosaurs and digging up relics that were just waiting to be found. Soon, I was a full-fledged dinosaur and ancient civilizations researcher at the age of eight. I looked up the names and period of times when dinosaurs lived, I visited the Natural History Museum in New York City to see the fossils every chance I could get, and I read all different types of archaeologist books for children.
Soon, however, as I matured and started to realize that those types of jobs wouldn't support me financially, I began to look into other types of hobbies I had that I could make a job out of. By the time I was about thirteen, I was into a whole new genre of careers and interests, and this time, it was because of my mother. It all began watching CSI: Miami and other forensic type shows. I loved the criminal details and the solving and the different steps it took to get the final answer of who committed the crime. This led my interest in criminal justice to develop.
It wasn't until last year when I realized I really had a deep interest for law. I joined the mock trial team in high school and took my position in the team very seriously. I stayed up long hours of the night just because I knew putting my all into everything I had to work on would only make for better practice for my choice career. I'd like to become a criminal justice trial lawyer in my near future. Learning how the justice system works intrigues me and I enjoy every second of doing the paper work for mock trial if it gets me to be the best mock lawyer I can be during our trials.
Within the next year in Shalem I'd like to accomplish many things. First, my religion is a very important factor that I believe in when completing high school and moving on to college. I do not believe that learning Jewish studies stops after yeshiva high school. It is every Jewish person's job to uphold his or her own religion and to make sure that they control their own ability to grow spiritually. This is what I hope to do while on this program.
What really enticed me about Shalem is that it is not only a learning experience, but it is also a growing experience. There is so much more than the academics; there are trips, there are volunteer opportunities, and there is the whole concept of a close-knit family on the program. Hopefully, I will be able to become part of that family in the year to come.
I come from a Sephardic background with my mother born and raised in Morocco and my father's side from Turkey and Spain. Being born to such a special cultural background exposed me to traditions and customs that I would not have been able to inherit if I were to be born into a conventional American family.
During the holidays, my family sings the prayers in tunes not a lot of families are accustomed to, we eat foods that exemplify the passed down Sephardic recipes that have been in my family forever, and we practice different customs when handling weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and even births. I enjoy all of these differences and special qualities because it gives me a unique understanding of my family background.
At Shalem there is such a wide variety of people who come there, from Americans to Israelis, the range is huge. I will be able to share my customs, gain more incite on other customs, as well as meet so many new friends from different backgrounds.
The plethora of volunteer opportunities at Shalem fits with every single person's hobbies that attend. I have many hobbies that I'm sure will come into account in the following year. For one, I absolutely love to write. I am currently a published author with the book I wrote at the age of twelve, called "Abnora's Quest". I love to sing and dance, which is why my mom got me auditions to The Voice, I love to play guitar, which my dad teaches me, and I love to be creative, which is why I opened up and manage an online shop where I sell custom made IPhone cases. These are just a few of the things I love to do on a daily basis!
My personality and view point of Israel has changed dramatically since this past summer. I went with my family for the first time to Israel and that trip has truly changed the way I appreciate the Jewish homeland. From walking the hot rock of Masada, to exploring under the Kotel, and even to the busy modernized streets of Tel Aviv, I loved every single second of being there. Although I was there for two weeks, I still wish I were there right now, as part of an elongated summer vacation. Lading in Israel gave me the goose bumps as all the passengers cheered and cried all because of the one announcement the pilot made: "Welcome to Israel-××׊ר×× ×"×'××× ×'ר×-×›××!" Getting to stay in Israel and learn, and meet new people, and assimilate with the culture for a year would be the ultimate experience I'm sure would change me not only for my near future, but forever.
