Hey everybody! Happy New Year! If you can, please let me know if my essay adequately answer's Pepperdine's difficult prompt. Thank you so much! If there is anything you see, please be harsh, thanks!
Please respond to the following question (500 words or less):
Pepperdine University is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. How are you prepared to contribute to Pepperdine's mission and community of faith, learning, and service?
We passed him on the roadside, his dark brown eyes looking up mournfully from under threadbare tarps and a soggy cardboard box. He stood to fix the sagging roof of his makeshift home, and suddenly the wind blew his hat mercilessly down the street, the rain drenching his tattered khaki pants. I never prayed as hard as I did on that night, a year ago. But it was not really a stranger I was praying for; because of my faith, I was instead praying for a family member down on his luck. Though the path was troublesome, today I strive to benefit my community - and in a college such as Pepperdine, I know my dreams are well within reach.
Presentation church was a second home to me since childhood, but I wasn't always as involved in my faith as I am now. A typical boy, my thoughts were instead filled with plans to meet with friends in the park, maybe even falling and scraping my knees in the sandy playground for good measure. My teenage years revolved around my friends, studies, and girls; God and church were pushed further into the backseat until they were almost nonexistent. As I entered high school at Lincoln, I entered it without the sense of family I had grown accustomed to in church. I felt unconnected and alone without the familiar presence of God in my life, yet did nothing to rebuild our bond. This all changed, however, when Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
When her stays in the hospital lasted days on end, and I could do nothing for her besides cook and clean the house, I prayed. I prayed I would never have to see my mother - the strongest person I knew - weak and bedridden. In my darkest time, I reconciled with God and remembered His message: Everyone is a brother and sister in the eyes of God. For so long, my life was devoid of the true meaning behind all those years in Presentation; it was time to reconnect to my family in the community and was time to serve them instead of myself.
The following year was radically different. Mom made a full recovery, and my counselor recommended me to the Leo's Community Service Club, where I worked my way to the Treasurer's position. Here, was a place where I could easily realize my dream of constructing a stronger community. Events like feeding the homeless at St. Mary's Dining Hall were opportunities to benefit my family outside of my school and neighborhood. To me, the Leo's Club is a stepping stone to achieving bigger and better accomplishments. I learned to reconnect with God, to use my life to the benefit of others, and that through Him, all things are possible. With this in mind, and with the challenge set forth by Pepperdine's creed, I know I am ready to accept my duties to the community and begin a life dedicated to helping those like the man in the rain.
Please respond to the following question (500 words or less):
Pepperdine University is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. How are you prepared to contribute to Pepperdine's mission and community of faith, learning, and service?
We passed him on the roadside, his dark brown eyes looking up mournfully from under threadbare tarps and a soggy cardboard box. He stood to fix the sagging roof of his makeshift home, and suddenly the wind blew his hat mercilessly down the street, the rain drenching his tattered khaki pants. I never prayed as hard as I did on that night, a year ago. But it was not really a stranger I was praying for; because of my faith, I was instead praying for a family member down on his luck. Though the path was troublesome, today I strive to benefit my community - and in a college such as Pepperdine, I know my dreams are well within reach.
Presentation church was a second home to me since childhood, but I wasn't always as involved in my faith as I am now. A typical boy, my thoughts were instead filled with plans to meet with friends in the park, maybe even falling and scraping my knees in the sandy playground for good measure. My teenage years revolved around my friends, studies, and girls; God and church were pushed further into the backseat until they were almost nonexistent. As I entered high school at Lincoln, I entered it without the sense of family I had grown accustomed to in church. I felt unconnected and alone without the familiar presence of God in my life, yet did nothing to rebuild our bond. This all changed, however, when Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
When her stays in the hospital lasted days on end, and I could do nothing for her besides cook and clean the house, I prayed. I prayed I would never have to see my mother - the strongest person I knew - weak and bedridden. In my darkest time, I reconciled with God and remembered His message: Everyone is a brother and sister in the eyes of God. For so long, my life was devoid of the true meaning behind all those years in Presentation; it was time to reconnect to my family in the community and was time to serve them instead of myself.
The following year was radically different. Mom made a full recovery, and my counselor recommended me to the Leo's Community Service Club, where I worked my way to the Treasurer's position. Here, was a place where I could easily realize my dream of constructing a stronger community. Events like feeding the homeless at St. Mary's Dining Hall were opportunities to benefit my family outside of my school and neighborhood. To me, the Leo's Club is a stepping stone to achieving bigger and better accomplishments. I learned to reconnect with God, to use my life to the benefit of others, and that through Him, all things are possible. With this in mind, and with the challenge set forth by Pepperdine's creed, I know I am ready to accept my duties to the community and begin a life dedicated to helping those like the man in the rain.
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