'Moving to Jamaica' - Hofstra Autobiographical Essay
Although things in my life have not always gone how I have planned, I believe I have led a meaningful life so far. I was born on August 2, 1994 to Anne Campbell and Fitzroy Whyte in Kingston, Jamaica. I resided in Jamaica until I was four years old. In 1998 I moved to live with my mom in the USA. While in the US I attended Rosedale kindergarten and Northern Parkway elementary school. At the start of my freshman year of Lawrence Road middle school my mother announced to me that I would be moving back to Jamaica to complete my Secondary education. I was distraught as I could not imagine leaving my entire life behind in New York to live with my grandparents who I barely remembered. The move to Jamaica was something that I never saw coming and I honestly believed it would stop me from achieving my dreams.
Shortly after arriving in Jamaica I was enrolled in Quest preparatory school where I spent one year before moving on to St. Andrew High School for girls. After being accepted into St. Andrew High I wasn't as enthusiastic as my grandparents were. I saw the acceptance as a sign that I would be staying in Jamaica longer than I had expected. The first day at school was the worst as I couldn't fit in anywhere I went and the students made fun of my accent. Despite my numerous efforts one week later I was still the new kid who had no friends and had to sit by herself at lunch.
After a month of miserably counting down my time at St. Andrew I decided to audition for the cheer squad at school and to my shock I made the team. This gave me the first spark of hope that life wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be as cheerleading reminded me of life in New York. It was while I was on the cheerleading team I met my two best friends Kelsey and Bria. The more involved I got in cheerleading the less I thought about life in New York. After realizing how much better life at school could be if I got involved in school activities I joined Key Club, Modern languages club and UNESCO.
As I became happier the relationship I had with my grandparents improved tremendously as I was no longer just living there, I was becoming a part of the family. They told me stories about our family history and culture while I introduced to them some aspects of my culture like movie theaters, game nights, Burgers etc. Around this time my relationship with my mother started improving as I was now able to try and understand her point of view.
Although things had gotten somewhat better at school I was still kind of an outcast as I often had strange Ideas or different beliefs than the other students. I would constantly have to be defending my ideas to them. It was at this point my mother reminded me that I should always try to see things from the other person's point of view as to them I was the one with weird views. After I began to be empathetic towards other students life got easier for me as I wasn't always on the defensive anymore I could state my opinion without outwardly saying I disagreed with their opinions which made a world of difference to them. To show me that I had finally found my place in the school a group of students wrote my name on posters saying "Go Renee the Jamerican" and raised it high after we won the all girls national cheerleading regionals.
I hope that in the future I will be able to achieve my goal of being a world renowned psychologist. I also hope that I can one day open a scholarship program for students who have big dreams and excel academically but are being hindered by their financial situation. I hope that I will always be there to offer advice or simply listen to those who need it. I hope to one day be a worldwide motivational speaker to show others that no matter the obstacle you may face you should not let it stop you from achieving your goals. Most importantly I hope that in the future I will have an impact on at least one individual's life.
From the experience of moving to Jamaica I learned a lot about who I am. I learned that I am strong and resilient. I learned that in the future I want to be someone who can be proud of all I believe in. Moving to Jamaica has been beneficial to me as not only will it not stop me from reaching my goals but now I know exactly what I want to be with my life. Moving to Jamaica shaped me into the person I am today. My life so far has been filled with good moments, bad moments and in between moments, but I have no regrets.
Although things in my life have not always gone how I have planned, I believe I have led a meaningful life so far. I was born on August 2, 1994 to Anne Campbell and Fitzroy Whyte in Kingston, Jamaica. I resided in Jamaica until I was four years old. In 1998 I moved to live with my mom in the USA. While in the US I attended Rosedale kindergarten and Northern Parkway elementary school. At the start of my freshman year of Lawrence Road middle school my mother announced to me that I would be moving back to Jamaica to complete my Secondary education. I was distraught as I could not imagine leaving my entire life behind in New York to live with my grandparents who I barely remembered. The move to Jamaica was something that I never saw coming and I honestly believed it would stop me from achieving my dreams.
Shortly after arriving in Jamaica I was enrolled in Quest preparatory school where I spent one year before moving on to St. Andrew High School for girls. After being accepted into St. Andrew High I wasn't as enthusiastic as my grandparents were. I saw the acceptance as a sign that I would be staying in Jamaica longer than I had expected. The first day at school was the worst as I couldn't fit in anywhere I went and the students made fun of my accent. Despite my numerous efforts one week later I was still the new kid who had no friends and had to sit by herself at lunch.
After a month of miserably counting down my time at St. Andrew I decided to audition for the cheer squad at school and to my shock I made the team. This gave me the first spark of hope that life wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be as cheerleading reminded me of life in New York. It was while I was on the cheerleading team I met my two best friends Kelsey and Bria. The more involved I got in cheerleading the less I thought about life in New York. After realizing how much better life at school could be if I got involved in school activities I joined Key Club, Modern languages club and UNESCO.
As I became happier the relationship I had with my grandparents improved tremendously as I was no longer just living there, I was becoming a part of the family. They told me stories about our family history and culture while I introduced to them some aspects of my culture like movie theaters, game nights, Burgers etc. Around this time my relationship with my mother started improving as I was now able to try and understand her point of view.
Although things had gotten somewhat better at school I was still kind of an outcast as I often had strange Ideas or different beliefs than the other students. I would constantly have to be defending my ideas to them. It was at this point my mother reminded me that I should always try to see things from the other person's point of view as to them I was the one with weird views. After I began to be empathetic towards other students life got easier for me as I wasn't always on the defensive anymore I could state my opinion without outwardly saying I disagreed with their opinions which made a world of difference to them. To show me that I had finally found my place in the school a group of students wrote my name on posters saying "Go Renee the Jamerican" and raised it high after we won the all girls national cheerleading regionals.
I hope that in the future I will be able to achieve my goal of being a world renowned psychologist. I also hope that I can one day open a scholarship program for students who have big dreams and excel academically but are being hindered by their financial situation. I hope that I will always be there to offer advice or simply listen to those who need it. I hope to one day be a worldwide motivational speaker to show others that no matter the obstacle you may face you should not let it stop you from achieving your goals. Most importantly I hope that in the future I will have an impact on at least one individual's life.
From the experience of moving to Jamaica I learned a lot about who I am. I learned that I am strong and resilient. I learned that in the future I want to be someone who can be proud of all I believe in. Moving to Jamaica has been beneficial to me as not only will it not stop me from reaching my goals but now I know exactly what I want to be with my life. Moving to Jamaica shaped me into the person I am today. My life so far has been filled with good moments, bad moments and in between moments, but I have no regrets.
