Describe the world you come from and how that world shaped who you are. (250)
Any feedback is appreciated.
All I wanted was a Hess truck! But, I never got one. Perhaps, if I was lucky, I'd receive a new pair of shoes or a book for my birthday. I remember sitting outside mom's Laundromat selling bottle caps for a dollar-a-piece. My overpriced "business" was a complete failure, but I wanted to help out my family nonetheless. Money was always an issue.
For my father, a plumber and my mother, a laundry lady, the "nine to five" was an American dream. An eighteen hour work day was not out of the ordinary, and as a child, I often wished my parents had normal lives. "Why couldn't they get office jobs or do something exciting?"
As part of an immigrant family, I was also confronted by a strong language barrier. Every time my parents went shopping, I became a personal translator, bound to their every excursion. Mom tells me, "If only I had a college degree, I could change the world. My father mutters, "if only English wasn't such a difficult language..."
Like many children, I am strengthened by my parents' support, but having been raised in the face of tremendous sacrifice, I am empowered. As a witness to my parents' financial and linguistic barriers, I am inspired to follow their example of perseverance.
Whether in music, sports, or politics, I strive earnestly like my parents, who, despite their own toils, are always behind me, telling me in their broken but persistent English, "Don't give up!"
Any feedback is appreciated.
All I wanted was a Hess truck! But, I never got one. Perhaps, if I was lucky, I'd receive a new pair of shoes or a book for my birthday. I remember sitting outside mom's Laundromat selling bottle caps for a dollar-a-piece. My overpriced "business" was a complete failure, but I wanted to help out my family nonetheless. Money was always an issue.
For my father, a plumber and my mother, a laundry lady, the "nine to five" was an American dream. An eighteen hour work day was not out of the ordinary, and as a child, I often wished my parents had normal lives. "Why couldn't they get office jobs or do something exciting?"
As part of an immigrant family, I was also confronted by a strong language barrier. Every time my parents went shopping, I became a personal translator, bound to their every excursion. Mom tells me, "If only I had a college degree, I could change the world. My father mutters, "if only English wasn't such a difficult language..."
Like many children, I am strengthened by my parents' support, but having been raised in the face of tremendous sacrifice, I am empowered. As a witness to my parents' financial and linguistic barriers, I am inspired to follow their example of perseverance.
Whether in music, sports, or politics, I strive earnestly like my parents, who, despite their own toils, are always behind me, telling me in their broken but persistent English, "Don't give up!"