Tell us about an experience, in school or out, that caused you to rethink or change your perspective. What impact has this had on you?
Volunteering for a children's sports camp over the summer changed my outlook on life. One sunny afternoon, we decided to go outside and play soccer. The teams were split into volunteers and kids. Though it was unfair, the children faced this with a positive attitude. They actively ran around and chased after ball, trying to score on us. After awhile of playing, I found out that the kids started to develop strategies. They tried to distract us by pretending to be hurt or by running at the leader with the ball at the same time. I was sure that the kids knew their chances of winning were low but they still tried their best to win. When watching this I was amazed by the children's attitude. I came to realize that having an optimistic perspective allows people to focus on favorable outcomes. Life is unpredictable so instead of focusing on my failures, I started to look at life's opportunities.
Explain how you responded to a significant challenge that you encountered and what you learned in the process.
Learning to handle stress was a important challenge for me to overcome. Since this year's grades are needed for university application, I started worrying about my school grades. My parents had high expectations for me to enter into university which further increased my stress levels. As a result, I understood that my number one priority was to do well in school. I tried doing my best to just focus on studying, however I quickly found out that I was doing poorly. I also felt burdened with my school work. Understanding that entering university was important, I became motivated to learn how to balance my lifestyle as well. As a result, I had to learn to handle pressure in a positive way. I started making daily plans and developing routine habits. As well I also learned to balance my responsibilities with time with my friends, volunteer and hobbies. Although my grades are not high enough to enter my intended program, I am still really happy that I learned about time management. Going through difficult circumstances lead me to act in a positive manner which resulted in a favorable outcome.
Tell us more about one of the activities you listed above, explaining what your goals were, what you did to pursue them, the results achieved, and what you learned in the process. (maximum 200 words)
At first, when I volunteered for the summer sports camp, I did not have any goals for the program at all. I decided to join because my friend wanted me join him in volunteering. Anyways I didn't have much extra-curricular activities over the summer. The first day I walked into the gym, I was completely surprised by the children's attitudes. They were extremely energetic and vibrant. While I was playing with them, I realized my attitude changed. I was slowly being influence by their liveliness and I enjoyed planning fun activities for them. My purpose for volunteering was to bring joy to the kids. I spent more time on thinking about new ideas for games that would appeal to the kids. I even looked at many books and articles on the web for games that were interesting and engaging. Although some of the games were not successful, the children valued my effort. I learned that a simple gift such as planning a small game can bring happiness to others. Through this short period of volunteering, I learned that such interactions enriches my life.
They actively (enthusiastically?) ran around and chased after the ball, trying to score on us.
Life is unpredictable, so instead of focusing on my failures...
Learning to handlecope with stress...
Since this year's grades are neededrequired for university application, I started to worry about my school grades.
As a result, I understood that my number one priority was to do well in school. I tried doing my best to just focus on studying, however Iquickly found out that I was doing poorly . but I struggled with the large workload.
Going through difficult circumstances lead me to act in a positive manner which resulted in a favorable outcome.
You could say it like this: "I kept a positive attitude as I faced these challenges, which resulted in a favorable outcome."
