hey guys heres my uc prompt 2 which asks to "Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution, or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?" It would be great to have some feedback towards my essay.
Out of all of the things that I absolutely detest, waking up early for something I don't want to do is definitely among the top of that list. Yet with half opened eyes and a bleary face, every month at 5:00, I wake up to volunteer at a homeless shelter. I hate it. It's saddening, it's depressing, and my Saturday mornings become occupied. But despite my abhorrence towards doing this, I know it's something that I have to do. Volunteering has developed into more than just serving food and handing out clothing to the people in need. To me, helping the homeless has become a monthly reality check.
The homeless shelter I volunteer at is called the Dream Center. When the Dream Center is empty, it's new, it's clean, and it's big. But when it's filled, nearly overflowing with old rancid smelling individuals, the ambiance of the building completely changes. As the homeless shove spoonfuls of bacon, eggs, and pancake into their mouths, it seems as if a permanent gray cloud hovers over them. I try to spark conversations with some of them, and I can't help but to feel their pains as they elucidate parts of their life stories, almost always filled with themes of fortune, misfortune, anger, and lust. As I watch and serve the people plates of food in the dining hall, the level of pity I feel for them increases as their sad gloomy facial expressions rarely change. Many of the homeless that I've seen and met share similar characteristics. Most of them lack teeth, clean clothing, and personal pride. Each and every one of them is tied together through the simple fact that his or her life hasn't been successful.
Without a doubt, there are many times in my life when I need to experience something like this. After seeing this much dejection and sadness, and knowing there really is nothing else I can do for these people, I always conclude with the fact that the problems that I face compared to the problems the homeless face are petty. After seeing the simple necessities many of these people have had to cope with not living with such as teeth, hot showers, and warm meals, I've realized that I take many things for granted. These experiences have helped me to believe that I don't always need the biggest or nicest thing just because it looks pleasant. I've learned that I can live without having the newest electronic gadget but I can't live without my family.
I never do and never will enjoy helping out at a homeless shelter. But the more I do this, the more I've understood that volunteering is helping me to become a better person. These experiences have developed into more than just a reality check; they've become wake-up calls. After working at the Dream Center for so long, I've realized that working there has become more beneficial to me into becoming a better individual than anything else that I've ever experienced in my life.
become a monthly reality check.
oh... very good. Okay, you have my attention.
I never do and never will enjoy helping out at a homeless shelter. ---- don't be so sure! You may become spiritually enlightened.
However, I don't recommend taking out that sentence; I was just commenting on it. That sentence is part of this excellent theme you have... this theme of obligation. I love it!
I can't recommend any improvements!!
Hi Jeffrey!
I have to agree with Kevin. This is an amazing essay, and it definitely uplifted my own spirits! I recall volunteering at a homeless shelter myself when I attended college, and it, too, was an eye-opener for me. I still cannot get some of the images out of my head, and your essay seems to have brought some of them back to me. I enjoyed working -- or, er, volunteering -- at the homeless shelter. It happened to be situated not far from the college I attended.
Thanks for the essay, Jeff! I would like to see some more of your work on this forum!
--Mark :)
