Essay 1

I got the opportunity to travel to China and I was so excited about the idea, that it did not cross my mind that I would be alone with a group of strangers for three weeks. It was an emotional day waiting for the hours to pass and begin my journey across Beijing. It seemed like an easy enough task, but I had not pondered the idea of having to be all the way on the other side of the world without any familiar faces around me. This idea frightened me and sent chills down my body considering I had never spent more than just a few days away from my family, but the adventure began and there was no turning back. Twenty eight hours later, our group of twenty six scholars and five mentors was united at the Beijing airport. Our faces lit up once we saw the signs welcoming us to the city as we knew that this was only the beginning of a life changing experience. The first day was full of ice breakers and activities to ease the awkward feelings, but the exhaustion and jet lag was too much to overcome for all of us who were fresh off the plane. The next morning we received our schedules for the day and our first stop on our list of tourist sites was the Forbidden City. Seemed like a great way to start our trip by going to see Maos palace. There was one small surprise though; two of our group members were going to lead us all the way to the Forbidden City using a map and our knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. I could see the worried faces of all the scholars in our small group of eight, hoping it would not be their turn. My head was wandering when I heard my name being called; it was our mentor congratulating me and my partner, Evaristo, for we were the first lead the group into the city. Worry struck as I knew nothing about travelling in China and my partner was a freshman who had no knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. All the voices in my head screamed with fear but I had to show my leadership by stepping up and making a plan. Evaristo and I got two hours to plan our routes and make sure we had everything under control. I had never been so confused in my life! Not only had I never been on a subway before but the Beijing subway had a large amount of routes that intersected each other and to cap it off, the map only had Chinese characters. To our advantage, our mentor stayed with us throughout the planning and gave us small hints along the way, but the time finally came to leave the hotel and head to the Forbidden City. We headed to the first bus stop and waited for what seems like forever. Finally our bus showed up and headed to the middle of the city. The bus routes were not too difficult to figure out, but then came the subway. Three trains and forty-five minutes later, we got to our site, which was incredibly relieving because I had no more responsibilities for the next few hours except have fun. To my surprise, leading the group was not all that difficult, especially with the amazing help from my partner. Initially, I expected him to be no help, but he came through despite his lack of knowledge of Chinese. Having this opportunity to be the group leader on only the second day of the trip had a great benefit for me because I had the chance to talk to more people individually and started bonds that stayed with me for the next three weeks and some even to this day. Collaborating with these people from all around the U.S with many different ethnic backgrounds was a challenge but it proved to be very beneficial in my growth as a person who can survive in the world.

Essay 2 I have a very large family from my Mothers side, and even though they are the most caring people I have ever met, we have not been a unified family in previous years. It usually took a special occasion to get us all together, but that was it, a couple of hours of laughs, then we all went home and went on with our lives. I started losing the meaning of family and it felt more of an obligation to be around them as opposed to the excited feeling I used to get. It took a couple of family tragedies to regain that meaning and understand the purpose of family. It was an intense couple of months, full of preparations, testing, and tears, especially tears. My mother was preparing for a kidney transplant, the donor, my father. As a family we had talked with the surgeons and were assured about how safe the surgery would be and they would be up and walking in just a couple days. These conversations eased the worry but it didnt take away from the fact that both my parents were heading into a major surgery and like always, there are many risks. Before we knew it, they day came. We showed up at the hospital at 6:30 am many hours before the actual surgery for final testing. I was not in all my senses, I would speak out of impulse but there was fear in me, fear that something would go wrong. Still I could hear the calm and assurance of my parents words when they said everything would be okay. It was noon and the nurses came into the room to take my mother to the surgery room, we said our goodbyes with tears in our eyes and went to our separate rooms. Uncertainty kills, especially during such a critical moment. The hours pass, you ask to see what is happening and you get the same answer, Everything is well. Sitting in the waiting room was torture for my two older siblings and I. Sitting around just waiting for answers makes the wait seem endless. This was until there was an unsuspected surprise. We saw our uncles and aunts walk in into the waiting room. They came in with more questions than we had answers, but the support they gave us was immense. They came in with jokes, making us laugh and that really made the entire situation much better. Eight hours later, I was able to see both my parents finally out of surgery. The five days they spent at the hospital were difficult. I had to go between rooms to make sure both my parents were okay, and there were no breaks. Things became way easier when my parents were released from the hospital, we could control things and make them the way we wanted, unlike the hospital. Being at home, my parents received so many visits and support from the rest of the family and their close friends, it was really encouraging. The thought of having both parents undergo a critical surgery was frightening and very difficult to deal with at times, but having family there to show support retaught me the real meaning of family, to be there for you whenever someone is in need.

Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extra-curricular activities might help you achieve your goals. The world is driven by leaders. Leaders who choose to do more than they are told they can do. Leaders who dont conform to just enough, but go ahead and take matters into their own hands. Leadership is an important factor for any individual who wants to make a difference in the world and that is something I am developing during my time in high school. The extracurricular activities at my school are based on leadership because it has a focus on making globally competent students. I have taken advantage of this by joining clubs that will increase my leadership in the school and in my community. I have been in the Student Government Association in my school for two years now and it has increased my activities in school. I was also inducted into the National Honor Society and later on elected as the Vice President of the organization during my junior year and have remained in that position since. I also became the Vice President of a club at my school that promotes study abroad for high school students called the World Scholars Club. Being in these three clubs/organizations has taught me how to manage my time between different obligations. I have been able to set priorities and accomplish tasks on time, which is an extremely helpful tool in any work place in the world. Being involved in these extracurricular activities has taught me the importance of being involved and having my voice heard. Now I am able to express myself in an effective way with different people even when it is someone I have never talked to. Getting into engineering is my dream and I know how important it is to be able to interact whoever I am working with. Working in engineering is a group effort that requires giving and accepting feedback from those around you. That is a skill that I have gained by working with different students in the organization I am in. Whether it be volunteering at a homeless shelter or organizing a school dance, it requires team work and understanding between people. The same goes for any work place, so I work on that during my high school career.