Garcia 1

Melanie Garcia

Kittlaus 2

A.V.I.D. 11

April 24, 2017

Personal Insight Questions

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively

influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.

I am a leader in many different ways even when I i am not given a tittle. When I help in

AVID nights I always took the role as the leader. I took on the responsibility in organized my

group for an AVID family nights, I used my creativity, showing and using a lot of responsibility

and made process easier when everyone was stressing out I made sure it ran smoothly with now

issues. I gave my ideas and helped make the props told them my idea and we agreed on my idea.

I made sure we all understood the idea and had the materials we needed. I also participate in

taekwondo teaching the younger students their class. I taught my students in the taekwondo class

discipline and respect. I also got to interact with them and teach them the art of taekwondo while

helping them understand that it is promoting violence but instead used for a purpose. It was more

than just having the higher hand in a fight. I am the oldest of 3 I am a leader there to my mom

always said they look up to me. I am a great leader with them because I try my hardest in school.

I show them that nothing is easy but I try my hardest, I show them responsibility and to make

good choices. Im responsible because I help my mom with things around the house and when we

are home alone I tell my siblings what to do like to clean. I help my brother and sister giving

them advice and be a friend and helps them with problems in anything. I help my brother with

his homework and help him with his reading and show him how to read and understand what he
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is reading. I show them that hard works pays off and how it is very worth it at then end. That is

how I am a leader.

2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving,

original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express

your creative side.

Creativity to me in a sense is finding an alternative to do something. Not going the

normal rout and switching it up putting your twist onto it. Creativity is not just what you can do

with pen and paper and your hands it could also come through thought and action. Im creative in

the sense that when something is wrong or is not going as planed I can find an alternative

solution to the problem in hand. I think that is really good in the sense when things see to go

south for other people some trip out. The way I see it is pause and think of a creative way for it to

work, find an alternative solution to my dilemma. To me this skill gives me the opportunity to be

a problem solver and a leader. In a complex and unexpected situation I am being calm and

collective. Im observing the situation. I do not react I think analyze and take action. That is my

process and how my creativity peeks through. Inside the classroom it gives me an opportunity to

take charge and be a leader with my peers. Like when we have a project and everyone is lost. I

take action and use my creativity to find a way to make sure my group gets a better

understanding of the project. And that we can execute the plan in the correct manner to get a

good grade. Outside of the class I use my creativity at practice and at work. When I am at

practice sometimes my master makes me come up with what the class is going to do. So there I

have to used my creativity to figure out a way to make sure we have a good practice and that we

work hard. At work i have to come up with creative ways to advertise what we are selling. So I
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have to come up with postings on sites like offer up and craigslist and find a way to really sell

my product. That is how I am creative.

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and

demonstrated that talent over time?

My whole life my parents have compared me to all my cousins. You may say oh that's

nothing well for me it's always been something. They have always said well so and so does this

why can't you. My dad has always compared me to my other cousin about taekwondo. He's

always said well she fights and why can't you be like her. She got her black belt why haven't you.

She tried in practice why can't you try, to me it always got me mad because I never compared

him to anyone. Also me and her didn't practice in the same place my master was different from

hers. So it would hurt me like oh am I not good enough ? Make her your kid then. Or they say

why can't you be like her she had an A in this class and that class like to me I've always said I'm

not them I'm my own person so don't compare me to this person because I don't do that. I'm good

at my own thing like they never realized how much it affected me how they compare me to all

these people. When I've never compared them to anyone. I know my struggle isn't s drastic one

but it's shaped me as a person. It has made me be a person who doesn't care what anyone thinks

of them or what people say to them or even about them. I know my strengths and if my parents

couldn't see that as enough it wasn't my problem if they thought comparing me to another kid

was something good they were wrong. But I thank them that they are not like that anymore

because all those people they have ever compared me too have came out not to be the best kinds

of people. And because they compared me to them I wanted to be different from them and what a

good decision I made me who they are today is not someone I would want to be and someone my

parents would want me to be.

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4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or

worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

A educational opportunity if taken advantage of to the fullest extent is A.V.I.D. I have

been in avid since 7th grade. I would say it's a great opportunity because avid gives u an idea on

how to stay organized and how to keep yourself together. Avid has shown me that preparing for

college can be easy if you put in the work. AVID has also provided me with guest speakers that

really give us a clue about collage really is and not how it's painted in the brochure. They have

given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge on college. They also help me keep myself

together in high school. Showing me how to make my notes so I can go back and study better

and understand them and even look further into the notes by a second layer to gain a deeper

understanding of my notes. Also taking honors classes have benefited me academically because

it has pushed me to work harder and put extra work into something. Taking honors classes has

given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge in literature. Also it has made me change my

style of writing and not to just write whatever to actually but character in my writing and try my

best to compose it properly. Also it has expanded my interest in reading I used to believe reading

was a waste of time, but because of my honors classes reading is more interesting. These classes

show me interesting books and new topics making me see that there is more to reading than the

basic stuff so many nonfiction books that show u the real world. I would never see myself

reeding these kinds of books but thanks to my honors classes expanded my reading and writing.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to

overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
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My favorite academic subject is Math. Math has always came naturally to me I never

really struggled with it like other subjects. I never struggled to really understand math I was

taught the point once and I grasped it very well. This has given me many opportunities to join

clubs and get to not struggle in math as much as other people. In junior high because I was so

good at understanding math I took honors pre-algebra because of how well I grasp the subject.

Later on gave me a chance to be a part of a club that involved itself in Math. This gave me the

chance to be more involved in the school and look my math in another light. Made me want to

be more involved, my teacher noticed. He asked me to help him tutor kids after school he would

stay after school every tuesday and thursday to help us with our home work. My great

understanding of math gave me an opportunity to help another peer. I gained a way to learn what

it meant to actually help another person understand something. Open my eyes to know what it

takes to work with other people, and how you should work with people to understand something.

Even though i love math I do not see myself pursuing a mathematical career. I have came to be

fond of the carriers in a science field since to me is like math you have to know the numbers.

And because i am so fond of math it open my eyes to loving another subject which is since.

Since has always been tough but I love the challenge because it is a different form of math in

some aspects. Science gave me a new view on math and the challenges that came with it. Also I

have taken honors classes in science, honors chem, honors biology, and other honors courses in

junior high both years. These are the two subjects that interest and appeal to me the most.

6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered

this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

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I feel I have not done much for my community but I have not done nothing. One thing

that I have done that I have seen to me to make a difference is help my gothmother with a project

for a school she works for. We worked together to make food baskets for families in the

community. It was around the holiday thanksgiving time we passed out turkeys and food for their

thanksgiving dinner. We also had toys and bassed them out to the families kids. This was

honestly something life changing for me. This was not a problem I really thought about until they

offered me the opportunity. When you are a teen ager you dont really think about the big picture.

Here the big picture is some families are not as fortunite as others and do not have the big

thanksgiving feast or even food on an average basis. This gave me to fix the problem of hunger

in the community, which intrigued me a lot because before that I never thought like this to help

another person in this manner. It open my eyes to a bigger picture helping a family in need. I

learned with a little help you can make a big change or difference in someone's life even if it is

just a basket of food. You can impact a family in a whole other way then you ever thought you

should be. I did not make this wonderful change alone i had the help of my godmother, and the

people from her district who organized the whole thing i was just a part of a huge change. Also,

if the opportunity ever arose i would like to make another difference in a family's life not just

seasonal but everyday because everyday people do go to sleep hungry. And that is a world wide

change that need to happen.

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

Creativity to me in a sense is finding an alternative to do something. Not going the

normal rout and switching it up putting your twist onto it. Creativity is not just what you can do

with pen and paper and your hands it could also come through thought and action. Im creative in
 Garcia 7

the sense that when something is wrong or is not going as planed I can find an alternative

solution to the problem in hand. I think that is really good in the sense when things see to go

south for other people some trip out. The way I see it is pause and think of a creative way for it to

work, find an alternative solution to my dilemma. To me this skill gives me the opportunity to be

a problem solver and a leader. In a complex and unexpected situation I am being calm and

collective. Im observing the situation. I do not react I think analyze and take action. That is my

process and how my creativity peeks through. Inside the classroom it gives me an opportunity to

take charge and be a leader with my peers. Like when we have a project and everyone is lost. I

take action and use my creativity to find a way to make sure my group gets a better

understanding of the project. And that we can execute the plan in the correct manner to get a

good grade. Outside of the class I use my creativity at practice and at work. When I am at

practice sometimes my master makes me come up with what the class is going to do. So there I

have to used my creativity to figure out a way to make sure we have a good practice and that we

work hard. At work i have to come up with creative ways to advertise what we are selling. So I

have to come up with postings on sites like offer up and craigslist and find a way to really sell

my product. That is how i am creative.

8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes

you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

I believe what would set me apart from other people applying to the university of

California would be the kind of person i am. I am not afraid to go up and stand for what i believe

in and fight for what i want. I am an amazing people person that is willing to work with other

and take charge and be a leader. Also, i am not a shy person i am willing to talk in front of a
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group of people and not have a care in the world about it. I would not freeze I would know

exactly what to say or do. Also in group discussions i am an active talker in them. I will always

have something to say and try to be a part of the discussion and try to give my insite. And i do

not hesitate to have people know how i feel about something or my take on it. I am a determined

person who would not stop for anything and until i know i have done my best and gave it my all.

That also makes me stand out my determination to do my best on anything i work at give it my

100% no matter what i do no matter how big or small. I try to give it my all. Also, I am the type

of person that cares for others no matter what i care about people and is willing to help someone

no matter who they are or where they come from. If someone need something from me i would

try to help them as best as I can. But I am those type of people that does not care what someone

thinks about them. I believe that is what makes me stand out from every other person trying to

get what I want.