One down, four to go.
Texas A&M ESSAY A
Describe a significant setback, challenge or opportunity in your life and the impact that it has had on you.
I squinted into the bright blue, dotted by even brighter spots of white, and tried my hardest not to give up searching for my father. He was falling from the sky, the crazy man, as he had wanted to go sky diving for his forty-eighth birthday. Just as I lowered my hand-turned-sunshield and looked towards the ground, I heard my mother’s soft, dove-like gasp. There he was, descending from the heavens strapped to another man who was in turn strapped to a giant purple and yellow parachute. When he landed safely, I decided that I enjoyed all my time spent with both feet on the ground and not depending on others for my personal safety.
My knees were shaking and I was already beginning to hyperventilate as the Junior ROTC instructor for my second high school explained what we would be doing at this activity. I had found myself in the middle of a group of people I had never quite connected with on a ropes course for National Honor Society. Ropes courses are tricky creatures: dangerous, but when people work together, it is almost impossible to be harmed. The other activities we had completed had been mostly problem solving, that is, right up my alley, but this, this was something entirely different. We had to help each other climb over an eleven foot wall with nothing to aid us except for ourselves. I stared at the boards pointing straight up and felt my hands begin to sweat. I glanced at the others as they began to discuss the order we would go up so that we could successfully get everyone to the platform on the other side. I recall being determined to complete the task until I saw them hoist a sophomore in my section in band named Anna. They had lifted her to the top, and instead of reaching for the hands of the one person waiting, she had grabbed the top of the boards and began to kick herself away from the wall. She was about to fall. I had never felt so frightened in my life and I wasn’t even the one clinging desperately to the side. I tried to comfort her, to let her know that we were right below her to catch her, but the lump in my throat had given my vocal chords no room to move. That was when Kyle Richter, the other Acrophobiat in our group spoke to Anna, gently touching her calves to let her know we would catch her should she slip. Austin, the boy at the top, reached down and grasped just above her elbow to pull her the rest of the way up, reminding her to keep calm the entire time. When she had finally figured out how to get over the wall everyone let loose a sigh of relief. The lump in my throat dissipated and I felt my shoulders relax. That was when Josh Frost turned to me and said it was my turn.
I quickly turned to the instructor and whispered if we absolutely had to participate. I’ll never forget what he whispered back: “I guess not, young lady, but at the same time, I guess you don’t have to participate in life either.” After a pause that seemed like forever, I slowly walked back to the group. I looked up to the top and felt a tear fall down my cheek. I couldn’t remember when I had started crying. She called out words of encouragement which were then echoed by the entire group. I took in a giant, ragged breath as Karen kneeled and placed her hands palm up over his knee. I was to step with my left foot on her hands and then place my right foot into Kyle’s hands; it would be simple. Then, we realized Karen wasn’t holding her hands properly and the two of them weren’t balanced. I was dropped before I was even two feet from the ground. The color drained from my face only a bit slower than the that courage left my heart.
“Are you alright?” “I’m so sorry!” “It won’t happen again, we promise, Kati!” The words were dull compared to the thudding of my heart. “The Tell Tale Heart” had a main character that was betrayed by his heart in that each beat reminded him of the guilt he had from his crime. I did not want to be filled with regret for my crime: not conquering this challenge. I was shaking horribly when I nodded to Kyle and choked out that I was ready. As I stepped up this time, I straightened my entire body and locked every joint I could think of. I felt myself being lifted up by my feet and I pressed myself to the cold wood and tried to pry my fingers between the vertical boards to grasp onto something. My plan failed. My own knees were giving out on me, buckling and I could feel the struggle of my team members to keep me up. That was when I began to squirm.
“You have to trust them, Kati. You have to give in and realize that some situations you cannot control everything on your own. Understand that sometimes you have to let others help you along,” the wise instructor stated.
“Easy for you to say! They didn’t drop you!” I hysterically squawked.
“Trust them or trust yourself, but you can’t do it alone. I promise you,” he called.
Their encouragement had not wavered, even as I showed my lack of faith. I inhaled as deeply as I dared and called out for help. Anna grabbed my hand and pulled upwards so that Austin could reach my belt loop. I’m perplexed that two people who each weigh less than one hundred and ten pounds managed to lift me, but I won’t question it; I’ll be grateful for it. As I got one leg over the side, I laid down on the top board to breathe. In the two minutes I had been in the air (the two minutes that I had seen my life flash before my eyes, mind you), I had taken two breaths and my eyes had not once opened. My heart was threatening to escape my chest and I stayed still, balancing and breathing until I heard murmurs of my name. They must have been worried about my sanity. When I finally opened my eyes, a giant smile spread across my face and I began to laugh hysterically, which must not have helped my new family to determine if I had remained sane. I rolled over the side to the safety of the platform, and glanced back down the entire eleven feet to the ground. Eleven feet doesn’t sound extremely high, but if you ever find yourself dangling from even eight feet, you’ll feel quite an adrenaline rush. I looked down at the remaining five people left on the ground and waved. All seven (including those on the platform with me) broke out into cheers.
The warmth and connection that I felt towards the very same people I had dreaded socializing with not four hours earlier can be described only in connection with a sunrise during a clear dawn: glorious. The self assertion I now possessed would give me a glowing new confidence in all aspects of my life, social, physical, and emotional. As I helped raise people to the platform, I eagerly gave encouragement. Eventually, we had all made it to the top, together, as a family. I realized then that the only reason I had been successful was because I had placed trust in others completely, even after one betrayal. When I had given a second chance, they hadn’t failed me. I found myself looking into the sky and remembering how my father had sky dived and upon landing exclaimed that he wanted to “fly” again. A small smile spread across my lips as I found myself suddenly wanting to skydive. I had finally claimed victory over my two greatest foes: my untrusting nature, and my fear of heights.
Describe a significant setback, challenge or opportunity in your life and the impact that it has had on you.
I squinted into the bright blue, dotted by even brighter spots of white, and tried my hardest not to give up searching for my father. He was falling from the sky, the crazy man, as he had wanted to go sky diving for his forty-eighth birthday. Just as I lowered my hand-turned-sunshield and looked towards the ground, I heard my mother’s soft, dove-like gasp. There he was, descending from the heavens strapped to another man who was in turn strapped to a giant purple and yellow parachute. When he landed safely, I decided that I enjoyed all my time spent with both feet on the ground and not depending on others for my personal safety.
My knees were shaking and I was already beginning to hyperventilate as the Junior ROTC instructor for my second high school explained what we would be doing at this activity. I had found myself in the middle of a group of people I had never quite connected with on a ropes course for National Honor Society. Ropes courses are tricky creatures: dangerous, but when people work together, it is almost impossible to be harmed. The other activities we had completed had been mostly problem solving, that is, right up my alley, but this, this was something entirely different. We had to help each other climb over an eleven foot wall with nothing to aid us except for ourselves. I stared at the boards pointing straight up and felt my hands begin to sweat. I glanced at the others as they began to discuss the order we would go up so that we could successfully get everyone to the platform on the other side. I recall being determined to complete the task until I saw them hoist a sophomore in my section in band named Anna. They had lifted her to the top, and instead of reaching for the hands of the one person waiting, she had grabbed the top of the boards and began to kick herself away from the wall. She was about to fall. I had never felt so frightened in my life and I wasn’t even the one clinging desperately to the side. I tried to comfort her, to let her know that we were right below her to catch her, but the lump in my throat had given my vocal chords no room to move. That was when Kyle Richter, the other Acrophobiat in our group spoke to Anna, gently touching her calves to let her know we would catch her should she slip. Austin, the boy at the top, reached down and grasped just above her elbow to pull her the rest of the way up, reminding her to keep calm the entire time. When she had finally figured out how to get over the wall everyone let loose a sigh of relief. The lump in my throat dissipated and I felt my shoulders relax. That was when Josh Frost turned to me and said it was my turn.
I quickly turned to the instructor and whispered if we absolutely had to participate. I’ll never forget what he whispered back: “I guess not, young lady, but at the same time, I guess you don’t have to participate in life either.” After a pause that seemed like forever, I slowly walked back to the group. I looked up to the top and felt a tear fall down my cheek. I couldn’t remember when I had started crying. She called out words of encouragement which were then echoed by the entire group. I took in a giant, ragged breath as Karen kneeled and placed her hands palm up over his knee. I was to step with my left foot on her hands and then place my right foot into Kyle’s hands; it would be simple. Then, we realized Karen wasn’t holding her hands properly and the two of them weren’t balanced. I was dropped before I was even two feet from the ground. The color drained from my face only a bit slower than the that courage left my heart.
“Are you alright?” “I’m so sorry!” “It won’t happen again, we promise, Kati!” The words were dull compared to the thudding of my heart. “The Tell Tale Heart” had a main character that was betrayed by his heart in that each beat reminded him of the guilt he had from his crime. I did not want to be filled with regret for my crime: not conquering this challenge. I was shaking horribly when I nodded to Kyle and choked out that I was ready. As I stepped up this time, I straightened my entire body and locked every joint I could think of. I felt myself being lifted up by my feet and I pressed myself to the cold wood and tried to pry my fingers between the vertical boards to grasp onto something. My plan failed. My own knees were giving out on me, buckling and I could feel the struggle of my team members to keep me up. That was when I began to squirm.
“You have to trust them, Kati. You have to give in and realize that some situations you cannot control everything on your own. Understand that sometimes you have to let others help you along,” the wise instructor stated.
“Easy for you to say! They didn’t drop you!” I hysterically squawked.
“Trust them or trust yourself, but you can’t do it alone. I promise you,” he called.
Their encouragement had not wavered, even as I showed my lack of faith. I inhaled as deeply as I dared and called out for help. Anna grabbed my hand and pulled upwards so that Austin could reach my belt loop. I’m perplexed that two people who each weigh less than one hundred and ten pounds managed to lift me, but I won’t question it; I’ll be grateful for it. As I got one leg over the side, I laid down on the top board to breathe. In the two minutes I had been in the air (the two minutes that I had seen my life flash before my eyes, mind you), I had taken two breaths and my eyes had not once opened. My heart was threatening to escape my chest and I stayed still, balancing and breathing until I heard murmurs of my name. They must have been worried about my sanity. When I finally opened my eyes, a giant smile spread across my face and I began to laugh hysterically, which must not have helped my new family to determine if I had remained sane. I rolled over the side to the safety of the platform, and glanced back down the entire eleven feet to the ground. Eleven feet doesn’t sound extremely high, but if you ever find yourself dangling from even eight feet, you’ll feel quite an adrenaline rush. I looked down at the remaining five people left on the ground and waved. All seven (including those on the platform with me) broke out into cheers.
The warmth and connection that I felt towards the very same people I had dreaded socializing with not four hours earlier can be described only in connection with a sunrise during a clear dawn: glorious. The self assertion I now possessed would give me a glowing new confidence in all aspects of my life, social, physical, and emotional. As I helped raise people to the platform, I eagerly gave encouragement. Eventually, we had all made it to the top, together, as a family. I realized then that the only reason I had been successful was because I had placed trust in others completely, even after one betrayal. When I had given a second chance, they hadn’t failed me. I found myself looking into the sky and remembering how my father had sky dived and upon landing exclaimed that he wanted to “fly” again. A small smile spread across my lips as I found myself suddenly wanting to skydive. I had finally claimed victory over my two greatest foes: my untrusting nature, and my fear of heights.