Finished one essay..
SO i finished one college app. essay... But I'm not exactly sure that it's good and/or what a college essay is supposed to be... read more behind cut if you want.
I was blind and mute. I could not see the inequities of the world, because I have lived a fortunate life. My eyes were opened a few years ago when I was spending an evening in Baltimore City. I was walking along the street when a man and a woman stopped me. Both were dressed in dirty clothes and were nothing but skin and bones. I automatically assumed they were addicts searching for money to purchase their next fix. The man said he did not mean to bother me but only wanted to know if I had some extra money with which they could buy a meal. The man continued talking to me about how everyone he approached either ran away or called him a junkie; he and his wife did not even drink. I was so quick to assume some inevitable truth about a man’s life, a man whom I had never even met. I understood at that moment how simple injustice could be. The world faces major social justice issues such as the conflicts in Sudan, Iraq, China, and others, but many people fail to look right in front of them. Five minutes away, there are those who are homeless, infected with disease, oppressed, or neglected by society. Children who sleep on the street are staring us all in the face just waiting for someone to open their eyes, and yet most of us still turn a blind eye to them. I realized how much of a need there is for people to acknowledge and empathize with the people in our own community. My eyes had been opened, but what was I to do next?
I was still speechless in the face of injustice in the world, even within my own community. I heard numerous stories daily of some horrible crime, an injustice in someone's life. I heard it all, and yet I could not comprehend it. How could such horrible things be happening in this world? Last year, it all became apparent. My theology class was assigned a project in which we had to create a budget of expenses for a family of four based on a salary one hundred dollars above the poverty line. In attempting to do this nearly impossible feat, I realized millions of people are trying to make a living and improve their lives but cannot ** because the world has shut them out. They are trapped, given no way out, and left to suffer alone.
Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." I have learned in the past few years that the only way to effectively make a change in this world is to acknowledge an injustice and speak up. I can be that change, but nothing positive can happen without awareness. ** I have since dedicated my efforts to advocating for those who cannot do it for themselves. People with disabilities who have lost the ability to communicate are a crucial focus of my efforts. Ignored and disheartened, these people need a spokesperson, someone to reintroduce them to the world. My goal in attending ______________________ is to use the knowledge I will learn to create awareness and understanding for those who have no voice. By becoming a speech-language pathologist, I will be able to give communication back to those who have no means of communicating. I will be able to bring them out of silence so they can defend and speak for themselves. By attaining an education from ________________, I will have access to the plethora of knowledge that will help me be the change I wish to see in the world. ** indicates area mommy thinks i should add to, or change something
Essay 2:
Imagine a high school auditorium, filled with five hundred critical girls. Now imagine standing in front of them, doing a three-minute long monologue in a British accent. While most high school students would shake and cower on the side of the stage in fear, I would be the first to volunteer. I love the command of the stage. Everyone watches in awe as I recite lines like they were burned into my memory.
Throughout my entire high school career, one thing completely captured my attention: theater. To me, there is no greater joy than using speech and movement to convey an emotion or circumstance that most people can relate to within their own lives. It is exhilarating to feel the transformation that occurs from myself into a character within a show. Each time, I believe I gain a little more understanding of another type of person. Walking onto a stage, in costume, altered by make-up, is a way of walking into someone else’s world. It is like being given a new set of eyes with all the experiences that taint their vision. The phrase, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes,” never seemed so tangible or plausible as it does when I am onstage. Theater would not be nearly as exciting if the voice or movement of a character was taken away.
Acting is based on actions and reactions. One side gives an action, and the other side feeds off of the action, producing a reaction. Life happens the same way. It has a cause and an effect. Everything that happens has an ultimate purpose, a niche in the scheme of life. This summer, my grandfather suffered a stroke that affected his speech. He was unable to articulate simple sentences. A speech therapist began working with him. I was shocked to see his astonishing progress after only a few short days. What an incredible power this seemingly normal person had. If my life were defined within the contents of a play, my grandfather would have been without lines if it were not for his therapist. She gave my grandfather back his voice.
My interest in speech pathology stemmed from watching my grandfather’s struggle to regain his verbal communication. I view the abilities of his speech therapist in the same way I see theater. She commands her audience, inciting an action, and she essentially produces the reaction. I regard speech-language pathology as a way to utilize the communication skills I have learned through theater to provoke a positive change in someone’s life. [By studying at ___________, I hope to learn the means necessary to complete the world’s play by giving each character his or her lines. The show must go on.]