My Journalism Scholarship Essay Masterpiece
Fly Paper
In my relatively short life, I have been exposed to many bizarre situations. By age nine I had seen my mother divorce my father and remarry a tyrant, learned to cook and clean, witnessed my uncle's overdose and father's countless attempts at his own rehabilitation. The scenes that stuck to my mind like fly paper, though, are the ones where the women in my family have demonstrated their awesome strength and determination. My female relatives have all embodied a take-no-excuses attitude and have accepted and encouraged nothing but tolerance and truth from other people. These instances of vigor and acceptance are the ones with which I have chosen to pattern my own life after and they have made me realize what I would like to pursue in my life. In lieu of money, fame, and power, my passion is to serve the public by exposing it to the injustices of others, and if possible, rectifying these injustices. The only way I know how to do this is to yell as loudly as possible, at the top of my lungs, but sadly, my voice is only so loud. Therefore, I am in pursuit of an education in journalism, to hone my tone, and ultimately study in human rights law.
As long as I have been able to talk, I have been a tattler. Things that normal children would let go, I would raise an outcry against. My grandmother always encouraged me to speak my mind, and counted my opinions to be as valuable as any adults. Thus far my efforts of raising awareness and helping people have been limited to school-related matters and have not affected very many people. However valiant my attempts, the two petitions I started in middle school (one against an unsafe bus driver,
and the other against an inadequate teacher), were never reviewed by the school, and ultimately failed to affect any change. My endeavors in volunteering, though, have been exceedingly worthwhile, and I owe those experiences to my aunt who pushed me to participate. Helping several times at Opportunity Village in past years, and also aiding in a small way in an election campaign, have developed in me a zeal for lending a hand to those that have been put in unusual predicaments. My dream is to be able to report the stories of those that have been dealt an extraordinary hand in life, and then actually offer those people a confidant who can help them right the wrongs.
A cause that is especially dear to me is feminism. Without the imprints made on my mind by the strong women I have observed growing up, I would have lacked the inspiration to pursue a career in a male-dominated field. Another career, but more importantly life, goal of mine is to influence young women to become smart, powerful individuals. If I can impact the life of one woman, young or old, and persuade her to make everything possible of herself, I will consider my life complete. In order to do that, and to fulfill my other important goals, I have committed myself to a long road of schooling. Even if that road is winding and wearisome, I will maintain my ardent stamina and stick to the well-worn path of my female mentors.
In my relatively short life, I have been exposed to many bizarre situations. By age nine I had seen my mother divorce my father and remarry a tyrant, learned to cook and clean, witnessed my uncle's overdose and father's countless attempts at his own rehabilitation. The scenes that stuck to my mind like fly paper, though, are the ones where the women in my family have demonstrated their awesome strength and determination. My female relatives have all embodied a take-no-excuses attitude and have accepted and encouraged nothing but tolerance and truth from other people. These instances of vigor and acceptance are the ones with which I have chosen to pattern my own life after and they have made me realize what I would like to pursue in my life. In lieu of money, fame, and power, my passion is to serve the public by exposing it to the injustices of others, and if possible, rectifying these injustices. The only way I know how to do this is to yell as loudly as possible, at the top of my lungs, but sadly, my voice is only so loud. Therefore, I am in pursuit of an education in journalism, to hone my tone, and ultimately study in human rights law.
As long as I have been able to talk, I have been a tattler. Things that normal children would let go, I would raise an outcry against. My grandmother always encouraged me to speak my mind, and counted my opinions to be as valuable as any adults. Thus far my efforts of raising awareness and helping people have been limited to school-related matters and have not affected very many people. However valiant my attempts, the two petitions I started in middle school (one against an unsafe bus driver,
and the other against an inadequate teacher), were never reviewed by the school, and ultimately failed to affect any change. My endeavors in volunteering, though, have been exceedingly worthwhile, and I owe those experiences to my aunt who pushed me to participate. Helping several times at Opportunity Village in past years, and also aiding in a small way in an election campaign, have developed in me a zeal for lending a hand to those that have been put in unusual predicaments. My dream is to be able to report the stories of those that have been dealt an extraordinary hand in life, and then actually offer those people a confidant who can help them right the wrongs.
A cause that is especially dear to me is feminism. Without the imprints made on my mind by the strong women I have observed growing up, I would have lacked the inspiration to pursue a career in a male-dominated field. Another career, but more importantly life, goal of mine is to influence young women to become smart, powerful individuals. If I can impact the life of one woman, young or old, and persuade her to make everything possible of herself, I will consider my life complete. In order to do that, and to fulfill my other important goals, I have committed myself to a long road of schooling. Even if that road is winding and wearisome, I will maintain my ardent stamina and stick to the well-worn path of my female mentors.