We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already lt, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.
Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.
有人从垃圾箱里捡了一个衣架,递给我,然后后退了几步。
“Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?”
“你能用那个衣架开锁吗?”
“Why me?” I thought.
“为什么是我?”我心想。
More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window’s seal like I’d seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I’d been in this type of situation bore. In fact, I’d been born into this type of situation.
My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. “The water’s on fire! Clear a hole!” he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I’m still unconvinced about that particular lesson’s practicality, my Dad’s overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.
Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don’t sweat the small stuff, and I dinitely don’t expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.
But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, denseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.
Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would rlect on throughout the year: “How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?”
The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.
Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It’s family. It’s society. And often, it’s chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.
My story is not a story; my story is a fingerprint, both distinctive and exclusive, that makes me unique. My story started in June, 1997, and has taken place primarily in Monroe, Michigan. Sixteen years later, my story, filled with both good and bad times, is about to take transition into a new chapter. But this chapter, like most others, must be read with the context in mind to visualize the whole picture.
Coming from a mixed African American-Caucasian background, I grew up near the border of the poverty line, but I tried not to succumb to the societal stereotypes of many other African Americans. I didn’t participate in or promote any heinous or felonious actions; additionally, I made certain that I made education my utmost priority. As of today, my friends find it astonishing that I don’t curse under any circumstances. My father would be glad that I kept up this moral integrity, but sadly he passed away this year in early December. Even though this still fills me with gri and mixed emotions I always try to remember his axiom of “always – keep your head up.” He was a great man, whose words served to support me through the harshest of times.
Switching off to a more joyful subject, my years as a 4-Her were very influential in my upbringing. I started off as an 8 year old explorer, with my family already being involved in 4-H, and I am still an active member. Being involved with certain crafts and animal projects, 4-H taught me many skills like: leadership, speechmaking, and perseverance. Most importantly, 4-H gave me the courage to try new things-despite the risks. Without 4-H, I wouldn’t be involved in as many extracurricular activities like quiz bowl, wrestling, Interact Rotary Club, Upward Bound, freshman ignition mentor, and National Honor Society. As a supplement to this, I was also able to do various other programs like: College 101 (U of M), MI HOBY (student leadership) and various other undertakings.
Being so involved in many organizations, I saw the plethora of opportunities bore me to take some kind of leadership role. Through 4-H, I started off shy and timid, but eventually I was voted in as group treasurer in 2012; the subsequent year (2013) I was group president. For Upward Bond, I strived to be a model participant, and now I’ve been attending the state student leadership conference for two years (our program has only been involved for two years so far). In NHS, I am currently the group treasurer, yet I plan to run for its presidency this upcoming election. At school I am a member of our Student Council, organizing and running various school functions, with aspirations of taking a leadership role in the next academic school year. I choose not to be a class officer for my graduating class simply because I don’t have the spare time.
“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” —Mark Twain. This quote serves as an overarching guide to how my life has played out. I didn’t exactly grow up dirt poor, but I did mature enough to see that we weren’t fortune 500 either. The world never owed me anything; the world only gave me what I took from it. Nothing was ever given to me, so I have had to work hard and preserve through all of life’s road blocks-no matter how big the challenge was, I always kept my head up. Knowing this, I can accurately see what I need to do in order to get anywhere else in life. The first step, though stupendous and life changing, is to make it to college in order to pursue what I want in life.
塔夫茨大学:
I have always loved riding in cars. After a long day in first grade, I used to fall asleep to the engine purring in my mother's Honda Odyssey, even though it was only a 5-minute drive home. As I grew, and graduated into the shotgun seat, it became natural and enjoyable to look out the window. Seeing my world passing by through that smudged glass, I would daydream what I could do with it.
In elementary school, I already knew my career path: I was going to be Emperor of the World. While I sat in the car and watched the miles pass by, I developed the plan for my empire. I reasoned that, for the world to run smoothly, it would have to look presentable. I would assign people, aptly named Fixer-Uppers, to fix everything that needed fixing. That old man down the street with chipping paint on his house would have a fresh coat in no time. The boy who accidentally tossed his Frisbee onto the roof of the school would get it back. The big pothole on Elm Street that my mother managed to hit every single day on the way to school would be filled-in. It made perfect sense! All the people that didn't have a job could be Fixer-Uppers. I was like a ten-year-old FDR.
Seven years down the road, I still take a second glance at the sidewalk cracks and think of my Fixer-Uppers, but now I'm doing so from the driver's seat. As much as I would enjoy it, I now accept that I won't become Emperor of the World, and that the Fixer-Uppers will have to remain in my car ride imaginings. Or do they? I always pictured a Fixer-Upper as a smiling man in an orange T-Shirt. Maybe instead, a Fixer-Upper could be a tall girl with a deep love for Yankee Candles. Maybe it could be me.
Bridget the Fixer-Upper will be slightly different than the imaginary one who paints houses and fetches Frisbees. I was lucky enough to discover what I am passionate about when I was a freshman in high school. A self-admitted Phys. Ed. addict, I volunteered to help out with the Adapted PE class. On my first day, I learned that it was for developmentally-disabled students. To be honest, I was really nervous. I hadn't had too much interaction with special needs students bore, and wasn't sure how to handle myself around them. Long story short, I got hooked. Three years have passed helping out in APE and eventually becoming a teacher in the Applied Behavior Analysis summer program. I love working with the students and watching them progress.
When senior year arrived, college meetings began, and my counselor asked me what I wanted to do for a career, I didn't say Emperor of the World. Instead, I told him I wanted to become a board-certified behavior analyst. A BCBA helps develop learning plans for students with autism and other disabilities. Basically, I would get to do what I love for the rest of my life. He laughed and told me that it was a nice change that a seventeen-year-old knew so specifically what she wanted to do. I smiled, thanked him, and lt. But it occurred to me that, while my desired occupation was decided, my true goal in life was still to become a Fixer-Upper. So, maybe I'll be like Sue Storm and her alter-ego, the Invisible Woman. I'll do one thing during the day, then spend my off-hours helping people where I can. Instead of flying like Sue, though, I'll opt for a nice performance automobile. My childhood self would appreciate that.立即咨询
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