Prompt #1
The world I come from is a well-oiled machine of perseverance, practicality, and leadership. I tend to think that my family is just like any other average two-parent family. My father is an architect, who has his own business, works long hours and sometimes seven days a week. My mother manages his office as well as our house and keeps all of us organized. With my parents constantly working, I have received a sense of independence. The world I come from was definitely defined before I was even born by the influence my mother's father had on both of my parents.
My grandfather's integrity and proficiency are just two of the numerous characteristics I strive to replicate throughout my life and career. He was a man who lived through the Great Depression as a part of an impoverished family. He decided early in his life that he would not start his own family in such hopeless poverty. He was the first of his family to become educated and he succeeded in receiving a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering. From this, he has taught my mother and father how to stand independently and fend for themselves through education and definition within the community.
My father has always encouraged me to leave my comfort zone and approach a situation with an eagerness to learn from it. I have learned not to hesitate when given great opportunities and I work hard to exceed everyone's expectations. My mother has shown me that not everything comes easy and that solutions to problems are not always obvious. Having an education is the most important factor to thinking outside the box. My thinking has developed to work practically and has prepared me for working in the engineering field.
I started at my current school in seventh grade. It is a small, close-knit community, so I instantly knew everyone's name and basically became a member of their family. Today, I have found unlimited aid through not only faculty. From school, I have learned to use whatever resources I have, when I have them.
After school every day, I head to the pool, where I have a two hour practice and have swim meets every month. Swimming has taught me commitment and perseverance. In order to achieve a goal, one must practice many hours, which could include the repetition of mundane skills, and the sacrifice of many things. I have worked as a mentor to younger swimmers as well as novice to professional swimmers. With swimming, I have acquired sportsmanship skills and have realized that working as a team is enjoyable.
I have also spent many hours in theater, not on stage in the spotlight, but backstage working the technical aspects of shows. Theater has become something that I have really enjoyed, from building sets to the long hours of rehearsal. Management and organization are key when leading a group to success. I have learned these leadership and many other strengths through the theater.
My dreams and aspirations have been shaped not only from the way I was raised, but also with what I have learned from my high school experience. Like my grandfather, I aspire to be a hard worker like my grandfather and I can do this with the skills I have acquired. Through practical thinking, one can logically solve problems by being able to take every possibility into account.
Prompt #2
As I prepare myself for my future career by dedicating myself to academics and extra-curricular activities, I have found that leadership characteristics are the most important to me and I have had many leadership opportunities. For the past four years, I have been captain of my school swim team. Also for two years I have been involved with my school's theater program and thespians. Like the Greek myth of Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill, I persevere to face challenges and be successful with everything I do.
In tenth grade, I was chosen to attend the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington D.C. This is a premier leadership development program for high school students in which students simulate the three branches of the American Government and learn how to become a better leader through solving ethical issues and listening to highly accomplished speakers. During these six days, I learned decision-making skills and communication skills, as well as how to effectively work as a team.
Once I returned from this conference, I began to step up to the plate more often and take on more challenges. I began taking charge with my swim team since I was the team captain. We worked together to help each other grow as swimmers. We are a small team, but we have slowly grown. Each swimmer brings a new dynamic to the team. I have coordinated to share and train each other to become a stronger team. I have also worked as a camp counselor for a summer swimming camp. I have mentored younger kids and helped them learn proper swimming technique.
In eleventh grade, I took on another challenge and became the vice president of our Thespian Society and became involved in our school productions as Stage Manager. Most recently, I was elected President of our troupe, and we have successfully presented multiple shows. With these new positions I have learned new business and analytical skills.
Through these different opportunities, I have learned how to lead a group of people to a successful outcome. I believe no single person can achieve a good outcome without either a team of people to help them out or a person to advise them where to go next. I believe that a strong leader can bring strong team motivation and confidence, help improve productivity by finding faults and benefits of current ways, and add organization and responsibility to a team.
