Essay Topic B

Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how? Utilize two wooden sticks to pick up a small object, rinse, and repeat. The concept seemed relatively simple to me but once I had attempted the task, I was daunted by the difficulty it portrayed. Chopsticks have been a prominent tradition in Korean culture yet how did something so native seem so foreign to me? In first grade, school lunches consisted of cacophonous laughter, food-trading, and the occasional arguments lacking in both reason and maturity. One day, as I was enjoying my lunch of pasta with marinara sauce (using a fork, of course), my classmates all surrounded Jeffrey, my next door neighbor at the time. Curious of what was going on, I peeked my head into the crowd and saw all of my friends attempting to eat the teriyaki chicken. That task by itself was rather menial but the true conflict was the method involved. We all took turns and watched each other as each one of my classmates failed to grab the chicken with the chopsticks but when the wooden utensils came back to Jeffrey, he picked up the chicken with dexterity and plopped the piece into his mouth. Inspired and intrigued by the event, I inquired my parents at the dinner table. How do you use chopsticks? I remember seeing the disbelief in their faces that only troubled me more as I thought about how distant I was from my heritage. So I sat down with my mother, two chopsticks placed parallel in front of us. Hold the first stick between your middle finger and thumb, and then hold the second stick as if it was a pencil. Seemed easy enough. My first attempt looked as if I was trying to create a triangle with just the two sticks. I looked up at my mother in despair and she gave me a look of amusement, then motioned me to continue. As I continued in my trials, my form gradually improved but was still far from perfect. Determined to master the technique, I practiced everywhere I could. At school, I would simulate chopsticks using two colored pencils and attempt to pick up my eraser to no avail. At lunch, I would use plastic straws to pick up leaves scattered across the concrete by the wind. Even on the car ride home, I would snap at the air with my pens even stealing a look of surprise from my mother in my progress which had me beaming in triumph for the rest of the trip. That following night, I was confronted at the dinner table for my final test. The judges, my parents, stared at me with penetrating eyes as I skillfully lifted a piece of tofu and ate the whole slice - using only my chopsticks. It took countless hours until I became adept with the wooden utensils but once I was able to proficiently use chopsticks, I triumphed in my newfound dexterity and cultural awareness. My ability to manipulate chopsticks became a catalyst that fueled my interest in my ethnicity and an urging to widen my views and accept all traditions that surround me. Through this trial, I underwent a metamorphosis from being the nave and close-minded child that I was, to becoming the multicultural person that I am now.

Topic C: Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extracurricular activities might help you achieve your goals. The sweat creeps ever so slightly from his forehead to the crook of his eyebrow, threatening to fall until the nurse at hand smartly wipes the doctors brow to minimize any contamination of the patients organs. Suddenly, the machine beeps wildly as the patient goes into a stroke. The tempo of the background music quickens to a tattoo of percussion as the scene zooms in onto the monitor showing the patients blood pressure. Each motion seems to move at half-speed as the episode approaches its climax. The lead surgeon meticulously maneuvers his tools to stop a leak from a blood vessel, saving the patient from certain death. Despite their somewhat fantasized plot lines, medical dramas capture my interest like a spider catching its prey, weaving me in its numerous scenarios and debacles of diagnosing complex symptoms among sick patients and finding the correct cure before it is too late. A great wealth of knowledge is required for such practices where a single decision can alter a persons life forever. Sometimes when I watch those dramatic scenes, I see past the surgery and the thought processes behind every decision and instead see the satisfaction on the doctors faces when they realize that their devotion to their practices led to the welfare of the community - and I admire them. That is what captivated me: not only did they undergo many years of school, but also they also apply that intelligence achieved to benefit others in need. Mic check, one, two, three. The loud feedback of a microphone snaps me out of my reverie and brings me reeling back to my position behind the choir pews. Rearranging my sheet music in preparation for the Sunday mass, I holster my guitar - its familiar weight tugging down on my shoulder. After receiving the cue to begin, I expertly sift through the many papers to find the entrance song and speak into the microphone the opening words that were to be announced every Sunday at noon. Only through many years of playing guitar was I able to achieve the position I have held now for five years, leading the Catholic mass in song and prayer. It took a large amount of effort but it was time well spent; music had been a passion that I have nurtured throughout half of my life and when I was offered the opportunity to utilize my talents for the Church, I instantly jumped on the chance. If I were to describe my emotions during my audition, nervous and shaky would be a severe understatement. I had never performed in front of an audience under such pressure and in that group audition, I was forced to overcome that discomfort and test my aptitude. In the end, passion and perseverance replaced the original fear and I achieved the position I so desperately wanted. While at times, being the musician for the church is overbearing, it is a fulfilling role where I am able to combine two interests in a productive manner. Although I had no vision of being a professional musician, the position gave me an understanding of what I wanted to do in the future by allowing me to enjoy a service that I provide exclusively through my talents. As Sunday passes and the night rolls in, I sit down in front of my desk and resume my daily responsibilities. My pen just to the side of my laptop and multiple notebooks strewn in front of me, I prepare for the multitude of tests and assignments that await me later that week. Having signed up for the most difficult classes, my social life was limited to what I could fit in between reading Hamlet and finishing a lab report for AP Biology. However I was not dismayed - I challenged myself in my studies with the most intense academic rigor in hopes that in the future, I could be just like that doctor from the television show. I strive to learn as much as I am able to in the hope that someday, I will be able to use

that knowledge to benefit others in their times of need. Whether it be in the hospital or in the community, I plan to lend others the services that only my talents and skills from years of conditioning can provide.