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Common App Essay

A cautious frst step followed by an anxious second step. I a in.
!he o"ce exhibits its usual clutter# but that does not distract e.
!oday is fnally the day. Pullin$ y briefcase a bit closer# I round the
cubicle closest to the window and pull out an en%elope addressed#
&'a$$ie Broeren# (irector of (e%elopent# 'ilwau)ee *olle$e Prep.+ I
feel y face redden# y chee)s tense# and y outh unco%er a sile
onths in the waitin$. I catch si$ht of her. Before she can e%en say y
nae# I hand her the en%elope. !he response, &-i%e !housand
(ollars.+ !o thin) it all started with a warnin$ fro y doctor.
&Patric)# it is siply too dan$erous. !he '/I pro%ided soe
confration.+ 0ow could I prepare yself for this news, I )new three
concussions in three consecuti%e sports seasons would not exactly help
y brain# but the doctor1s words fri$htened e. 2ithout sports# y life
had little purpose beyond a few pic)3up $aes and s)eleton drills.
Patric) 415rady# the 617+ 8oc)# had lost his callin$ card. I bas)ed in pity
for a few wee)s# but reali9ed I had to fnd a new passion to $et e out
of the baseent. :ostal$ia 8ust did not )eep e entertained.
I loo)ed for inspiration and found it in (a%id 5u$$enhei1s
docuentary# Waiting for Superman# which details the state of the
public school syste in Aerica and the actions of those atteptin$ to
fx it. After watchin$ the hour and a half lon$ in%esti$ation# I felt
dis$usted. !he docuentary# throu$h its analysis of the incredibly low
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profciency scores and exceedin$ly hi$h drop out rates# ade e
aware of the failures that exist in Aerican education. *learly#
Aerican schools were failin$ and failin$ fast. 2hat I assued to be a
national issue becae stri)in$ly real with the ention of the
'ilwau)ee Public <chool <yste# an or$ani9ation $o%erned fro a
buildin$ down the street fro y own hi$h school. :ot only did I feel
$uilty for recei%in$ a pri%ate education# but also experienced deep
concern for the tens of thousands of students in 'ilwau)ee who lac)ed
the opportunity to prepare for their future. *oncern does not fx
education. =ducation for =ducation does.
I founded =7= in >anuary ;013 with the $oal of ipro%in$
education in the 'ilwau)ee counity. !o accoplish this $oal# I
o?ered to teach coputer s)ills for a fee to senior citi9ens. I donated
half the re%enue to 'ilwau)ee *olle$e Prep# a charter school that
encoura$ed e when I had nothin$ but a piece of paper. I wor)ed
indi%idually with clients for o%er 700 hours# $enerated @10#000 of
re%enue# and donated @A#000 to 'ilwau)ee *olle$e Prep all within ten
onths. *oncern translated into action# and I pic)ed up a few talents
alon$ the way.
I de%eloped basic s)ills li)e accountin$ and counication# but I
also learned soethin$ that no textboo) or class could ha%e tau$ht
e. It does not atter what people thin) or what people belie%e. I
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)now that any doubted y coitent and y business plan# but I
reali9ed that their s)epticis could not stop its success or ine.
!o pro%ide opportunities for future students# I instituted a
succession plan for =7= that will pro%ide an opportunity for new
students to run the copany each year. :ot only will this epower
aateur entrepreneurs# but it will also $i%e deterined students the
opportunity to learn in an en%ironent that will hopefully chan$e their
li%es li)e it did ine. <o# as cra9y as it sounds# I a $lad I buped y
head. I $uess :ewton was on to soethin$ after all.
Stanford Supplement
1. Please brieBy elaborate on one of your extracurricular acti%ities or
wor) experiencesC
!he frst. A leap of faith# a $utsy call# and a disparity of reason.
!he epitoe of ris)# but the exclusi%e door of success. A frst precedes
a chapionship# an award# and# in y school1s case# a thri%in$ student
$o%ernent. I a not political# but I too) a leap. I 8oined the club
durin$ y sophoore year to ensure y classates recei%ed proper
representation fro a $roup of aspirin$ ser%ant leaders and ha%e risen
to the o"ce of *hief of <ta?# the hi$hest position in the executi%e
board. I )ept y foot in the door and deli%ered y frst capai$n
speech a year later. !his coincided with a student shoutin$# &2orst
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speech e%er.+ and I ade y frst list of thin$s not to say durin$ a
speech. I lost y frst election and added to y list# but I ade a
reali9ation. -irsts can fail# 8ust ta)e notes.
;. <tanford students possess an intellectual %itality. /eBect on an idea
or experience that has been iportant to your intellectual
de%elopentC
2hen we pulled into the dup for the frst tie# the air selled
li)e a cobination of <wiss cheese and sweaty soc)s. /e$ardless# I
plu$$ed y nose# hopped out of the car# and ran to the corner of a pile
of old coputers# lawnowers# and tele%isions. A paradise to e# I
explored with 8oy and as)ed y o if she would help e# a second
$rader at the tie# $rab a couple toys. Althou$h she saw no worth in
the pile of scrap# she helped e sna$ a coputer and con%inced the
landfll super%isor to let e ta)e it hoe. Dittle did she )now# that
e%ent opened the door to an obsession of ineC creati%e destruction.
I slowly but surely populated our $ara$e with halfway3
disassebled achines and $ad$ets# but I could not stop. I wanted to
)now why. 2hy did the cho)e button a)e a lawnower start, 2hy
did a coputer wor) if certain wires were unplu$$ed, I bou$ht boo)s
to answer Euestions li)e these and e%en started to build contraptions
to test y 8un)yard3olded theories# until of course# I blew enou$h
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fuses to put y parents o%er the ed$e. Fet# throu$h e%ery ista)e# I
yearned for ore. At e%ery Bic)er of the li$hts# I dissected another
achine to disco%er how I hypothesi9ed incorrectly. =%ery waft of
cheese and soc) reinded e that intellectual de%elopent# althou$h
an unpleasant odor at ties# a)es it possible to build a achine that
excels at soethin$ other than blowin$ fuses.
3. Girtually all of <tanfordHs under$raduates li%e on capus. 2rite a
note to your future rooate that re%eals soethin$ about you or that
will help your rooate 33 and us 33 )now you betterC
Before we li%e to$ether# you need to buy two thin$sC headphones
and a bottle of -ebre9e. If I hear a son$ I )now# or e%en a son$ I barely
)now# I will attept to sin$ alon$ and probably butcher the lyrics in a
near tone3deaf fashion. !he worst part, I do not reali9e when I a
sin$in$# or as you will soon coe to )now# wailin$. <o when I a
annoyin$ the hec) out of you# by all eans tell e to stop. 'y friends
and faily tou$hened e up to the critics# and I thin) I can ta)e it.
:e%ertheless# a pair of headphones will a)e your year eorable#
for the ri$ht reasons.
<econdly# I apolo$i9e in ad%ance for any pun$ent odors driftin$
throu$h our dor roo. I li)e to coo)# but let us 8ust say that I a a
chef in trainin$. Part of the issue# I thin)# re%ol%es around y style of
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coo)in$. I a%oid usin$ recipes at all costs and learn as I $o.
*onseEuently# I ix spices not eant to be ixed# burn soe food#
and 8ust a)e food that sells weird for soe reason that I cannot
explain. 2hen in doubt# I spray -ebre9e but ne%er see to ha%e
enou$h to $o around. (ependin$ on how uch you let e experient#
a bottle or two of -ebre9e could really coe in handy. And yes# I do
)now how to coo) without cheese# in case you were wonderin$.
7. 2hat atters to you# and why,
A play$round for thirteen sixth $raders# i*reate atters to e.
4n the surface# i*reate is a pro$rain$ class I de%eloped to teach
underpri%ile$ed students how to desi$n Android apps. 4%erly
optiistic, 'aybe. 0owe%er# I ha%e faith in opportunity# and I belie%e
the students will not disappoint e%en thou$h the odds are a$ainst
the. !hey are poor and li%e in an inner city en%ironent that can but
should not a?ect their achie%eent. I refuse to let the accept
anythin$ but possibility. I cannot force accoplishent nor can I
$uarantee prosperity but I a tryin$ to help. !hrou$h the pro$ra# I
pro%ide what I see as a pu99le box# a %ision that helps coplete an
ia$e but does not show the steps. I $i%e a laptop to each child# hold
classes to instruct the students# and in%ite $uest spea)ers to explain
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their battle and triuph o%er ad%ersity. i*reate opens the box and
scatters the pieces# but they ha%e to build the pu99le.
4n another le%el# i*reate represents personal fulfllent. I
de%eloped a plan to inBuence education and ana$ed to ipleent it
with the help of =ducation for =ducation donations. I created a syste
that I belie%e will inspire intellectual de%elopent. By no eans a I
fnished# nor a I close to thin)in$ that I eliinated e%en a fraction of
one of public education1s issues. Fet# this is a start and a start atters.