Nicholas Lopez

8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you

stand out as a strong candidate for admission to the University of California?

Among many other things that I've already shared are my strong work ethic, my good

grades and my willingness to learn new things. I absolutely love to travel! I've been to so many

countries, and learned so many different things. Leaving your home and friends for some time

helped me develop a greater appreciation for what I got. Seeing how people live and operate has

really made me grateful for what I got. They say you never appreciate what you have until it’s

gone, and that’s so true! Traveling has helped me grow. The more I've traveled, the more I have

grown and learned more about myself. It has really expanded my knowledge. Travelling made

me more sociable, confident, independent and ready to deal with problems. For an example, me

and my family traveled to Europe a couple summers ago. I learned so many things! From

Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility​ to where the olympic games come from. There are so

many things that we use in our day to day life that we don’t really think about. Like the brand

Nike. Nike was a greek god that represented victory, and the check sign on our shoes are his

wings. I’ve learned so much from the people I’ve met, food I’ve eaten and the places I’ve been.

It has made me into the person I am today. Traveling really improves your knowledge to a great

extent.
 Nicholas Lopez

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to

overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

During the summer I was very fortunate to be apart of the EXP internship this past

summer. I got the opportunity to work at the Port of Los Angeles with the Maritime Preservation

Trust. This internship gave me a better understanding of myself and a better sense of the

direction in the career I will choose. It gave me the experience of what it feels like to be in a

working environment. It really helped me with my communication skills and with my time

management. It really helped develop my self confidence and independence. I built and worked

on sailboats.Every work day they had me doing something different. They had me run some

electrical wiring inside the boat which was a lot of fun. Taught me how to use all sorts of tools

and the steps on how to create a boat. They even taught me how to sail a boat. Working there

has given me a lot of knowledge and experience. It gave me a better understanding of myself and

taught me a lot.