Torres Jesus- 12-2

Date11/12/20

UC Application Prep - Personal Insight Questions

Copy and paste your questions in the boxes below. Make sure the title of the question is shown.

1.Whatwould you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have

you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
My name is Jesus Torres. I am currently a senior attending El Capitan high school. I would really

like to share a couple facts about me. The First thing I would like to start off by saying is what I

consider to be my greatest talent. My greatest talent is that I am really good at working with

engines. As well as can remember the way a certain piece was on a piece. I think that this talent

came from all the times I went to Mexico Growing up. My parents really tried to keep our roots in

our native country which is mexico. Therefore we would go there a lot. Growing up I always had

motorcycles, they are both my dads and my passion. When I was 16 I met this guy when we went

out riding in the hills. Turns out he was a mechanic and lived in the same place as I did so asked

him for his number to keep in touch and when we got back home I called him and asked him if he

could do an oil change on my bike just to see how he worked. He said to go that day and he

wasn't busy, so I was on my way to his shop. When i got there i started to see that he wasn't

getting to my bike so i asked him if he wanted me to start draining the oil on my bike he said are

you sure you know how to do it?? I responded "hahahaha, well see" so he gave me the socket for

the bottom bolt. I proceeded to take the bottom bolt off and drained the oil. I removed the spark

plug, also changed the oil and air filter. As I finished doing the job the guy got next to me, asked

me what was left to do and I told him I was done. He was so surprised that he asked me to do a

couple more motorcycles after that I started going every day I was there where I developed

knowledge.
2.

Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant

educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational
barrier you have faced.

The second thing that I would like to tell you about is how I take advantage of my academic

opportunities. I have taken advantage of my academic opportunities in many ways the first one

being that I was offered to be in the avid program freshman year and I accepted the offer I have

been in the avid program the past 4 years of school. I have done my best to go through all of the

challenges of doing every assignment and turning in them all on time. I think that this will give me

an opportunity over the rest of people who don't know that in real life there are deadlines that you

have to meet. If you don't meet those deadlines there could be consequences higher than just

getting a zero on the assignment and you could actually be losing your job. I believe that the

theory of avid is to prove how desperately you are willing to fight for your dream. Avid has shown

me that if you want something bad enough there is always a way for you to achieve all that you

have to do. I put your largest effort into making it happen. Other than Avid there have been some

instructors who have really given me opportunities such as my Mechanics teacher from last year

he offered me a chance to compete state wide of the Ag mechanics team. I accepted the offer and

studied thoroughly every night because there was nothing that I wanted more than to be on the

team and give our school something to be proud of. I was so excited for the day to get here when

we were going to go out of the city to compete. Then had a family emergency and had to go to the

hospital. My teacher told me to be with your family in their hard times and we can find someone to

replace you. I was the captain of the team and could not represent my school. I felt bad but i had

to be with my family.
3.Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and
the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has
this challenge affected your academic achievement?
The Biggest challenge i have gone through this year has definitely been growing up in a mexican

household. Most people say that their parents are strict on their grades and that they have to

behave. Nut if you are latino you know what is like to grow up in a mexican household. Being a

guy you are expected to do good in school while at the same time. Going to work every weekend

and getting money to pay for your own things. I have been working in science since I was 14. Yes

legally, I got my work permit when i was a freshman and started working in the fields with my mom

and dad. I am not going to say that i was though because growing up like i said it is expected for

me to work so i was used to working, But i wasn't used to the 100 degree heat and standing all

day. But honestly the first time I went it made me gain so much more respect for my parents. Yes I

know they worked hard but didn't imagine it to that extent. Any ways haveign to work saturday and

sunday and then going to school all week i believe is the largest obstacle i have gone through. I

believe this because I didn't have time to rest soi was constantly tired. And only got to rest at night

time. Even though I am saying that this is the largest obstacle I have overcome, I also think that

this is what differs me from the rest of the students. I know that I don't have a 4.0 GPA but I am

also not failing any clases aso i believe I am doing pretty good for the place I am in life right now.

The experience of working in the fields has shown me that you have to persevere and keep

pushing through adversity in order to get that final reward. In the working case it was money but in

school i believe the reward in a career when you graduate.

4.

What have you done to make your school or your community a

better place?

Most people have done so much community service and they have helped homeless shelters and

done all of these great things for their community. Witches are awesome and I respect them for

that, but I believe there is a larger problem in today's society and that is elders being homeless

and they are homeless because they can't work anymore. With the little money I make every

weekend at work I take a part of it and I buy water and fruit at the grocery store and go give it to

the homeless every Sunday afternoon. Yes I know that it is just a little and I am not doing the

greatest thing in the world but I feel so good when I give them their fruit and their water. They are

so grateful for such a little thing like water which we take for granted. I believe that if we all put a

part and help out the homeless this world would be such a better place. Like every saturday

there's this homeless man who lives by my house every saturday i give him 5 dollars to cut my

lawn and he does it so good i always end up giving him breakfast and his money. Yes he uses my

equipment but i would rather him earn the money than me just giving him free money. And I think

that this is the largest problem in our society right now moness people are given things for free

and I am not saying it is wrong to help someone. But they should at least do something for the

money. For example what if instead of you wasting time and cutting your grass you pay a

homeless person to do it that way you have one less thing to worry about and they are earning

money. Just a thought which I think would make a huge difference.

Add more boxes if desired, but four are the requirement.