Swanson 1

Emma Swanson

Mrs. Cramer

College Comp Pd. 1

1 Oct. 2021

CAN Essay

In 2016, my mom and I traveled to Long Beach, California, for gymnastics nationals. I

have grown up in Bradford, Pennsylvania, my whole life and going to an enormous city,

compared to what I am used to, was a huge adjustment, even for a few days. Long Beach had a

way larger population and was unfamiliar. Every time I would turn a corner, there would be tons

of people living their everyday lives that were different than mine.

One of the biggest differences was the amount of homeless people. There is an

estimated 553,742 people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Growing up in

Bradford, I had never seen a homeless person, or simply had not recognized them. In my

hometown, it was more common to see fields filled with cows than a homeless shelter. However,

in Long Beach, the sidewalks were lined with them, which was very intimidating for a twelve-

year-old girl. Regardless of how scared I may have been while seeing the homeless population

of Long Beach, the experience was extremely eye opening for me. It made me take a step

outside of my own brain and realize how lucky I was. Before that trip, I never considered what it

would be like to not have basic human necessities, such as food, water, and shelter. Seeing

people living out of their backpacks and carts made my mind race with questions. How did they

end up here? What was their life like when they were my age? How will living on the streets

affect their health in the future?

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After encountering, what for me was a foreign group of people, it made me realize that

what I thought were earth-shattering problems essentially had simple solutions. I specifically

remember walking down the boardwalk the night after I finished competing. I thought the world

was going to end because I had fallen off the balance beam during my routine earlier that day.

As I walked down the boardwalk and saw the people who had probably not had a real meal in

days, a shower in weeks, and were able to carry everything they owned in one backpack, it made

me realize how foolish it was for me to think that my life was crumbling at the age of twelve

over a spill off a four-inch-wide piece of wood.

At that moment I decided that I would no longer take anything in my life for granted, to

always be grateful for what life throws at me and endure the challenges that I face. Seeing

people living on the streets changed my perspective on just how privileged I was, and how easily

life as I knew it could all be taken away. I will always be thankful for the experience to travel to

Long Beach because it not only changed the way that I view life, but the way I power through

hardships. It made me realize how childish it was for me to complain about what my mom made

for dinner, how stupid it was for me to fight with my brother to determine who would get the

first shower, and how annoying my parents probably thought I was when I would complain about

how hot it was in the summer. Because, unlike the homeless population, all my problems have a

simple fix. I could just eat the meal my mother prepared, just wait to take a shower, and turn a

fan on if I get too hot. All my “problems” could be solved effortlessly. I will forever be

appreciative for the lessons that my trip in 2016 taught me and how it forced me to realize that

there is more to the world than the people living in my small town.