Sebastián Ramirez

Eng: 12-3
4-12-2022

Personal Statement

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively

influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.

An experience of leadership that I will never forget will be one that I had in Mexico three years
ago because It was my first time working with people I didn't know well and who were the same
age as me. That day my grandma assigned me and other guys to set the decorations at the
church she helped in the small town she lived in. We were getting ready to celebrate the patron
saint of our church and she put me in charge and told me that I had to make sure that
everything was organized while she had to go to a meeting with the priest. We had to organize
curtains and flower arrangements inside the church. All of that work had to be done before 12
A.M. because that was the time the celebrations started. I felt insecure at that moment because
I didn't know these people very well and I was worried that things could turn out wrong. It was a
bit hard for me at the beginning because many of the other teens saw me as the kid from the
U.S. who thought I could do what I wanted. That stuff actually got me because I had hardly been
incharge of something and it made me remember when I was younger and kids at school would
make fun of me because my English wasn't great. I knew I could do it, I just had to show respect
so before we started I asked for their opinion on how we should decorate the church. I told them
that it would be better if we created 3 groups of 3 because we were actually 9 people. They all
agreed on the groups and we started working. We had a good time and it showed me that
leaders don’t only give orders but they work as a team to show that everyone is important.

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and
demonstrated that talent over time?

My greatest skill has to be staying motivated and not complaining during difficult times because
this skill has helped me become a more respectful and helpful person with others. I have
demonstrated my skill with my friends and classmates who I talk to a lot especially during the
2020-2021 school year. That time was a very hard time because of the pandemic and many of
my classmates didn't feel confident of themselves during that school year and I was always
trying to convince them and motivate them to keep on going. After school I would FaceTime
them and we would talk while we would work on our school assignments. My motivation skills
helped me develop my communication way better because it took me out of my comfort zone
and convinced me that you don't have to always be in person to talk to others. I had a classmate
in my math class who was failing and he gave up and when he told me I decided to help him to
bring his grade up. It was hard because he was going through some stuff but he didn't want to
talk about it. I would create zoom meetings and Invite him to come and work with me. While we
would work I would tell him about what I had read in “How To Stay Motivated During Difficult
Times.” After a while, I noticed that his attitude changed because he now had a more positive
mindset. He even ended up understanding precalculus better than me. Another moment where I
showed my skill was during my AP Spanish class. Many students were scared to collaborate or
discuss in groups. One day before class ended I asked my teacher if I could announce
something to the class. I told them to not give up and to continue working because we still had a
long way to go. I also told them that if they needed to talk to a friend I was there for them. I’m
very thankful for this skill because I have been able to help people who need help.

5. 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?

A challenge that shaped me was trying to fit in with others. When I was 6 my mom was going to
get her resident card and we had to go to Mexico. When I came back at age 7, I struggled with
my accent when I spoke english. That year was hard because I would struggle in English and
some kids would make fun of me. Making friends was hard for me because no one would
accept me. I got held back that year and when I went to school many kids from third grade saw
that I was in second grade and they would call me things. It was very hard because it was
mostly the same kids who would bully me and I would be afraid to tell teachers or staff because
I was scared that they would make fun of the way I spoke. All those years were also hard for me
because by being hispanic I struggled getting along with other hispanic guys just for the simple
reason that I wasn’t tough and aggressive. It was hard for me getting along with the kids in the
neighborhood because the older we got the more aggressive they would get. We would mess
around and would be out very late but then they started getting into fights, smoking, and
drinking in junior high, so I decided to leave. They would make fun of me because they would
say I was scared to do what they did, but I just knew it wasn’t right. It was hard for me because I
thought that I was the one who was wrong, especially because these guys would try to convince
me that this was part of our culture. I know that my community is not that bad and this
experience helped me see that we just have to help each other understand that the life of drugs
and violence is not the right way to go, especially now that several teenagers in my community
have been shot and killed for doing these things.