Prompt 4: Overcome educational barrier (337/350)

I moved to the U.S in the 8th grade and the language barrier has always been my No.1 obstacle
to overcome in school. I can not speak fluent English and have a small vocabulary bank. During
my first year of high school, I could not even write an essay without the help of google
translation. Because of this disadvantage, I gave up many opportunities to take the classes I like,
due to lack of confidence and frustration. I got perfect scores in all my classes, but I always
wanted to take more challenging courses to dive deeper into the subject I enjoyed. After passing
the ELPAC test, I finally decided to walk out of my comfort zone. The first step I took was to
take one honor math class and one foreign language class in my sophomore year. These classes
are more difficult compared to the regular classes I took, but I was able to do well in both of
them. This boosted my confidence because I came to realize that I have the skill and ability to
pass advanced classes if I worked extra hard. Language barriers still exist, but I no longer use it
as an excuse anymore. In my junior year, I signed up for 3 AP classes to push myself further
beyond my limitations. All of them required lots of reading and writing. In order to keep up with
the class’s pace, I spent at least 1 hour everyday reviewing each subject’s textbook to prepare for
the class discussion. I also did many retrieval practices with a small group of classmates to help
each other remember the terms. By persistently asking questions and managing my time of
self-studying, I ended up getting all A’s in these classes and earned decent grades in the AP
exams. I may not be the fastest learner, but as a slow paddler, I’m willing to work hard everyday
until I meet my goal. Discipline and persistence are the keys that help me become a better
student.
Prompt 5: Significant challenge (330/350)
I grew up in China, a place where people emphasize the values of Confucianism. Confucianism
focuses on rituals and obligations. Saving face is very important in my culture. We were taught
to hide our emotions and control our behaviors to keep ourselves from losing respect. I was
highly influenced by those teachings and followed them throughout my elementary school and
middle school. However when I moved to the U.S, the culture differences were so diverse that
these values were shown to be bizarre and awkward. The first problem I encountered was in
class discussion. I liked to write down my answers quietly, not sharing my thoughts for fear of
giving the wrong answers and losing face in front of my classmates. So, I often spent a long time
building sentences in my head before I raised my hand. This process often caused me to lose
opportunities to speak because people have moved on to the next topic. Another problem comes
from my Chinese accent. For fear of being ridiculed for my accent, I planned to speak less and
avoid social situations. My life in my freshman year was exactly like the Asian girl stereotype:
nerdy and lonely. To break the cultural values of Confucianism, I pushed myself in sports.
Things changed after I joined cross country. For a girl who spends all her free time reading and
writing, the training is grueling and devastating. I was so embarrassed when my teammates ran
past me because I am the slowest runner in the team. Surprisingly, no one looked down on me.
Instead, everyone cheered me on when they saw me running. That experience made me realize
that I do not have to put up walls just to save face. The best way to gain people’s approval is
simply to be open and stay motivated. I accepted my weakness and was no longer ashamed of
my accent or my English. I speaker louder with proud, asking others to point out the errors in my
grammar, and make sure I never make the same mistake again.
Prompt 6: Academic subject (306/350)
I have had a passion for marine biology ever since elementary school. I have watched many
documentaries about marine life and have seen many movies about the mythical creatures that
live underneath the sea. I am obsessed with the beauty of the ocean, not only for its views, but
also for the animals living in it. However, due to littering and pollution, the conditions of the sea
have been getting worse during the past few decades. I remember going to the beach in Hong
Kong in 2018 and seeing the sea floating with garbage and dead fish. The water was gray, mixed
with plastic and algae, and smelled stinky and disgusting. There were many people on the beach,
but everyone ignored the horrible condition of the sea. It was sad, and depressing. In eighth
grade, I had the opportunity to study Marine Biology. We took field trips to the ocean to observe
marine creatures, dissected different types of orgainidmd, and tested water quality. That election
class really motivated me to continue studying marine biology, so I joined the Ocean Club in
10th grade and participated in beach cleanups hosted by the Orange County Coast Guard. It's
always shocking to see how much plastics the volunteers collected on what appears to be a clean
beach in three hours. Eager to learn more about biology, I took AP Biology in 11th grade to delve
into the origin and evolution of species. After learning about the hazards of ecosystems and
human activities, I began volunteering twice a month at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
during the summer after my junior year. Working in the wetlands, I got the opportunities to
encounter wildlives and experience a diverse ecological environment. I hope to major in the field
of biology and do more research to gain a deeper understanding of our ecosystems.
Prompt 7: Contribution to community (337/350)
For me, it’s always exciting to meet new people and experience new things. I first started to
volunteer in Charity’s Closet as a category specialist, in the summer after my freshman year. It is
a thrift shop that collects people’s donations and uses all their profits to support Homeless
Intervention Services. I rarely see homeless people in Placentia so I had no idea how bad their
situation was until I started to work in the shop. I volunteered in the shop every Sunday, sorting
donations with 4 other old ladies. There were so many bags of donations being donated every
hour that even if we worked without rest, we still could not finish sorting all the items by the end
of the day. While our hands were busy occupied with clothes, our mouths are also busy talking
with others. I had many amazing conversations with the old ladies there and I learned so much
from their kindness and persistence. The experience in Charity’s Closet helped me understand
that our community isn’t as perfect as I thought. There is importance in supporting others,
especially those being ignored and needed help. In the followingt 2 years, I started to volunteer
in different places in different cities, trying to find the place where I could contribute the most. I
have volunteered in hospice as an office worker, in library as a theater preparer, and in church as
a teacher assistant. In the end, I discovered that I worked best with children. I have the
enthusiasm to help teach them and the patience to listen to their needs. Each child has their own
unique personality. Some are more troubled than others, some are more shy than others, but they
are all pure and trainable, as long as you give them time and show your encouragement.
Overtime, I developed strong relationships with the first graders not only as their leader, but also
as their friend. I’m glad I got to be a model for them to lead them to the right path.