Student profile
Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
I had missed just one practice and, by the time I returned, things had fallen apart. My last year on the varsity volleyball team was tremendously challenging yet fulfilling. The season started with a brand new coach who was quite inexperienced and quit in just a couple of weeks in. We were left with alternating assistant coaches that only appeared every so often.The situation that our team was suddenly thrown in showed how difficult it was to be a coach and even more so while being on the team.
From the start of the season I already felt pressure to lead the team. Being both a senior and a captain had its own responsibilities but the lack of a coach brought a variety of new tasks onto my shoulders. It began with planning practices then led to writing lineups for games. I would see my teammates looking to me with confused eyes whenever any issue occurred as if I had a solution. There were moments where we tried to run practices on our own but it just became mentally draining. The main difficulty I faced was appealing to my team as a leader while still remaining an equal. I could see the frustration building up between my teammates while we scrambled to find some structure. My focus was to always help my teammates improve but I approached them in ways that did not appear as strict demands but more as advice. My 17 years of aspiring to always be kind paid off as I noticed my teammates would come to me for suggestions. I was able to effectively communicate with my teammates and understand their needs while maintaining our relationship as peers.
It is easy to get lost in power when given the opportunity to be a leader, which was something I strived to stay aware of as the season progressed. It was important that my position would not make me ignorant of those around me.
What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
I have found my love for music by truly immersing myself into every possible aspect of music: listening to it, talking about it, playing every instrument I could get my hands on.
I had taken lessons in classical piano since preschool and had transitioned to playing the clarinet and the vibraphone in middle school. Once I reached freshman year, I joined the jazz band and I was back at the piano bench again. As time went on, I found myself performing in different environments, from school musicals to a supermarket. Whenever music appeared, the nervous & timid person inside of me vanished and I was comfortable just being in its presence.
Looking back, I have always subconsciously improved my skill by diligently listening to music or learning new pieces on my own. I also became interested in learning new instruments that I would hear in certain songs, though the amount did cause for some wild times. I remember scrambling over the percussion section during a school performance as I made my way from the vibraphone to my seat in the clarinet section.
Music was the "language" that I never had difficulty in understanding. Through obscure thoughts about songs I always seek a deeper sense of understanding for music. I find a genuine interest in analyzing songs in levels that the people around me see as over complicated or unnecessary. I have found interest in compiling playlists that tell a story of a wide array of journeys from long car rides to a summer picnic.
Though I do not know how to describe having a talent or skill in music, it is definitely something that I have consistently pursued. Whether it has been playing various instruments or listening to countless songs, music continues to engage my mind in a complex manner that most other topics are unable to achieve.
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?
Even though I have always provided my shoulders for others to cry on, I saw it as selfish to place my burdens and inner turmoil on other people. I struggled in admitting that I suffered from feelings of hopelessness and my bad feelings started to build up.
This inability to share my feelings turned me into a lonely person. I convinced myself that any bad feeling I had was small, inevitable, and insignificant. During my junior year, my internal struggle began affecting my grades as I was unable to concentrate on my work due to the constant melancholy I felt. I was in an endless cycle of frustration with outcomes never reflecting the amount of effort I put in. I continued to push my heavy feelings down and masked it with sarcastic comments.
Things continued to pile up and it became so unbearable that I finally broke the silence and spoke to my parents. I let everything out and thoughts that had been corrupting my mind were finally free,the weight removed itself from my shoulders for the first time.
One day a friend of mine had asked "How are you?" to which I responded almost as an instinct, "Tired." But this time, instead of being met with agreement, he countered my response with, "That's not enough. I want the full run down. What's going on? Spill the tea."
After meeting a therapist, I was given a new perspective and I am beginning to see the happiness that was around me this whole time. I am learning that if I can overcome this internal struggle, I certainly have the ability to succeed in any class that I apply my mind to. There are still bad days but I am no longer on my own which makes me wish I had done something sooner. My darkest pains came from my fear to communicate, but I have found people that will listen and support me through the ups & downs. I don't feel helpless anymore because I have found the courage to let go and to strive in the face of new challenges.
Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
Why is everyone so short? I know I'm on the taller side, but this difference in size is absurd. These were my initial thoughts as I stepped into the room for the first day of art summer camp. I was met by the confused faces of countless elementary schoolers as I found a seat in the classroom. I had to be in the wrong place.
The second we were given a break, I texted my mom. I asked her to check the camp website for the age range of the camp that I had enrolled in. As I awaited her response, the kids in my group surrounded me. They stared at me without shame. Suddenly, my phone dinged. It was my mom. Her text read, "Ages 6-9."
My first impulse was to call my mom and ask her to come pick me up right away. But then in the next thought, I envisioned myself stuck at home for the entire next week without a thing to do. So, I decided to give it a go. I was resolved to make the most of the camp. Despite the awkward start, I actually ended up having an amazing time. As an only child, it was fun to play the role of big sister for a week and have the siblings that I had never known I wanted. In addition, I had the opportunity to help and guide the children in every art project from making beaded bracelets to creating hand turkeys.
The experience made me feel as if the children trusted me. I felt capable, needed, and important, and this was far more fulfilling than any work of art.
I am so glad that I kept an open mind when I found myself in a seemingly less-than-desirable situation. Not only did I enjoy teaching and interacting with the younger kids,
I also learned so much from the experience. When faced with unforeseen circumstances, I find that it is that we best navigate them by embracing unfamiliar perspectives. You'll never know when one of these experiences may lead to a fun new journey.