College Admissions Essay: The Passion That Changed My Life

My life and journey towards Cornell has been one characterized by struggle. Throughout my childhood, I was raised in two families which highly valued critical thinking and education. As such, I was always expected to ask “Why?” “Why?” was the question that could bring me an education. “Why?” could help me learn more about my surroundings and how I could improve them. I also asked that question when my mother and birth father divorced. I questioned why my father left and why my mom and I moved. What I realize now is that, without my parents divorcing, I could not have received the opportunities afforded to me.

It 's three A.M. and there is nothing but the crickets serenading the moon, no lights but the moonlight kissing the curtains and the warmth of the bed you lay on. And yet you can 't sleep because, despite the comfort and safety of your bedroom, your young mind can 't help but create a fantastical arena of colors and magic. The crickets outside aren 't singing to the moon, they 're fighting off an enemy through the music they play. The moonlight outside the curtains is the ethereal guardian whose powers are protecting you from the enemies outside the window, powers that are manifested by the warmth and comfort of the castle you reside in. This pure and wholesome imagination is one that creates for you a magical world that you are lucky enough to be part of and it is this part of childhood that I am proud to carry with me through the my life so far.

I never even got to say goodbye. When my dad left it was the hardest it's ever been for my family and I, and we were never quite the same. After a while I began to fill into my father's shoes. “Aaron, one day you’re going to have to raise a family of your own. You’re a man, you’re going to have to be the provider for the family.” These words spoken by my mother have run deep through my soul and has shaped me to the very being I am today. I have three sisters, a mother, and a niece. Being the only boy in a family full of women is tough; it seems like the transition from being a boy to a man swiftly creeps upon you, and you suddenly inherit a large sense of responsibility within the household.

As a child, I had no father to guide me on the path to maturity. Even in the idyllic scene of a father and son playing catch, as I tossed the football onto the roof of my house by myself, the roof replaced the person that I was supposed to learn the essence of manhood from. Although my early and painful realization of his absence was distressing, I learned how to rise above my disappointment and become my own motivation. Throughout my life, I have been knocked down, but I was never defeated–that is what defines me as a fighter. Relentless in achieving my goals, I will myself to succeed despite all that deters me.

Avid has academically shaped me through leaps and bounds. I had always maintained pretty satisfying grades in school, but Avid has improved me so much. It had helped me stay organized with my school work along with how to manage my time. The main reason I had joined Avid is because I want to be prepared for college when it approaches. Avid will hopefully help me find the right school along with steering me in the right direction.

Going to college has always been a dream of mine, I never knew what I wanted to major in or any clue of what career I wanted to go into. It all started with my love of finding out more about the world around me I thought is was just my curiosity like everyone else but it was something different. That’s when I found my love for science. At first I really didn’t see my love for until sophomore year of high school when we would get on a subject and wanted to learn more about the particular subject not just what was in the book.

Ever since I was a kid I didn’t think that I was good at anything. My pastor said that everyone had a calling, a gift, something that nobody else can do better than that person. It was so hard watching people around me find their gift, like my sister. My little sister is good at about anything art related. She can draw, play the flute, and if she ever did theatre she would probably be good at that too.

C.S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun- not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else.” I have used this quote as a guide for myself throughout my journey to finding the Lord. Putting my faith into someone “intangible” and having faith in Christ has not been an easy task for me, given I was not raised in an extremely religious household. However, I was about fourteen when I discovered God’s word, felt my heart swell with happiness, and fell in love with Christ. That day changed my life entirely, and completely changed my outlook of the world.

Not only AVID helped my grades it also helped me be more organized, confident and a hard-working student. Being in AVID can also help me succeed my goals for the future. My goals for the future is to get into Lee Early College, later transferred into UNC at Chapel Hill to become a teacher and with AVID it would make it easier financially. To everybody, AVID might mean to them as Advancement Via Individual Determination but to me,

Knowing how to sing is a blessing that may come naturally to some people, but to others it requires practice and effort to learn how to properly develop this gift. Having seen many live performances and having a dad who could sing was an inspiration for me to develop such a talent. Music has always been my passion, and I knew that singing would give me another exciting opportunity to enjoy the feeling performance creates. I did not have a natural voice from a young age so learning to sing was challenging and pushed me beyond my orchestral limits--emotionally and physically--but with the strong desire I had and the toil I was willing to endure when learning this art, I persevered to becoming a singer.

AVID is a program not intended for everyone. This program exposes you to a variety of skills and mastery for adolescents desiring to attend college. Avid focuses around organization, teamwork, and for you to critically think. These skills are new to many and are provenly beneficial, however these skills do not favor those that have already had these skills and are show casing their full potential. Therefore, Avid is not for me since it interferes with my academic courses, mastery of avid skills and would not be beneficial for me because I have gained much of the skills and would rather interfer than assist.

AVID an education opportunity An educational opportunity that I have taken advantage of is AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) a program geared to help students get to college and to prepare them for college, influenced me to take charge in my education and my path to college. I started AVID as a 8th grader. As a first generation bound college student; I felt lost. My family had no previous experience with college so they would not be able to help me. I felt like all the weight of school and college was on my shoulders, a 14 year old left seeking opportunities that would help achieve the American dream “college”.

A change within my life that helped me grow was getting a job. My first job, was as at Little Caesars as a shaker-boarder. My motivation was to help pay my family’s bills. I had to perform tricks, dance, and wave a sign on the corner of Holgate and Division. Eventually motivated I moved up the ranks from shaker-boarder, dish washer, to preparing dough, all during my last term of high school. However, my parents worried that I may dismiss my education for money. After discussing the matter though, it was agreed I would keep my job to pay for college.

She told me it was unrealistic. That devastated me. I couldn't get in because of my grades. In a way that opened my eyes and it helped me realized if you want something in life you have to work for it. So I did.

Every person that is a part of my life knows more than anything that I have a need to be busy and busy with leadership positions. When one thinks of Peyton Millea they could think of anything from National Honor Society president, to competitive cheerleader, to Mock Trial president, to student councilor. On top of a job, I take part in five clubs, three competitive sports and other outside community service while also keeping up with the latest legal and political news. While my busy schedule is very important to me, the most is my passion for politics. In my mind, there should be nothing more important to young people than the political process and nothing should matter more than current events. In the grand scheme of life on Earth, only