Free College Admissions Essays: Where Are We Going?

“Where are we going?” I would ask my mother every day when she picked me up after elementary school, hoping she would respond, “White House Florists.” For as long as I can remember, that is where she has worked. I loved being in the shop surrounded by flowers upon flowers that soaked up the sunbeams shining through the large glass windows. Each flower had a different personality: lisianthius waiting to be showcased at a party, blue hydrangeas ready to be exhibited at a baby shower, and roses begging to be displayed at a wedding.

As I passed through the succulents, the ceramic birds perched on the shelves, and the floral arrangements sitting flawlessly in the glass cooler meditating to the hum of the refrigerator, I too, felt myself cooling down harmoniously with them. I would talk to my mom about my day at school while sweeping the floors or filling up water tubes. On other occasions, I did my homework and practiced my English class speech assignments in front of my mother’s co-workers. My time was well spent in the floral shop learning more than flower arranging, but life lessons that, to this day, have made an impact on me.

By Valentine’s Day of that year, although I did not realize it, I was well versed in every phase of the shop’s operation. I was even quite familiar with the back corner, where the real magic of floral design happened. Over time, I was ringing up customers and organizing orders, but as the weeks passed things started to get more hectic and extra hands were needed to create arrangements. I knew that it was my time to shine, and I rose to the