College Admissions Essay: Hackett Catholic Prep

With one foot in Seoul and the other in Kalamazoo, I have been juggling two homes for going on seven years. For the first dozen years of my life, home was where I was born and raised—the comfortable Irwon neighborhood in a cozy apartment with my mom and dad. When I first arrived in Michigan, it took nearly a year before I accepted that an entirely new story had begun. Slowly but surely, my aunt and uncle had become substitute parents and my two little cousins were now adopted siblings.

During my time at Hackett Catholic Prep, I have come to greatly value the responsibility I share with my peers to build a true community. Over the last three years, we have learned to understand one another, respect our differences, and pray together—we participate in each other’s lives. Outside of the classroom, I have grown to love civic engagement and problem solving. As the leader of Earth Club, I have recently tackled the persistent trash overflow at Milham Park, a 49-acre stomping ground for local residents. Having observed that coffee cups accounted for the majority of garbage found on-site, I initiated a design project to build a standalone, PVC cup

With this in mind, my greatest desire is to receive not only an outstanding technical education but also grow as a conscientious and socially responsible individual. In the next four years, I envision myself in an environment that fosters a genuine sense of family among motivated students. I want to belong to a school where I can develop in character as well as in my Catholic faith, even in the midst of rigorous academic work. I look forward to a career in applied sciences, with one foot in the laboratory and the other in the real world. I daydream about discovering creative avenues for positive change and inspiring others to innovate solutions for the complex challenges of our modern