This question is often answered existentially or materialistically. Existentially, I might consider why God put me on the Earth and how much influence He’s had on the course of my life, but this question would take far too long to answer and would be impossible to prove. Looking at the issue with a materialistic focus, I would say my life is a simply a product of my choices, but this solution is simply too shallow. This leads me to think there may be an explanation for my presence at Methodist University which falls somewhere between existentialism and materialism and which takes into account the reasons behind the decisions that led me here; I am at Methodist for several reasons, but the main causes are my competitive nature and my desires for independence and service.
Although it may be impossible to determine why some people are competitive and others are not, I know my upbringing shaped that competitiveness into a desire to excel in academics. My elder brother set a high standard in school, and I always aspired to do as well as he did. By the time I reached high school graduation, I had a 3.97 grade point average and a strong desire to pursue collegiate studies. Because Spanish had always come easily to me, I decided to pursue a degree in Linguistics at the same college my brother attended, the University of Pittsburgh. However, my departure from high school brought to the forefront two ambitions I had never experienced during my adolescence, desires for independence and service.
Although my goals of independence and service didn’t affect my major decisions until after graduation, I believe they were both a result of my upbringing, just like my focus on academics. My father’s career as a doctor inspired me on a ba...
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... college this spring. While I would have preferred to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, because they offer a Linguistics Major, that university did not allow transfer students to begin mid-year; thus, timing narrowed my choices to either Methodist or Campbell. Finally, having accepted that I would have to forego a major in the subject I preferred, I considered which of the two colleges would offer me more financial incentives. As Methodist University offered a transfer scholarship and Campbell offered nothing, the choice was clear.
While I still believe the course of one’s life is a result of his or her decisions, I now realize it is also a reflection of one’s character and personality. I know that within a year, I won’t simply have a degree from Methodist University to hang on my wall; as a result of this reflection, I can also appreciate why and how I ended up there.
When I was a young girl, my older brother always did very well in school and he and the rest of our family were always very proud of his work. As I grew older and noticed all of my brother’s achievements I decided that I wanted to not only achieve what he had, but to also achieve things that he had not. Because of this strive to reach and surpass the standards that my brother had set, I developed into a person with great determination. Throughout my life I have always set goals for myself and then did everything I could in order to meet those goals. This aspect of determination in my personality has allowed me to get to where I am today, a student of George Mason University. Whenever I am faced with an obstacle, such as a hard class, I make
Family, education and a person’s opportunities are significant elements that collectively define an individual, as demonstrated by both Wes Moore’s. Depending on the opportunities offered to you and whether you decide to take advantage of them through hard work and persistence will result in your success or failure in the end. Wes Moore explains “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his” goes to show that certain factors affect how you will be as an adult regardless of similar or differentiating backgrounds. (Moore xi).
My life, it has been one filled with many accomplishments, and yet it is also one that is tinged with hard times and struggles. Hence this has shaped who I am today and why I think I can succeed in the Leon S. Peters Honors program; because I believe our struggles shape our character, and who we will become. It leads us to our epiphany, our self-discovery of what we want to accomplish in life, and why we want to change the world for the better; this is the building block of what makes us human.
For as long as I can remember, I have always viewed life as an adventure. Sometimes this adventure is extraordinarily fulfilling and fun, while other times it can be a lot harder to keep trekking on. This outlook has shaped my life to what it is today, and it impacts the decisions I make now that will affect my future. When I began the college search, I really didn’t know what I was looking for. When I found George Fox University, I knew instantly that this was the place I could grow into the person I dreamed of being. By attending George Fox University, I hope to discover my faith, develop skills necessary to succeed and learn more about myself and the world, as well as contribute my diverse upbringing, leadership and strong values to the
As I sit in Strozier Library at Florida State University putting the finish touches on this paper, I realize all of the events that have brought me up to this point. I’m thankful for my family’s constant catechizing of FSU because I realize I made the right choice; this is where I’m meant to be. From the football games to my cousin’s graduation I’m glad to be a part of a family legacy and look forward to continuing it with my own children.
When I approached graduation I was faced with an important challenge: go directly to medical school or postpone in order to help support my family financially. Family is a very important part of who I am, so I chose to use the situation as a fortunate opportunity instead of a delay to my own plans. I worked in an intense, competitive, team-based environment for the next three and half years during which I grew professionally and personally. I learned project management, how to work on and manage a team, and organizational behavior skills. I managed a team of analysts, and numerous cross-functional partners which gave me extensive experience in real-world leadership involving maturity, critical thinking, decision-making, training, feedback delivery, and
Academics has always been an important part of my life. Ever since I was a young child my parents have pushed me to lead good life academically. All throughout grade school I have had decent grades (generally speaking in the nineties or above), and I owe this, at least partly, to my parent's determination to give me the best possible education. I also owe this to my will to be at the top of my academic game. This was naturally quite easy for me up until my senior year of high school. When my senior year came around, there was a lot of pressure on me to make a lot of life changing decisions. When all of this was put on me, the last thing that i wanted to do was change the way i was living. I loved the way my life was, and going away from home to college wasn't something that i felt i was ready to do. Because of this i decided to enroll in Genesee Community College, which is about five minutes away from my house.
Throughout my life, my competitiveness has been a part of my traits as an athlete. I started playing sports at a young age and winning was the only option. The opponents I face on my school’s basketball team are more competitive than my
As a young lady, I have been able to develop and procure the benefits of an outstanding education through various situations in my day to day life, both as an intern and as an undergraduate student at Fordham University. Throughout my experiences, I have taken advantage of many learning opportunities. Regardless of any environment, I have the ability to learn and develop as a person. I believe it is my strength to keep going and never give up that has led me to be very well-defined and the changes I undergo every day that passes will lead me to ultimate success. Ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to accomplish something for myself, my future and change my life forever. I always believed that setting goals and pushing myself towards
Competition even in school can help drive the mediocre to good and the good to great when it comes to trying to be the best. Whether it is to become valedictorian or even pass math class we each strive using competition to push people in America to want to become someone important. Competition drives people to want to become innovators in their field of work;for example, Henry Ford used competition to drive his company forward and develop things like the assembly line. Given these points competition is the sole driving force behind innovators and America’s ability to learn
“See life for me aint me been no crystal stair it’s had splinters and tackler, but I keep moving on” as the mother in Langston Hughes poem, Crystal Stair, explained to her son. Life is so full of adventures, shaping personalities with joy and heartaches. Many of which, have turned out to have a great impact on my life. There are many things that has shaped my personality, such as emotional situations, death, and college. All playing a very important role in creating and fighting to be who I am today.
Finally, it is a general opinion among many that academic performance is a manner of will and determination of an individual rather than their socioeconomic status. For instance, in schools of higher learning, there are a lot of students from richer backgrounds who do not perform well as compared to those perceived to be from poor backgrounds (Sacerdote, 2002). Research has shown that while socioeconomic status may influence the availability or access to learning materials, it is the student’s personal determination to excel that determines the kind of lifestyle they
As a single mother with 6 children, my mother has tried her best to keep my sisters and I content. Although my she has done everything in her power to make my sisters and I happy, I don't want my children or anyone else for that matter to go through the same conditions that I went through. I want to have a successful life or career so I can thoroughly provide for my family and give them the contentment that they deserve. It is my mother’s actions that have made me come to the realization that anything is genuinely possible if you have the ambition and desire to do it. It is because of my mother that I, Jalyssa Smith, want to major in biology and become a pediatrician.
As I have reflected on the examined life, intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually, over the span of this semester and applied it to our own life, I have noticed a theme that links each of these dimensions together. Life is a journey of self discovery where individuals are constantly trying to come to terms with who they are as a person. Through this journey, individuals can find their calling or vocation in life, discover their potential, know one’s self, and even just make sense of life. Furthermore, I will examine this theme of self discovery in the context of each dimension and apply it to what I have learned over the course of this semester.
I grew up in the environment that promotes education. I have been inspired by my kith and kin who are doctors with advanced degrees. It is in my upbringing to set high goals and achieve those goals through hard work. I studied medicine because I wanted to be in profession of protecting lives.