Drug addict, illegal immigrant, impulsive liar, thief, and jailhouse regular. These are all words that describe one of the most influential people in my life: my grandmother. My grandmother, or Ita, has taught me ambition paradoxically through her lack of it. She never finished elementary school, she has never been able to keep a job, and she has never maintained healthy relationships. As a mother, she also failed: all four of her daughters, including my mother, dropped out of school...

Ideological isolationism is the idea that people in society strive to surround themselves with others who think just as they do and hold the same beliefs. I want to fight against ideological isolationism, at least for myself. While it is not bad to have a firm set of beliefs, I still believe it is important to learn about different ideas and worldviews in order to become a person who is able to be more accepting and who approaches life with...

I took full advantage of my college counselor, asking them to read...

I chose an English teacher and a...