College Freshman have reached a point in their lives where they have formulated their own biases toward other people and sometimes feel like they know all about the world without actually seeing it. I have personally seen the effects of stereotypes in my own life and acknowledge its widespread presence...
As a Montessori kid, I was raised by curiosity. I never saw the other half of education: no power standards, no graded tests—nothing limited my interests. I’m nine, and I find Microsoft Paint. Everything is fascinating—little square patterns and buckets of color—and soon I am pencil tool master. I come home each day from third grade to draw my laptop pictures. I improve my art, and by middle school I’m making drawings in the Adobe Suite instead...
“Noooo!” I turned around to my mom shrieking, “Don’t eat that hot dog!” It was too late. I had tasted meat for the first time, but not just any meat… BEEF. I had been ambushed by the All-American Frank hot dog. It was the bite heard around the world. The war between the two cultures had begun - the oiled comb-over boy against the Yankee Doodle adversary...
My sophomore year I met my favorite teacher, Mr. Warnke, whose enthusiasm about the subject of biology inspired me and sparked my interest in the biological field of science. He told stories of his work in biology research labs at locations ranging from Princeton University to the Bahamas. He lived and breathed the subject of biology.As the kids in class to the left and right of me groaned and nodded off to the sound of Warnke’s rambling about the research he had done, I became enticed with his research endeavors and wished to someday partake in some traveling and research of my own...
My eyes search the terrain ahead. The grounds steepens, and my eyes are fixed on the natural staircase of rocks up ahead. The muscles in my legs ache, but I continue. My breathing is heavy and my hands are numb, yet I continue. The sun was shining at the beginning of our trek, but now it is hidden behind the peaks. The chill from its absence felt nice at first, but soon I'm missing the warm sun on my back. People pass by with smiles on their faces. They are illuminated with a certain joy that is rarely seen anywhere else...
On a bright summer day, a family gathers around in the empty dining room with luggage lined up like a soldier’s march. A girl hugs her grandpa tightly. When she lets go, tears fall gradually and then pour out until her face is drenched. She mumbles and hiccups that she didn’t want them to go. Couldn’t they stay here forever? “Sorry, we can’t,” they say, “but we will come back and visit soon. “ Those words burn inside my mind and the sadness replays over and over again...
When I enrolled at the Air Force Academy, I severely overlooked the nature of the institution. For the most part, I knew what occurred on campus, but I did not anticipate subtleties such as the mindset of most cadets and officers, nor did I understand the importance of (or lack thereof) cadet’s future goals versus the goals of the Air Force. My aims and the aims of the Air Force are not the same, leading me to search for opportunities elsewhere...
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