Front row seats to the best show on Earth. However, this show is the Coney Island Cyclone, and it’s about to begin. For some, peace is lounging by a pond, reading a good book. For others, it is a meditative shrine, or perhaps a light nap. For me, peace is no less than the front row car on a death-defying roller coaster. In a time and place when it’s all too easy to worry about the future, I find the calm before the storm, that single moment atop the first peak of the ride, to be when I can assess my thoughts most clearly...
Until my freshman year of high school, I thought my comfortable life was exactly what I deserved. I didn’t care what my parents had to say about my friends or my plans for the future. Believing life was on my side, I was shocked as, one by one, our restaurant and clothing store went out of business. We moved from a two-story house to a one-bedroom apartment; we no longer had comfort to enjoy spending money like others. Despite knowing better, my selfish thought was, “How did I end up here?” Then, one day, I saw things differently...
It’s November, and it’s nearly the end of the Salvation Army Second Chance Project. Our six month project consisted of personally designing individual trees, marketing our product to specific targets, and auctioning the trees for donations towards Japanese relief. As the 39 students and I wrap up what we started, we examine the flowers, arts and crafts, and displayed paintings covered all around the room...
Dark shadows lurked around the king size bed where I lay. My cousin’s guest room harbored no threats, but, as a six-year-old, it frightened me to fall asleep alone in the strange space. Not until my Grandpa Henry died from leukemia a year later did I really understood how dangerous the cancer was that my mom battled, or why my dad had sent us kids away—so he could stay with her while she underwent surgery. I then comprehended clearly the foe of cancer, but was powerless to help either of my loved ones...
The sturdy walnut tree stands alone in the yard, a single foot dangling beneath the dense foliage. That foot is mine, or it was several years ago, and I was in my pre-algebra class. I often climbed that old tree to study during my nine years as a homeschool student. That tree represents the larger memory of an amazingly unique and diverse educational environment...
As my last name and fluency in Spanish reflect, I am of Hispanic descent (half Puerto Rican andhalf Guatemalan to be exact). And at a Jesuit high school nestled in the heart of Fairfield County,I am one of few that share this distinguishing characteristic. However lonely I may be in myethnicity, it is never cause for shame...
Curiosity. This is the reason I want to pursue mechanical engineering. I long to contribute to, invent, create, and discover new technologies and ideas that will expand human capabilities and improve our lives. Indeed, this passion for creativity and learning has been part of my personality all my life...
I was an ambitious child who always dreamed of making an impact: I intended being second to none. Due to my family's limited finances, I always participated in affordable activities and attended an average public elementary school. Yet, my academics soon distinguished me and, after two mathematics awards in Pan-Hellenic competitions, I was offered a scholarship to pursue private education...
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