College Essay

“Life’s like a bag of trail mix.” Trail mix is the perfect on the go snack for everybody because it’s simple to make, and it can be easily carried around. Everyone makes her’s differently. Like a small afternoon snack which leaves you feeling full, my life experiences have given me the energy to carry on.

My first ingredient: SUNFLOWER KERNELS. These little kernels add a great crunch and sweet taste to the snack. Sunflowers lose their seeds from inside their petals when just ripe and then fall to the ground. The seeds usually taste dull and dry unless another ingredient is added to flavor it. The salted ones are usually the best. Along with adding a crunch to the mix, sunflower kernels have been proven to help promote bone growth, increase energy, and keep the heart healthy. For almost half my life, I lived in a small town in Connecticut. Because a majority of the children attended the same kindergarten and elementary schools, all the families somehow knew one another. I spent my childhood playing in big back yards with swing sets during the summer along with sledding down hills in the winter. However, during the summer of 2001, all that changed when my family and I packed up, sold our home and moved to Florida. Having never seen palm trees, flat land, gated communities or gas stations within a mile away from home, I was completely unprepared for the drastic change. At first I was apprehensive about Florida because everything here was bigger. People’s manners were different, and there was no longer a large back yard to play in. The hardest adjustment I had to make was being the new kid at school. Never before had I not known someone at school, nor had I ever been enrolled in a private school. It took a while for me to adjust to my surroundings along with forming new friendships because it was so much harder to travel to and from someone’s house. I had to break out of my comfort zone of following the leader and become more outgoing and charismatic. I have indeed grown in Florida, not only in heart and mind but in height as well. Not many girls at seventeen are six foot one!

My second ingredient: NUTS. Now you don’t have to have just one particular nut in the mix, you can have an assortment of them. Nuts come in all shapes and sizes but they also come in different flavors and colors. I can relate to being a nut at times, especially when I am having a good time with friends. I will break out of my shell and become an energetic, boisterous teenager who seizes the day to the fullest. An example of living life with enthusiasm and energy occurred this past summer while I was attending the Pre-Collegiate National Institution of American History and Democracy program at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. On the last day of camp, my friends and I began to get pumped up for the night’s Jeopardy game by making our own team t-shirts along with painting our faces. With our gear on and energy high, we walked into the room ready to crush our opponents. The competition was stiff and in the end my team came in second place; however, that did not crush my spirits. After the exciting yet demanding questionnaire game, my friends and I started up a game of late night soccer in the nearby fields. After several short barefoot games, with my energy still running on overload, I joined in on a dance party going on in another building with my fellow campers. While dancing to the latest music, I started several dance off contests and even created new dance moves never seen before. Even though the party ended around two in the morning, I was still pumped up and decided to keep the party going on back in the dorms. Eventually around the crack of dawn I was able to fall asleep for about three hours before it was time to pack my belongings, leave camp and head back home. After a whole day of excitement and events, I will never forget the last night there. Who says history fanatics can’t have fun?

Next: DRIED FRUIT. Some people prefer dried cranberries or dried pineapple; however, I enjoy raisins. Raisins are a neat fruit because they start off as juicy, round grapes and then they become sweet, hard and wrinkly in the sun, yet they are still good to eat. The other nice thing about raisins is that you can make them become grapes again by soaking them in water in order to form grapes. Like raisins, I too continually change and transform my faith. Although I have attended private Catholic schools for the past seven years, I do not always believe what is being taught in religion classes. Over the past year or more, my faith has changed tremendously due to a tragic event in my life. In the early fall of 2006, my Aunt Keri was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although she caught the cancer in the middle stage, the doctors labeled her as terminally ill because of the rapidly growing cancer cells. Over the course of eight months, I saw my favorite aunt slowly become weakened by the cancer. Her once thriving body full of laughter and life slowly began to become tired and weak. During our last Christmas together she was optimistic for the holiday and would not let her cancer dampen the holiday spirits. She attended different outdoor activities with the family along with joining in on family fun nights at home. Not once did I see her lose her energy or hear her complain about the cancer. At times I even forgot she was sick. But as the year 2007 progressed, so did her cancer. Knowing time was precious, I flew up with my mother to Virginia to help care for my aunt. Watching her daily struggle to eat, urinate, and sleep, made me see life in a totally new perspective. Helping her do some of these simple everyday tasks, forced me to reflect upon my own life, and my faith. Ever since her death in February I have taken a different approach to life and religion. Instead of complaining about little incidents in life, I try to live it to the fullest and enjoy every minute of it. She taught me to go on with life without regrets, and to never take anything for granted. Because of her death I continually question my faith everyday. Perhaps one day with the right guidance my faith will ripen again, but for right now I am a raisin.

Final ingredient: CHOCOLATE CANDY PIECES. Now any small candy pieces will do, but I prefer M&M pieces. No matter what flavor M&Ms are, they are my weakness. The extra sweet flavor along with their colorful candy shells makes the snack a little livelier. Like the sweet candy taste in a small bag, I find joy in volunteering after school. My most memorable experience has been working on a retreat this past school year with the newly arrived freshmen. At the beginning of senior year, any senior can volunteer to help lead the retreat and help organize a weekend full of activates for a small group of freshmen. As a main leader for my retreat group, we took six girls to a local Ronald McDonald House and cooked meals for the several families staying at the home. While introducing the girls to volunteering in the community, it gave me a sense of gratitude for being alive and being able to be blessed with health. After seeing pictures of an infant born prematurely and severely underweight and size, it made everyone rethink about where she is today. Along with volunteering, we incorporated opportunities for freshmen to ask seniors questions about high school and tough situations such as underage drinking and peer pressure. Even though the retreat is designed especially for the freshmen, setting a good example for someone else forced me to rethink my own priorities and to respect them daily.

The ingredients can be altered to any form of your liking because it all depends on your own taste and experiences. Now with everything in a bag, close it, shake it and enjoy!