<p>Hi! I’m from Guam and I’m applying to several schools including Stanford (my dream school), seattle u, university of portland, northeastern, and a few others. I’m eventually going to make my final choice based on the amount of financial aid the college is willing to give me. Any feedback on my common app essay would be greatly appreciated! THANKS!</p>
<p>A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.</p>
<p>Jenny! Jack! Come out! Guams on CNN! my mom shouted. At the same time, my brother and I bolted out of our rooms and raced to the living room, where the CNN headline on the television read: Obama defeats Clinton in Guam caucuses by 7 votes. Wow, national recognition! Before I even had the chance to savor my islands fifteen minutes of fame, what I saw on the television screen quickly changed my wide-eyed delight to a furrowed brow of confusion. The five-second footage of Guam featured men and women in grass skirts waving along a beach. What? Who are they? We dont wear that!
After seeing this, I stopped wondering why stateside people generally do not know much about Guam. When I go on vacations to the mainland, the people I meet usually ask whether we live in huts, wear grass skirts, or even have electricity. After holding back my laughter and fighting the temptation to say that we do, in fact, live like island tribal people, I ultimately answer honestly. The more people I meet and the more questions I answer, the more accurate portrait of Guam can be made known. By simply being around me, one can already gain a sense of my hometown. After all, growing up in this small island community is the single most influential experience in my life. Being raised in a predominantly Catholic and family-oriented community, I would sooner end a friendship than compromise my morals. I would sooner reject an invitation to an all-night party than skip a family barbecue, and I would sooner cancel plans with my friends than miss family dinner. In this day and age, the previous statements might be hard to believe, but in Guam, it is the norm. I also picked up the habit of striking a conversation with the cashier and greeting strangers good afternoon, and in this cold age of technology, this fading practice is quite refreshing.
I never really recognized how my community fostered the growth of my moral willpower, and I certainly have not appreciated it until recently. Though I used to complain about how Guam is so small and boring, I have come to realize that the small island identity has become a part of me. I was born and raised here and will always represent this tiny island in the Pacific. Growing up in Guam has shaped me into a unique person who can combine the traditional values of my community with the modern mindset of my generation, which allows me to have a personal opinion while being open to new ideas. Guam, after all, is a mini melting pot, and having classmates of different backgrounds molded me into an open-minded individual.
However, I will not exaggerate and portray Guam as the perfect place for an upbringing. The island surely has its faults; Guams inefficient health care system serves as one major example. Nonetheless, this very flawthe lack of doctors, the constant need for costly off-island medical treatment due to deficient local servicesfuels my passion for medicine. Coming from an island with limited educational opportunities and resources, my goal of becoming a doctor steers my educational journey far away from home. In the future, however, I plan to return and join Guams medical force.
I am not only motivated by the challenges that face my community, but also by the challenges that I face as a Guamanian. Ask any senior at my high school what their biggest fear about going to college is, and most of them will say that they are worried about not being able to compare to students from the states. While a part of me shares in this uncertainty, a bigger part of me uses this doubt to drive me to success. I want to prove to myself, to my classmates, and to my community that a local girl can succeed in the national level.
The older I get, the more I appreciate how my upbringing in Guam has strengthened my character. Best of all, I have the passion and determination of an underdog who is fighting to receive recognition. This application is me fighting for the opportunity to divulge the truth about Guam by simply contributing to a diverse student body. Like a seed being dispersed from a parent plant in hopes of spreading out and growing in new places, I will take off for college in that Boeing 767, knowing that I am taking the island to an exceptional university who is willing to welcome us with open arms.</p>