Mom of a kid that wrote about something they always tell you not to write about.
Where is she applying? I only ask because for Lizardkid, the essay wasn’t going to be a make-or-break part of his application. Most of his schools were safeties for him and he had a very strong all around application, so we kind of didn’t spend much time trying to dissuade him. If you think the essay is what is needed to put her over the top, then you might want to rethink it, but if it’s just going to be used as a writing sample, don’t stress about it. I’m a big believer in just getting something on paper and seeing where it goes from there. Maybe she’ll hate it and want to start over, or maybe she knows exactly how to refine it.
If you think the topic is really cliche, you can read it back to her and ask her if this could apply to anyone else on her trip. Anyone else on any mission trip? If so, it’s not personal enough and they’ve read dozens just like it.