Texas, Texas A&M Topic A!!!!!

vinhstuh
Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:13:18 +0000

In need of positive and negative commentary! Any analysis would be very welcome!

Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.

For many, finding that one person who has an impact on your life may take years before you understand how much that person has really inspired and influenced you to who you are today. As I transition from high school to college and contemplate my life thus far it didn’t take long to realize how much of an influence my Mom has had on me.

My hunger for success and recognition was hindered by the fact that I was such an awkwardly shy child. Throughout elementary school I only spoke when called on, and only made friends if they took the initiative to talk to me first. That all changed when I spent most of my fifth grade weekends at the pharmacy with my mom because I couldn’t stay at home by myself yet. I noticed how she was in command of things, barking orders at the technicians, making small talk with the physicians in physical therapy, speaking in a loud and clear tone whether on the phone or in person. My Mom, the woman who had immigrated to the United States from Vietnam, choosing to leave everything she knew to move to America with vernacular disadvantages, moving to a place filled with anxiety and prejudice during the Vietnam War not knowing whether or not if she could make something of herself, but knowing that she couldn’t stand to be another face in a sea of mediocrity, was exuding a confidence that inspired me to do the same. To walk with my head on my shoulders with a sort of hubris and moxie, to speak my mind regardless of what others thought. This new found confidence faltered when I found out that I was going to attend a new high school my freshmen year. I spent the entire year in a shell, afraid to leave my mark and impression on the world. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school on a family hiking trip at Lost Maples in November, surrounded by Auburn laced trees, a place where my mind was free to wander through a sea of wavering burnt orange leaves, a place where the only opinion that mattered was mine; the place where I realized how pathetic I had been being so anti-social and fragile. Who was I to disappoint my mom, the woman who had inspired me to stand out of the circle, to break the mold, to be unsatisfied with just being another face in the crowd?

The woman that risked everything she had to move to America for a shot at a better life, the woman who had taught me to respect others, the woman who taught me the prayers I pray at night, was the same woman I could no longer stand to let down. The transition from high school to college, the pinnacle of my life, has really given me an opportunity to understand how important my mom has been to me, a phrase almost as clich