College Essay

After nine years of volunteering at the Salvation Army’s soup kitchen, I thought that I had become desensitized to the unusual people and heartbreaking situations I saw every week. One Monday evening in winter of the seventh grade, I discovered that no one can be desensitized to human need. As I spooned peas onto the empty plates, I didn't realize that the next girl to hold out her plate would change my life perspective. In the tattered, hand-me-down 49ers jacket was Leah, the pretty, popular girl who I had admired, even envied at outdoor school the previous summer. Poverty and need does not discriminate nor does it know any bounds. As our eyes met, my mind flooded with two realizations: that need is everywhere and that I could do more.

The world I come from has directly shaped my dreams and aspirations for my life and for what I can do for the future of our nation. My community is a dichotomy of socioeconomic standards that has opened my eyes to inequality and injustice.

Fortunately, being raised in a devout Catholic family and parish ingrained in me the need for action and the realization that I not only can make a difference, but that doing so is my duty. As I became a young adult, my high school, in its fourth year of its infancy, gave me the freedom and a platform to personally establish ways to confront these incredible needs aggressively. I have developed grass roots programs that have impacted hundreds of people in need in my community. I aspire to expand my knowledge of the depth of the issues in the global community and develop ways to impact many more people throughout the world.

Growing up in the agricultural Pajaro Valley of Northern California, I have long experienced the dichotomy of very affluent and very low-income families living and working side by side. In this stark contrast of the "haves and the have-nots," I have been made very aware of existing injustices in this microcosm of our nation's socioeconomic condition. Poverty, illegal immigration, gangs and domestic violence are commonplace issues for many of my neighbors, while in their midst the wealthy speed past in their shiny, gas-guzzling vehicles, averting their attention from the dismay around them by gabbing incessantly into their Bluetooth headsets.

Fortunately, my upbringing in a supportive Catholic family has helped me to discover the impact that serving others can have. Although those Monday nights at the Salvation Army were originally compulsory, as I have matured it is something I choose to perpetuate. My parents are very active in the community and the effects of their work continually amaze me. I am constantly assured that honest, caring and hard work will yield the change that I seek. Through much theological study and spiritual reflection, I have not chosen to be confirmed as a Catholic. But this framework provided by my traditional family coupled with much philosophic self-investigation has revealed to me my passion for positive change.

Attending a small, new school has presented its difficulties, but most importantly it has constantly challenged me. The lack of established programs in athletics and traditions within the student body has discouraged many students and lead to many choosing to withdraw from participating fully in campus life. I have always felt like this "blank slate" environment has instead given me the opportunity to test my creativity and push my limits to take initiative. In four years in the Ecology Club, most recently as president, I have worked to start and expand programs to work towards a greener campus and community. Most important to me has been my hand in outreach to the wider community through programs like the Youth Ministry Core Team and my own original organization, Project Backpack that collected backpacks, coats and a plethora of personal hygiene items from the local parishes and Catholic schools. This success has motivated me to further my knowledge of issues of justice and working to implement progressive works even if the framework does not currently exist for my aspirations to create a sustainable world with peace based on justice.