usafahopeful93791
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2021
- Messages
- 3
Here is my essay so far. I am applying for the Summer Seminar class for the summer of 2022. Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.
Do you have any personal life experiences where you have overcome adversity or challenges that have shaped you into the person you are today? (3000 characters max)
One week in the summer leading up to my freshman year molded the person writing this today. For 8 days my youth group and I boarded a body odor-ridden van and literally traveled across the country into Mexico. We volunteered for Casas por Cristo, a nonprofit organization that builds houses for those in need. That week entailed a lot of 5 a.m. mornings, profuse sweating, and unsanitary living conditions. Day by day we started to make progress: first, the concrete foundation, then the 2 by 4 walls, before we knew it the aluminum roof and sheetrock were being installed. We endured 100-degree heat, a challenging language barrier, and a steep learning curve that came with building a house. Yet, we would never endure the adversity that the family receiving the house had.
Building this house meant a lot to us, but to Felipe, Martinez, and their 5-year-old son, it was everything. They came from a house smaller than my bedroom with dirt floors and an extremely unhygienic standard of living. We didn’t realize that we would be impacted just as much as they were. Every day that week we packed our own sack lunch to eat and each day a homemade meal for all of us to show how grateful they were. Later on, our adult leader told us that that single meal we ate cost the family nearly an entire week's earnings. We came to better others, however in more ways than one, we were the ones that would leave humbled from our experience.
This trip highlighted not only the skills needed to work as a team, but to work efficiently to beat the heat. For example, while one team was working on assembling a wall, another would stay productive by smoothing out the concrete foundation. However, not everyone worked deliberately and the group had to compensate for the lackadaisical members.
One of the most enlightening parts of the whole experience was the local community. The local orphanage was one of the first visits. Not knowing what to expect, I was overwhelmed. My heart melted with every interaction I had playing with the kids. I watched in admiration as the toys we played with were insignificant to the orphans, instead, they found joy in the little things in life. Throughout the project, Felipe, the father of the family, constantly helped us with the construction of the house. On the second day, a local preacher decided he would help us in the building process, for the rest of the week he outworked us about 3:1. Despite not being able to speak sentences in English, he sought out a way to help others in his community.
One week hammering in nails, playing fútbol with the neighborhood kids, and working for something greater than yourself does something to a young man; it taught me to find joy in the little things in life, to be grateful for everything regardless of the situation, and to always seek out ways to serve others. While I did not overcome much adversity, I learned a lot from those who did.
Do you have any personal life experiences where you have overcome adversity or challenges that have shaped you into the person you are today? (3000 characters max)
One week in the summer leading up to my freshman year molded the person writing this today. For 8 days my youth group and I boarded a body odor-ridden van and literally traveled across the country into Mexico. We volunteered for Casas por Cristo, a nonprofit organization that builds houses for those in need. That week entailed a lot of 5 a.m. mornings, profuse sweating, and unsanitary living conditions. Day by day we started to make progress: first, the concrete foundation, then the 2 by 4 walls, before we knew it the aluminum roof and sheetrock were being installed. We endured 100-degree heat, a challenging language barrier, and a steep learning curve that came with building a house. Yet, we would never endure the adversity that the family receiving the house had.
Building this house meant a lot to us, but to Felipe, Martinez, and their 5-year-old son, it was everything. They came from a house smaller than my bedroom with dirt floors and an extremely unhygienic standard of living. We didn’t realize that we would be impacted just as much as they were. Every day that week we packed our own sack lunch to eat and each day a homemade meal for all of us to show how grateful they were. Later on, our adult leader told us that that single meal we ate cost the family nearly an entire week's earnings. We came to better others, however in more ways than one, we were the ones that would leave humbled from our experience.
This trip highlighted not only the skills needed to work as a team, but to work efficiently to beat the heat. For example, while one team was working on assembling a wall, another would stay productive by smoothing out the concrete foundation. However, not everyone worked deliberately and the group had to compensate for the lackadaisical members.
One of the most enlightening parts of the whole experience was the local community. The local orphanage was one of the first visits. Not knowing what to expect, I was overwhelmed. My heart melted with every interaction I had playing with the kids. I watched in admiration as the toys we played with were insignificant to the orphans, instead, they found joy in the little things in life. Throughout the project, Felipe, the father of the family, constantly helped us with the construction of the house. On the second day, a local preacher decided he would help us in the building process, for the rest of the week he outworked us about 3:1. Despite not being able to speak sentences in English, he sought out a way to help others in his community.
One week hammering in nails, playing fútbol with the neighborhood kids, and working for something greater than yourself does something to a young man; it taught me to find joy in the little things in life, to be grateful for everything regardless of the situation, and to always seek out ways to serve others. While I did not overcome much adversity, I learned a lot from those who did.
