Hello all! I would like to start with, I'm really not natural at writing, I find it really hard so any help you can give is great.
I CANNOT for the life of me answer the culture question.
--Intro that I'm really not sure about--
I can't tell you how many times I've been scrutinized after telling someone my plan to major in design. It's easy to overlook what truly matters in life: happiness. It took me a long time to come to terms with the terrifying realization that design was my key to self-fulfilment. Though I knew it wouldn't be easy, I was determined, that pursuing an education in my passion would not only lead me to stability, but more importantly happiness.
Through the Running Start program at Columbia Basin College (CBC), I began my college career as a high school senior. Admittedly, my first year was a struggle as I wasn't prepared for what college had in store or how difficult it would be for me to maintain high academic performance. While working full-time, and struggling with issues my family life presented, my grades were reflective of my challenges during my first spring quarter . However, I was more determined than ever to reach my, when I returned to CBC the following fall quarter, I was even more determined to reach my academic and career goals and continue my education in Graphic Design.
As a first generation, low-income college student paying for and navigating my way through higher education has been extremely challenging. I lived at home with my mother and younger siblings when I first attended. My mother worked nights as a bartender. She wasn't perfect; her greatest battle was raising us as a single mother and struggled emotionally and financially. For most of my life the responsibility to feed my siblings, put them to bed, and get them up and ready for school in the mornings impacted my education and this was also true while attending CBC. Quite often I would miss school if my mother was unable to come home as someone needed to be there to care for my brother. As my mother's wages did not meet all our financial needs, I also worked full-time. Despite these challenges, I persevered and managed to achieve high academic standards and carry a 3.48 college level GPA. I struggled at times, but kept focused on my goals as I know that the key to quality of life is obtaining higher education. Although I have had obstacles and challenges along the way, I am very grateful for my family, especially my mother. The way we live and what we have accomplished together has taught me to be organized, responsible, and strong. I am a leader and I am proud to be a role model for my siblings to follow.
I've always known I love creating art. My earliest memory of this was doodling my own custom 150 Pokémon (a Japanese cartoon that was popular in the late 90's), creating cards for them with their own powers and personalities. Pokémon seems silly now looking back on how much it all meant to me; but exemplifies that even as a child I was passionate about art. From there on, art never left me. I always carried a sketchbook wherever I went and worked hard to develop as an artist. At my first job as an Assistant Teacher at the YMCA, I took it upon myself to plan artistic activities to try to inspire self expression with the children I worked with. I helped coordinate art shows by organizing, labeling and hanging their art work. In the little spare time that I had, I also worked with a group called "Atmosphere" where we designed shirts for local business and donated the proceeds. It took time to understand how to apply my talents to what most people would call "a real job", but when I opened the door to the world of Graphic and Web Design, something inside me clicked and a beautiful relationship began.
While attending CBC, I have excelled in all of my art and graphic design classes, furthering developing my skills within the arts. My goal at CBC is to obtain my associate in arts and sciences degree and satisfy prerequisites for transfer to the University of Washington. My ultimate plan is to earn my bachelor's degree in Visual Communication and Design. In 2012 I secured an internship in Web & Graphic Design for Terra Blanca Winery & Estate Vineyard and soon after completing my internship, I was offered a full time position. My experience with this company has helped me grasp a realistic idea of what my future will look like and has prepared me to enter into this major.
By taking the courses necessary to satisfy my prerequisites at CBC, I am prepared to move on to a university. My dream is to start out working for a company where I will gain experience in my chosen career field and then work toward my own design business to provide top quality designs to a wide variety of clients. The University of Washington is a prestigious school, one that has top notch programs, and excellent instructors who can expose me to the many facets of graphic art and design. These aspects were very important to me when I was planning my educational path, and will help me greatly to me fully explore my creative interests, and to build a career for myself in the workforce.
You need to work on the transitions. There is a lot that you are required to put in the essay, but you have to have flow between the topics. How do they relate?
Overall, I liked essay just work on the "connections".
For the culture essay, you could talk about your family's culture: their culture and values to persevere in hard times, their work ethic, etc.. If you have a close knit community at school, talk about what you have learned from others helping one another. You could really use anything that relates to a community whether family, friends, religion, school, or work.
Please review my essay. Its labeled "How to make my essay..." -Thanks
