Admissions Essay - Discipline and Perseverance
Pounding, rushing footsteps started to close in on me. The roar of the crowd echoed, as I extended my hand to receive the baton that signaled my turn to run. As I tightly wrapped my fingers around it, I felt the wind rush around me, and my tired legs started to carry me faster than I ever dreamed possible. As I rounded the final stretch of track I remember battling fatigue by contemplating two paths: slow down and give up my chance of winning to gain momentary comfort, or push myself even harder and give up momentary comfort to receive greater rewards later. I chose the second path and later held a trophy that represented my perseverance and hard work. The years of running - consistently choosing the second path - have taught me discipline and perseverance. These qualities will help me cross a different finish line and achieve a new goal: becoming a doctor.
I have had to learn to budget my time to meet the demands of school, training programs, and volunteer activities. Although I trained and ran at least thirty miles a week throughout college, I also served as a big sister to Kelly, an abused child, and worked in a hospital trauma unit and as a medical assistant in an OB/GYN clinic. My most satisfying volunteer activity, however, was participating in mission work in Mexico City.
In Mexico City I continually saw young children whose suffering was overwhelming. These children had never received vaccinations, were lice-infested, and suffered from malnutrition. They also frequently had infections that antibiotics can easily treat, but due to poverty were left untreated. For a week our team worked feverishly to see as many children as possible and treat them to the best of our abilities. I will never forget the feeling of complete fulfillment after a long day of using my talents for the betterment of others. The desire to replicate this feeling strengthens my commitment to becoming a physician.
Isaac Asimov once said, "It has been my philosophy on life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly." Difficulties have tested my commitment. In September 1992, at the beginning of the running season I developed a severe case of mono. My doctors advised me to drop out of school for a semester and not run for at least four months.
... through their knowledge, the way for economic and cultural elevation for the black masses.
In Erik Gellman’s book Death Blow to Jim Crow: The National Negro Congress and the Rise of Militant Civil Rights, he sets out with the argument that the National Negro Congress co-aligned with others organizations in order to not only start a militant black-led movement for equal rights, but also eventually as the author states they “launch the first successful industrial labor movement in the US and remake urban politics and culture in America”. The author drew attention to the wide collection of intellectuals from the black community, labor organizers, civil rights activists, and members of the communist party, to separate them from similar organization that might have been active at the time. These activists, he argues “remade the American labor movement into one that wielded powerful demands against industrialists, white supremacists, and the state as never before, positioning civil rights as an urgent necessity.” In Gellman’s study of the National Negro Congress, he is able to discuss how they were able to start a number of grassroots protest movements to disable Jim Crow, while unsuccessful in dealing a “death blow to Jim Crow”, they were able to affect the American labor movement.
The history of the N.A.A.C.P. dates back to the early 20th century. The organization was founded in 1909 by Mary White Ovington. Ovington had read an article from the New York Post entitled “Race War in the North,” written by William English Walling. Ovington became inspired to learn more about the African-American situation, and set up a meeting with Walling in New York. On February 12th, 1909, approximately 20 or so members met and formed the National Association for the Advancement of Co...
A huge part of the story showed how a person could overcome all the odds to become successful is feats such as sports and other activities. Most sports champions show great endurance to win many competitions. Similarly, Hillenbrand indicated that Louis, a competitive runner, trained until “he (had) rubbed the skin right off one of his toes, (leaving) his sock bloody” (Hillenbrand 23). As a result of all the hard work, Louis overcome struggles such as a bleeding shin, broken ribs, and a damaged toe to set time records for many races. In my experiences, I see many people take sports and other extra-curricular activities as a burden without embracing the challenges. In contrast, Louis illustrates the rare athlete and human being who seeks solutions to
Success in life is related to the achievement of individual goals, short and long term. Success has historically been related to the measurable cognitive functions such as IQ and talent. However in more modern time’s there has been a shift towards the idea that developmental non-cognitive factors, such as grit and self-control, may have an impact on the level of success that an individual achieves. Non-cognitive factors such as grit and self-control are somewhat related but also distinct from one another, they may have an important connection to levels of success throughout the stages of life from childhood to adulthood.
While maintaining environmental awareness, Medshare truly strives to provide healthcare to developing communities in need around the world. In addition to providing tools and equipment, Medshare strives to educate and send Medical Mission Teams to the countries that they work with in order to maintain consistent medical care for the people of that region. Alone, knowing that the work that we were doing held true significance behind the health of an individual I will never meet was incredible. The experience of working at Medshare was quite humbling, I am currently less than an hour away from the nearest hospital and have access to immediate care when necessary whereas the people that Medshare serves have limited if any access to medical assistance. As cliche as it may sound, I often overlook how fortunate I am to have access to educated healthcare professionals within the United States. Volunteering at Medshare simply furthered my longing to work in the medical field, while also opening my eyes to the work that I could potentially do internationally. Although the work that we did seemed so insignificant, but the impact that it will have on others lives is quite
Joan of Arc was born in a small village that that laid between both occupied French and Burgundians (who were loyal to the English) territories called Domremie in 1412. Her parents were very devoutly religious who were farmers and her father also performed tax collecting and headed the local watch for protection of the village. Joan was very young and started hearing voices calling for her to assist the French army and the Dauphin (the uncrowned king of France), Charles VII. Those voices were said to be of St. Michael, St Catherine, and St. Margaret. In 1428 Joan of Arc traveled to Vaucouleurs and asked for permission to talk with the Dauphin and was turned away. One year later she returned and was finally heard.
The Vikings were a ruthless people. A historian by the name of Sherma tells the story of the ruthlessness of the Vikings, “The mother of all churches, . . . was taken and plundered by the Moors . . . moreover, [the Vikings] slaughtered all the Christians whom they found” (87). The Vikings were a fearsome people who made plundering and killing a way of life. The Norse were also heavily feared by the Christians. “The heathen from the North wrought havoc in Christendom as usual and grew greater in strength” (Sherma 87).
Standing at the starting line of the full marathon I felt anxious and nervous. Not only was I excited to accomplish this goal, but also I was nervous about the difficulty of this task. However, when I crossed the finish line and accomplished this goal, I realized that a new and possibly more difficult goal was about to start. This goal was not only to complete Physician Assistant School but it was to strive to excel in a career as a Physician Assistant in a rural primary care setting. Driven by my intrinsic personal traits of leadership, compassion, and commitment, I am motivated to achieve this goal of excelling in my career as a Physician Assistant.
It all began when I started volunteering in Los Angeles, with my mother at Asian Pacific Health Care Clinic. Asian Pacific Health Care Clinic is a clinic for low-income families who were in need of vaccinations and other health care services. One day my mom received a phone call from the clinic and asked me to go volunteer with her. Since that day, I would have never guessed that it will impact my decision in pursuing my career as a nurse. I was assigned to help patients fill out vaccination forms, translate verbally, and assist the nurses who were in need of my help. I noticed the joy on each patient’s face once they were finished their vaccinations, and it made me happy to know I put a smile on people 's face after their vaccinations. Since that day, I have grown a passion for volunteering and helping others. Another factor that drew me to the nursing profession, was when I volunteered at a
We tried sending her packages but they never reached her. In order to provide basic educational supplies, I needed to pack my bags and go there. During this trip I contracted a parasite, which lead me to experiences as a patient in the hospital for a couple weeks. Until this point in my life had never felt completely helpless, powerless and disabled. Teams of health care workers came to my rescue. The ensuing illness and recovery left me with indelible memories of the compassion, empathy, and hard work of the numerous kind faced providers. I was left feeling that my care and recovery was enhanced by the team centered approach and this experience, combined with my academic interests, and passion for community service set me firmly on the path of pursuing a career in health care.
Volunteering in the Pediatrics Department at Aga Khan University Hospital in 2003, one of the largest hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan was a defining moment for me. The compassion and tirelessness with which doctors treated cancer children and their incessant pursuit of giving better health treatment to patients amazed me. This was an experience that cemented my resolve to pursue medicine.
When Joan was 13 years old she began to hear voices and see visions. She saw in her visions the archangel, Jesus, and two saints who were to guide her on her journey through history from a simple shepherdess, to a war hero, to a saint. “Joan began to hear voices, which she determined had been sent by God to give her a mission of overwhelming importance.” (History.com.) The Archangel gave Joan specific instructions “to relieve the siege of Orleans, to lead the Dauphin to Reims where he would be crowned, and to drive the English at last from France.” (Williams Pg.20)
Discipline is training that makes people more enthusiastic to obey or able to switch themselves, often in the form of rules, and sentences if these are broken or the behavior produced by this training.
I believe that hard work is the real treasure of a person because without hard work we cannot achieve our dreams and goals in life. No one can achieve success without doing hard work. It starts when we stop looking for alternatives or shortcuts towards success. We need to remember that there are no short cuts to success. Hard work, complimented with an intense desire to struggle and to achieve success is the only sure way of reaching success that you have always wanted. Hard work is one of the secret for us to be successful in life. Laziness and sluggishness makes one’s life a curse and only hard work can make your life a blessing. We cannot work hard if we don’t have goals. The meaning of goal according to Wikipedia is a desired result of a