Firstly, I am a Bay Area native, daughter, friend and sister who deeply cares and thrives off my passion and the connections I make with the people around me. This passion towards the connections and impact I make with people and for people stems from growing up with two sets of relatives, one biological and one adopted. Due to being adopted, by parents sent me to a girls adoption group where I met other girl’s my age and was able to find support for not only talking about my adoption, but dealing with internal and external struggles by obtaining tools to better deal with hardships and to communicate with others. I can honestly say that I am a better person because of the support of the group and I feel that it is a big part of the person …show more content…
I am today. Two such I have personally faced and struggled with where meeting my birth mother and dealing with and accepting that my birth dad passed away and that I will never get to meet him. Although I no longer attend these girls group in the same role, for the past two years I have helped co facilitate them, which has been a gratifying and stimulating experience and a way to give back to a community that changed my life when I was younger. Additionally, a great part of my personal identification derives from my love of building and being a part of a genuine communities bigger than myself. I have found this in my own life through my friends at my high school, Piedmont High, and middle school. I discovered that when I am with people that I truly care about and that I know will not judge me for my quirky and often boisterous behavior that I have been able to develop myself without fear or inhibition. Another significant component of myself and a way that I have been able to connect with my loved ones is my fascination with history and studying the human behavior and its patterns throughout the ages, which I feel has the ability to be translated into growth in ones own life. One of my favorite ways to relax is to sit with a cup of tea in my hand with my Mom and enjoy a good period drama or sit with my friends and share in the despair or merriment of a film. Although, this lifetime love has not only been a relaxing part of my life, but an active and growth inducing one. Through my love of history, I have recently gotten into acting and improvisation, which also is a personal way to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone and positively impact the lives of individuals I would not normally gravitate towards. Also, it has allowed me to step outside my own hectic life full of screens and focus on the links between myself and other human beings. Also, I have had to accept looking silly in front in front of people, let go of fears that hinder development and to internalize that mistakes are natural, but instances to be learned from. A further huge slice of my identity is my love of creating and molding my vision through ceramics. The feeling of sculpting and creating a physical manifestation of a self created and unique design calms and focuses me at the same time as it thrills and invigorates me.
Additionally, I have also found and sense of accomplishment and empowerment of being able to generate a piece of art completely from my own two hands with the collaboration of my peers and friends. Another budding interest of mine is music. Throughout my life, I have enjoyed the emotions and message in embedded in music. There is nothing better than getting lost in your favorite song or singing along to a catchy tune with my friends in the car. Furthermore, music has been a way for me to distress and get away from screens. Lastly, to end on a less serious and analytical note, I am the definition of a nerdy cat lady, which is a running joke between my mother and I. This was created from our joint love of our cats, Milo and Marmalade, us bonding over our mutual enjoyment of period dramas and classical films and my taste in old music. Putting aside that I can never convey my entire being through words, I hope that this was informative. In conclusion, I am a not only excited to develop and grow these parts of myself and my entire self, but to discover new elements and capabilities that I can utilize to better as an individual and all the individuals and communities I …show more content…
affect. An accomplishment that is important to me is my co leadership of a discussion and activities with my peers at my high school concerning racism.
Through this, I learned a lot about not only racism, but how to communicate and step into a leadership role at my school. Although this scared me, I fought through y fear of public speaking, empowering me through increased confidence in myself and sense of giving back to one of my communities. Additionally, I am currently helping to create the world of the Dickens Fair, which takes individuals in San Francisco into the Victorian street of London. I know that I will find joy and personal maturation not only through stepping outside of my comfort zone, but by acting with the audience in character and being doing so creating a magical world which people can find joy in. Also, I will also find happiness doing this because the Dickens Fair has the capability to transport people and immerse them in an age not ruled by cellphones and device, but one were the connections we make with human beings are the focus. Also, like I described earlier and will further elaborate on in a later question, I have accomplished co leading a girls adoption group and through that helped build a supportive and safe community. Also, it has challenged me as I have to help deal with the conflicts the girls are experiencing and communicate with them effectively and with compassion. Lastly, I have accomplished a full year of playing on my high school’s soccer team.
Although this might seem like a short amount of time, during that season, I was pushed mentally and intellectually. I struggled to juggle soccer at the same time as being fully engaging myself in learning in school. I feel pride in this achievement because through this difficult and taxing experience, I learned not only the importance of determination and perseverance, but communicating with my fellow teammates and coaches. These skills have carried over in other aspects of my life past soccer, allowing for wide spread growth. I find it rewarding, inspiring and a joy to be with children, yet at times a challenge, which I believe is necessary for personal growth. Because of this, I am enlivened at the idea of working and living with children on a daily basis. Although, I recognize that this is different from the community at Augusta, I have worked with kids in a adoption therapy setting. Through this, I have found a stimulating and engaging connection with children where I develop my ability to offer support and communicate with them. During group, I have helped lead girls through role plays, art therapy and discussions about ways to deal with hardships and communication. By doing this work, I know that I am helping girls, which I find gratifying. I vividly remember I day when the girls learned that I was not going to attend the end of group party and they expressed their sorry at this and one girl hugged me, which touched me greatly. Through camp and going through therapy I have been able to grow an immeasurable amount as a person, which is why I am want to give aid and nurture the same positive development in kids. I firmly believe that this creativity and introspective growth and helping the girl’s understand how to connect with others in a healthy way can translate to life at camp. I will deal with the time management part of circle by organizing and breaking up parts of it so that it is more manageable. Also, I will look at my schedule for the week and plan accordingly so that I can work on and complete CIRCLE work during less stressful and packed times. Honestly, I know that this will be difficult, but I find enjoyment and fulfillment in the reflection, growth and work of CIRCLE so I know that I have the capability undertake this. Moreover, if I become stuck or I am in need of help I will ask the support and help of my friends. By doing this, I will be able to verbalize my thoughts and discuss topics with them. Often, I find that this enables me to move past mental block, answer questions and consequently allow me to move forward and continue being productively. Additionally, if the work load is becoming too much to handle, I will also communicate with my family to find support and guidance there, which can give another view or perspective on possible options to alleviate stress. For example because of CIRCLE I have talked with my Mother about shifting chore duties this week so that I can produce the best work on both sides. Although my parents have not gone through the exact same experience, they have a lot of life practice with needing to be time sufficient. Furthermore, if I am becoming overwhelmed I will also email the CIRCLE leaders to get further advice, brainstorm solutions and have a conversation about what is proving difficult for me so that I remain healthy and find the most growth and development from the work and stimulus. If needed, during this interchange I will ask for an extensions so that, like I stated earlier, I can develop and gain the greatest amount possible.
Later that year, I was accepted into Spanish Honors Society, a volunteer based program to help out the Spanish communities near my school along with volunteering to help raise money for organizations that help less developed countries. One particular project that I helped raise money for through Spanish Honors Society, was Project Running Waters. The money raised for this event was donated to help people living in Guatemala receive fresh water through pipe systems that would be built. We raised over one thousand dollars to donate to this cause. Knowing that I can positively impact individuals in my community and in other countries makes me feel like I have grown maturely and am able to understand what needs to be done to make a difference to
Being in a school that brought students from various counties and cities with different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives, opened my eyes to seeing just how diverse humanity is. In a time when everyone is struggling with personal problems, I know how monumental a simple volunteer act can be. One of my favorite acts of service is tutoring. I tutored an elementary-aged girl for two years in Fort Lee and I will always remember those two years as the most fulfilling. Education is so precious, and children are the most open to it. Not only was I able to teach her math and reading comprehension skills, but how to carry herself as a smart and extraordinarily capable young lady. In return, she taught me patience and how sometimes you just need to approach a problem differently to see the
In Fu-Je Chen’s article About Parental Voices in Adoption Narratives, Chen analyzes the way society has typically seen adoption and the role of single parents in the literary world. In the literature, society’s standards for men and women still exist, men are supposed to be the strong, testosterone driven providers, but Chen describes how they are often “first denied expressions of their emotional wounds (Chen 2)”. After Silas is shunned from Lantern Yard he had lost his reputation and had to start again, he hides himself away after arriving in Raveloe, trying to protect himself from being hurt once again. He tries to keep up to society’s standards of men having to be strong and stoic whenever they are hurt, like an injured animal that hides
The idea of adoption has been around far longer than the formal legal system of adoption in place today. In the bible, there is a passage detailing the adoption of Ester by her cousin, Mordecai, after the death of her parents. Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Babylonians all had their own systems of adoption. Adoption systems differ from country to country. United States citizens who internationally adopt today allow for the blending of cultures, languages, traditions, and ideals. In contrast, the practice of adult adoption in Japan is a particularly interesting system used quite differently and reflects a lot of traditional Japanese culture itself.
These events have lead me to become more confident when speaking. With this ability, I have become better able to pursue my dreams. For example, after the first year I participated in the leadership development competition, I decided to run for a position as an FFA officer. I now hold the vice president position for the Rockwall FFA chapter. While I participated in these events last year, our chapter won district sweepstakes and I have been further motivated to continue my involvement in FFA.
Life is like a river, there twist and turns and you never know what's next. My life took a turn for the best, even when I thought it wouldn't. Adopting is a process of moving homes and living with another family. There's so many things you have to do when you go though adoption. When I was 4 my "real" mom put me up for adoption to a friend of my "real" aunt. I remember a lady come by my aunts house when I was over to pick up my cousin. I had wanted to go with her so bad and have fun like my cousin, but in the long run, it helped me.
At first, I had a hard time trying to find an older person to interview, because I did not want to interview my family since I’ve lived with them my whole life. While I was getting ready to interview my friend’s parent, I started reading the questions to myself, and I realized that I do not know the answer to them if I ask my parents. I chose to interview my mother because I have never sat down with her and have a serious deep conversation with her. I realized that I am closer to her than my father, but I’m not as close as I thought I was with her, and it broke my heart when I finally realized that. At the age she is, I finally realized that I have been taking advantage of her and I refused to live this way with her. This interview was emotional for both of us, and it also brought us closer to each other. I am so grateful and happy I did this interview with her.
On stage, I anticipated third place, but was once again stunned when I placed second. This whole experience was life changing. Working for the National FFA Convention, I developed a work ethic to stick to something, and to do my best, even if it seems impossible. I also gained communication skills, and the ability to work outside my comfort zone. Even now it is hard for me to interact with others, but this accomplishment taught me that I can do hard things and I can communicate effectively. I learned how to perform research and express my findings. This experience was also very valuable for it directed me to my career path. It opened up doors as to my abilities, and gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams without fear. It taught me that failures happen, but enduring effort will turn failure into success. In my interviews, I learned that complete honesty is far better than false cover-ups. I became the person I am now because I was blessed with the experience. This project for some may be seen as a great award, but for me it's an invaluable occurrence which had more life skills and experience than a piece of paper can ever
I remember the day she born. I was nervous for the simple fact that my life would never be the same. Soon no longer would I be known as just Ayanna, I would take on a new title. A title that I would share with so many woman, and after eight long hours of labor, I would now be known to the world as mommy.
Some people, some great people deserve to live forever, or at least die in a worthy or in a fulfilling way. I just got the short end of the bargain, I just got one of the worst things on this earth, cancer. Anyone can get the disease, but the way I see it, it seems unfair and unruly that pure souls could end up with a painful and undeserving demise. Unfortunately, I was one of those pure souls.
A new year had just arrived. I can still picture January in my mind, the mood was sullen and dark, I could feel the cold reaching my bones, but now I know that was the best feeling I‘d ever had. I had only a few weeks left to start college, which had been my dream since I can remember. My dad had already paid for my tuition, I was so exited I had promised to do my best. Then, I realized there was an obstacle in my way. I knew I needed to make a decision on whether or not keeping my pregnancy, it sounds rough, but it was definitive. I did not want to miss school, so I was definitely not taking this to the last term. I just could not think of myself being prostrated in bed for so long, as an impediment to start school. Never, nothing would make me give up on my dreams, and that was another promise I had made to myself.
Some of my classmates shared personal stories that helped me understand the realities of discrimination and inequality in our society, and I am so grateful that they wanted others to learn through their stories. I got to explore many of my classmates' professions and see which companies were attempting to be just and equal for
Misconceptions happen everyday in different situations, for example, not understanding a topic, hearing the wrong story, or not knowing the full story. Many people who hold misconceptions do not even know that their ideas are false or incorrect. A stereotype can be formed or made by an individual who is unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information they need to make a fair judgement about people or situations. Stereotypes occur because one forms opinions about other people based on their looks, appearance, and so on. An individual can stereotype a person who might be a member of a group who they have not had firsthand contact with before. Stereotypes are basically generalizations that are made about groups. A disadvantage about stereotyping is that it makes us ignore differences between individuals, therefore we think things about individuals that might not be true. One disadvantage about misconceptions is that it can place an individual to believe a story that is not fully understanded. One common misconception is that individuals see that child adoption is wrong, when in reality it becomes a miracle to many families.
I am the third child out of four in my family, I have one older sister, an older brother and then a younger brother. I was born on January 20th 1997 in Clinton, Ontario. This means I was probably conceived the middle of May sometime. My mother did not take pre-natal pills before I was born because I was not really expected, but she was taking vitamins during this time to stay healthy. My mother did see our family physician while she was pregnant with me. She saw the doctor every month for the first and second trimester and then she saw him every other week in the last trimester. In these checkups they would see if I was gaining weight, check blood pressure, blood levels and just to see if everything was healthy. My mom did not have any screening tests done to see if there was anything wrong because it was not very common to get screening done in our
Last year I was able to work with a group to teach others about issues dealing with the children of today. I was approached by a group to put on an eight-hour seminar that concerns children. No one was sure what they wanted except that it would be with a church group that had a day care that operated during the day. I decided to take on the project and began to do my research.