Personal Narrative: My Educational Journey

My educational journey can be described perfectly by this analogy: I was given broken crayons expected to draw a house and a dog with black and white spots, but instead I created a mansion with stained glass windows and added a terrace with porch lights. Others always expected me to do the average, but I always surpassed their expectations--thus making the ordinary, extraordinary. My educational journey began at Ludwig Van Beethoven, my neighborhood elementary school. Unfortunately, the school’s accessibility from my grandmother’s house was the only factor considered when enrolling me and my other sixteen aunts, uncles, and cousins. The school had a very low budget which reflected the resources and neighborhood I grew up in. The class sizes

were stupendous and lacked necessary tools like laptops and stable desk. If I was not focused and motivated I could easily be lost in a class with fifty nine other students. This experience was hard but a necessary one for me to endure because it has molded me into a dedicated,humble, and grateful student. In class, I always participated, asked for help, stayed after class for additional assistance, and advanced to higher level classes if a class no longer challenged me. Because I took advantage of these opportunities I was able to succeed in every grade passing with all honors and eventually appointed as valedictorian.Today, I still possess these qualities in highschool as I participate in a variety of clubs both academic and social. When I was younger, if I had not learned the benefit of having resources available or help provided I would not have been as successful as I am now or as appreciative when they arise. My most recent example, that exemplifies how my proactiveness lead to a favorable outcome, is last summer when I traveled abroad to China to study chinese language intensively; This was only available because I chose to continue studying chinese past the two year language requirement. In these instances, I have been rewarded with more knowledge just because I took advantage of what was initially provided. My perseverance to attain and retain knowledge has assured me that I will continue to be dedicated and diligent as a member of the Myra Craft Transitional Year Program. I want to advance my comprehension of all subjects, especially those that I understand poorly, so this program would be a tremendous aid in helping me to accomplish this goal while studying at Brandeis.