This essay is supposed to encompass us as a person and showcase our values and qualities. To write this essay we used the book “College Essay Essentials” and created many drafts. Since people used this essay on their Common App, it needed to hit many different things and be well rounded. We started by identifying if we had specific hardships we wanted to mention if we knew what career we wanted to pursue or if we had neither of those. Based on that we chose a writing style that would best fit our experience. I feel like this essay does a good job of showing what my values are and who I am. I wrote it through the perspective of reading and how that gave me certain traits and strengths.
If I could have any superpower, I would choose the coolest one: teleportation. One second I’d be sitting in my room avoiding my calculus homework, worried about navigating friendships and missing best friends, and the next I’d be in a different world completely. I'm lucky because I already have this power—not literally, but it sure feels like it. Whenever I read I’m thrown into new atmospheres, with new friends and challenges.
Some people read to better themselves or gain knowledge, while I read to escape into a different world. Recently, my two best friends moved away for college while I started senior year, making my life lonely and slightly depressing. For some, reading is a chore or a task but for me, it is an adventure that lets me escape the solitude that has taken over my life. I think to myself, where do I want to be right now? Who do I want to live as? And then I open that book and there I am. I can replace those now far away friends with exciting characters from books who can make the world seem less lonely. My problems turn from long-distance friendships, loneliness, and essay writing to fighting vampires with Edward, or dancing at balls with stuck-up Mr. Darcy. I'm able to melt away from the place I'm in and become this new person. I feel what they are feeling and work through their set of problems. I am the heroine that everyone loves and will prevail in the end. This love of reading and entering a new world has shaped me into the person that I am today.
I think my vivid imagination helps me a great deal in being empathetic. In ASB, our high school leadership class, we mainly talk about ways we can bring the student body together as well as promote school spirit through hosting events around campus that all types of students can participate in. In the rally/spirit committee, we specifically focus on underclassmen because they are often more unsure about their status. In my mind, I'm in that person's body. I feel their lack of confidence and stress about school functions. By being able to put myself in the person's shoes, I can empathize with their experiences and better help them. When planning, I can tailor aspects of activities in hopes that people will feel more comfortable, have more spirit, and enjoy the school community. Such as, when an underclassman let me know that they didn't know how to act at rallies I was able to purchase leis for everyone that matched that spirit day theme. Every person had something to hold on to and be a part of the experience. I love to view and take into account someone else's experience because even though most times, it is just words on a page or a scenario in my mind, it opens my eyes to others’ circumstances.
My superpower has made me far more adaptable as well. My brain is crowded with quests like fighting in the Hunger Games, social scenes, quidditch games, and other scenarios from my favorite novels. I take this vast knowledge and tweak it so it can work for my life. I'm not living in the 1800s and looking for a husband, or dating a teenage vampire with a werewolf best friend. Even so, I am able to use their experiences to better my life by finding attributes that help me. It almost feels like I have lived hundreds of lives and now get to channel it all into this one. I can connect with so many more people because of the books I’ve read. Because of the extensive reading and creation I have done, I have gained more independence, kindness, and understanding of others. Literature has helped me teleport to new worlds and enables me to understand how I influence and change the world around me.