In English, I got to reflect on my past as I presented myself for the future. In class, we read College Essay Essentials by Ethan Sawyer in order to help us write a more compelling piece.
Core Values
The first exercise was to brainstorm some core values that I have and some ‘essence objects’ that embody me. That second part, which at first felt cliché, actually let me find some details about myself that I otherwise take for granted and wouldn’t think about (and thus wouldn’t present to others in my works). I also added on to this list after remembering things further along in my projects, allowing me to think about even more aspects connected to what I already was presenting. Here are some highlights:
Core Values:
- Legacy – Can I preserve others’ legacies? Will I have one? Will at least I remember the things I did?
- Harmony – Community isn’t about being homogeneous, it’s about fitting together.
- Adaptability – I should be able to navigate both expected and unexpected changes in situation.
- Complexity – You’ll notice a lot of my essence object descriptions have the word “but”.
- Integrity – Can I be trusted to do the right thing; to help others and be responsible for myself? I want to trust others that way.
Essence Objects:
- Ty Pluffies – an old line of stuffed animals that are flexible but also stand on their own. My mom insists that they are Beanie Babies and they absolutely are not.
- Uno wild card – it has the potential to be any color when it’s in your hand but at the end of the day, when played, can only be one.
- Pilot Shaker – it’s completely functional as a mechanical pencil but also has a quirk which I often forget to use.
- ACT Club pin – I was in a lunchtime club where my membership got me lunch line priority but I never took advantage of that privilege. I still have the pin even though it lacks even a potential use.
College Essay
I won’t go into full detail with my essay, but it was challenging to weave different values into something that a reader could follow. Originally, there was no tension in my piece, as I did not set up any problem to solve. I ended up having to scrap my essay and start over with one that had a more compelling story while still connecting constantly to different values. That type of writing was outside of my comfort zone and it took a lot of coaching to get information and feelings out of me. I still enjoyed the experience, though. With the small word limit, it was interesting to load every sentence. I’m grateful I got the time in class to focus on this, and the feedback from Mr. Grecko was also very valuable.