LATEST PROJECTS
Project | 01
College Essay
Ever since I was a little girl, I was constantly saying hello and goodbye to my temporary brothers and sisters. My mom mom, who lives with me, was a foster care mother and over the years she had over 65 children in her care. When I was little, I was too young to understand why these children’s parent did not want them, but as I grew up I realized that these parents were not fit to raise a child. When I was in the fifth grade, a newborn named Gabe was brought into my mom mom’s care. He was shaking vigorously and he could not stop crying. My mom tried to explain to me that Gabe was suffering withdrawal from heroin, but I still did not understand what this truly meant. The only concept that I could grasp was that Gabe’s parents were bad people who made poor decisions which is why we now had Gabe.
Gabe was a dream come true for me because I always wanted a little brother. He had the eyes of a deep, blue ocean and the curliest brown hair. Gabe suffered through a pain that no child should ever have to endeavor in their lifetime, let alone during the first through months of their life. Once all of the drugs left Gabe’s body, he was the happiest baby a family could ask for, and he was a true fighter. Growing up with Gabe taught me things you can only learn through experience. For example, to change a dirty diaper, giving a newborn a bath, and how to interact with young children. But I learned much more from Gabe than I could ever learn from a book. Gabe taught me that you cannot change the hand that has been dealt to you, but you can make every decision with what you do with that hand. In other words, Gabe did not chose to have drug addict parents that left him to the care of a stranger. But he took his disadvantage in life and made it go in his favor. Gabe beat the odds and is now living with a very loving family that provides him with everything he could ever wish for.
I created an indescribable bond with Gabe which left me heart broken for a very long time after he left. But I will forever be grateful for the impact Gabe left on me as a person. Not only did Gabe learn from me and my influence on him, but at the same time I did not realize the very important lesson Gabe taught me. Gabe taught me to be grateful for the littlest things and to never take my blessings for granted. As I said before, Gabe did not chose his parents or the situation he was forced into, but he never let the struggles in his life discourage him. He took the advantages given to him and changed the fate that everyone else had set for him.
By having Gabe in my life, I learned that I will be presented with many challenges in my lifetime, and I have two choices when this time comes. My first choice is to feel sorry for myself and runaway, and my second choice would be to face it head on with a smile on my face. Ever since Gabe left, I try not to dwell on the unchangeable factors in my life and focus on the things I can change. I try to carry this through my everyday life with the understanding that things are going to get tough, but it is completely up to me the way I allow it to impact my life
Project | 02
College Essay
The Boy Who Changed My Life
It would be a lie if I said that I was eager to go, but my mom, one way or another, was forcing me to go to the Ronald McDonald house. I was reluctant to visit the sick children because I knew it would make me sad, and I did not know if I could handle what I was about to encounter. Nervously, I walked through the threshold of the building, but after I gave the unnerving place a chance, it forever changed me as a person. After spending my Tuesday night doing arts and crafts with a little boy named Nick, I learned that I should never take for granted even the smallest things, and I should never be afraid of taking chances.
Upon my arrival, I felt something I never experienced prior to that day, which was feeling reserved. My typical outgoing, sociable self hid in the shadows while my fear of the unknown consumed my being. When I walked into the room where the children were waiting, I was ushered to a table where a little boy and his mother were already sitting down. The boy was bald and he looked very fragile. I hesitantly sat down next to him and I introduced myself.
“Hi, my name is Kylie. What is your name?” The little boy gazed at me with his sparkling blue eyes and in a little baby voice said “I am Nick. I am four years old.” Nick held up four fingers and his mother chuckled in the background.
“Hello, my name is Angie. This is my little angel Nick.” My mom began a conversation with Angie as Nick and I began to do our craft. As I watched Nick glue the googly eyes on his lion, I could not help but notice how ill he looked. But the one thing that stood out to me was the life that I saw in his eyes, and the way he could light the room with his smile. Nick had stage three cancer, but he did not let that take away his joy.
Throughout our time together, Nicolas kept telling me about a play he saw in New York City last year for his birthday; I saw the way he lit up when talking about his experience and his happiness radiated through me. But then his mother said to us when Nick was not paying attention, “His birthday is coming up next month, and I would do anything to take him to see another play but I just do not have the money for it. But at this point I do not know how many birthdays I have left with him.” When I heard Angie say this, it broke my heart. Those words would replay through my head for the rest of that night.
On the car ride home, I was overwhelmed with sadness for Nick. It was not fair that someone so young did not have the chance to pursue his dreams. I felt it was my duty as a human being to help Nick go to New York before it was too late. So to ensure that Nick got his opportunity to see The Lion King, my mother and I bought Nick and his mother two tickets to see the play on Broadway and two hundred dollars as well. I will forever be changed by that experience. I learned to not take for granted the life I have, because some people do not get the chance to truly experience the wonders of life. One little boy has changed my outlook on life and now I know that I should never miss an opportunity just because I am afraid to take risks. I will be eternally grateful for Nick and the valuable lesson he taught me.
Project | 03
Essay
I believe that social media and technology will be the downfall of our society. The mass variety of technology and all of its capabilities has caused the world to be in a frenzy and most of our human race to be addicted to our devices. Basic manners, communication, and even decent social skills have been lost all thanks to technology. The world has drastically changed since technology made it’s way into the world in good ways and bad ways.
Technology has been evolving for decades now, and it will never cease to stop as long as there is a demand for it. Technology and social media is shoved down society’s throat, and it has become an obsession for many people in this day and age. Social media, in particular, has the population incessantly thinking about what picture was just uploaded, what story was just posted on Snapchat, or what tweet was just tweeted. People rely on their technology and apps for almost everything they do in life and cannot be without them for more than one hour. Even in schools today, our education is based around online programs and systems, so much so that it has become rare to take a test with paper and pen anymore.
I am not denying that technology has not majorly advanced our world in many new, magical ways. Technology has made several advancements in the medical field, criminal justice field, science field, and almost in any field, generally speaking. But the point to be made here is when utilized properly, technology can allow the world to accomplish amazing things that will change the world as we know it. Instead, technology is abused by teenagers and adults who are always looking for a distraction from what they are supposed to be doing. Technology and social media has made the population, as a whole, unfocused and lazy.
Even from birth, technology like TV and iPads are shoved in kids’ faces to keep them from bothering their parents or being a nuisance. It is an undeniable fact that the whole world has become prisoners to their devices.
Since technology has become relevant to our world, basic manners and social/communication skills have been lost. At the rate technology is evolving, it can only be foreseen that the world will get worse in our ways as the abuse of technology continues. But in hopes the pattern will not continue, maybe there is a glimmer of hope that technology will be utilized in more positive ways than negative. Only time will tell how technology will evolve in the future and how it will continue to affect the population.