16 years, thats how long my life has been, and it has been an amazing experience.

This experience was affected by circumstances in my life. These unique circumstances

have shaped my life and given me the drive needed to complete my goals. I have
experienced many successes academically that were influenced by my uncommon
circumstances.

My life began on November 11, 1997 in Sidney, New York. The original date given to
my mother was October 31, but I was a late baby. My mother and father had just
finished moving back to their home town, from San Francisco. They realized once my
mother was pregnant that it was not financially possible for them to raise a child in the
area with the income they had. After making this realization and talking it over, they
decided to move back to my grandmothers house, what is now my home in Franklin,
NY. After I was born, my father returned to his work as a dishwasher at a college dorm
in SUNY Oneonta. My mother, however stayed out of work to raise me, I feel that this is
an important decision that improved my growth as a child. Since my mother was able to
read to me daily for hours on end. I feel that my reading comprehension skills are at a
higher level than my peers.

In March of 2003, during my Kindergarten year, I was assigned to color in a leprechaun.
I, foolishly, decided to not put any effort into my coloring. My reasoning was that I
thought simply coloring a printed out page of a leprechaun was not worth putting effort
into. My teacher called me out about this after I handed it in, giving me a new sheet to
color. She explained to me that whatever job one does, one should always put 100%
into it. This was the day I was taught why working hard, whether that work is easy or
difficult, is important.

In Fifth grade, our Social Studies teacher, Mrs. DeCarlo, gave us an extra credit
challenge. She wanted us to memorize and recite the preamble to the Constitution. My
group members in the Advanced Program held at the end of the day, decided not to try
to memorize, thinking that we all are fine on grades. When Mrs. DeCarlo learned that
we were not going to try, she brought us out to the hallway. She closed the door behind
her, preventing the others from hearing her talk with us. Out there, she lit into us, saying
we have to lead by example, regardless of the task we are doing. She demanded we
memorize the Preamble and be able to recite it the next day. This is how I learned the
value of setting a good example for others.
All of my life, I have excelled in Social Studies classes more than others. Also, I have
not always agreed with what my parents told me, which led me to arguing with them
over little things. They both said that I argued like a lawyer. In my mind, I connected
Social Studies to the Law profession, so it was a match made in heaven. From then on,
it has been a life goal to become a successful lawyer.

The last, most current and potentially most influential event in my life occurred this past
summer when I went to American University for ten days as a part of the NSLC
(National Student Leadership Program) Law and Advocacy program. There, I found out
about myself details I would not have known otherwise. While there, we did activities
that improved my life physically, mentally and emotionally. One activity taught me how
to listen to others more effectively, by making your body like a door for them to walk
into. Another, which was the main activity of the program, was our groups planning out
and completing a mock murder trial. Here is where I learned that a criminal trial lawyer
is not the specific career path for me, but I am still interested in doing something to do
with law.

So, throughout my 16 years of life, I have dealt with many situations that have changed
me and my aspirations. From my toddler years reading with my mother, to this past
summer in Washington DC, there have been many moments unique to me that have
positively affected my life. My hope is that with QuestBridge, I can go to a college where
I will experience even more amazing and life altering moments.