College Essays

In applying to various colleges, I have been asked to write many essays to give them a better idea of who I am as a person. Here is a short essay I just wrote for my application to Stanford University:

What is meaningful? While one person might propose “meaningful” as a suggestion of success or accomplishment, another might argue “meaningful” is merely something that exists, or has meaning. To me, “meaningful” signifies a person, place, or event that has added value, created purpose, or fashioned character in my life. One such meaningful experience occurred this last June in the impoverished town of Rosarito, Mexico.

After months of fundraising, spiritual preparation, and nearly an 18 hour bus ride later I found myself setting up camp on a plateau in the middle of a desert near Rosarito, Mexico. Nearly 100 other high school-age kids from my church had made the same decision to forgo the comforts of their lives in Southern Oregon to construct eight homes for eight needy families. Through the process of building a home for a Mexican family I encountered a life changing experience. I can’t recall ever working so hard and yet, having so much fun. I discovered that in serving others and giving of myself that I was paid back in riches far greater than material wealth. In doing this mission trip, I accomplished my greatest success in doing something that impacted me deeply, something that will have a long term effect on the lives of others, leaving me with a tremendous sense of self satisfaction that will stay with me for a life time.