“Back in the days when I was young I’m not a kid anymore
But some days I sit and wish I was a kid again
Back in the days when I was young I’m not a kid anymore
But some days I sit and wish I was a kid again
Back in the days”
I was fortunate enough to spend the last week in my hometown; Miami. During my visit, I had the opportunity to visit family and reflect. My mother recently decided to move in with her longtime boyfriend so I was faced with the gargantuan task of looking through all of my old belongings and engage in some early “spring cleaning.” The pictures, letters, poems, and notebooks I found along with my interactions with those close to me allowed me to deeply contemplate how much I’ve grown and changed. During this reflection period I could only wonder what has remained the same. As I went through the last box, I found an early draft of my college entrance essay. It blew my mind how connected my essay was to the work I’m doing now and to the things I value most. Somehow, at 16 I had captured the essence of the worldview that has shaped my life over the last 9 years. I have copied the essay below along with the original grammar errors and diction faux pas:
“I was born in New York, lived in Colombia, and raised mostly in Miami. For a major part of my life I was exposed only to a Colombian/Hispanic culture and point of view. This was all I knew and this is what I believed to be America. From Salsa music, to arepas for breakfast, to going to church on Sundas as a family, this is how I thought every American lived. It wasn’t until my trip last year to the National Youth Leadership Forum that I was formally introduced to the real America; a diverse community filled with different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. I learned that it was a blend of all these and how they can work together in somewhat of a harmony that makes up our country and is the ultimate goal of mankind. You see its not fame, fortune, and materialistic things that we are in need of; it’s an understanding of our surroundings, the people around us, and the ability to interact and live in harmony with our fellow man that should be the goal of every human being.
On my trip, I was put in a series of simulations with a diverse group of people, each of which represented a different aspect of American society. From William, the JROTC conservative Anglo American, to Doralicia, the Hispanic from a broken family like mine, I was able to listen and share my views on modern politics, society, religion, and major issues which affect us all, no matter what culture or ethnicity you are from. For example, one hot topic at the time was the war in Iraq. Within the simulation there were supporters of Presidents Bush, anti Bush advocates, Europeans, Americans, Hispanics, and even descendants of people from the Middle East. Our sharing of views, ideas, and possible solutions opened my eyes to the idea of collaborating with one another to create more widely accepted truths or ideas achieved through listening an speaking. This showed me the importance of diversity. When you live or surround yourself by a diverse environment you enable yourself to hear various opinions and beliefs and this in turn gives a better perspective of the world.
Aside from developing my leadership qualities and my ability to work in a group, this trip gave me something rarely acquired in this lifetime: a new perspective of the world around me. I learned to use my diplomatic negotiating skills to work in a diverse environment and come to an amicable solution or conclusion when working with someone who has different ideas than my own. It’s these recently acquired abilities couple with my will to work hard and ambition that I believe make me a good candidate for your learning institution. My ability to work well with others and cooperate with my community along with the education that your school can give me is what I want out of my college experience.”
After my initial shock at the poor writing, I was stunned at how aligned my thinking was with my current mindset and worldview. Today, I work in a Charter Network of schools that are Intentionally Diverse. We value diversity in an age where school segregation levels are rivaling those of the Plessy v. Ferguson days. I hope to make this 16 year old dreamer proud of the work that I do and hopefully make him a better writer in the process!