personal statement Essay Example

personal statement Essay personal statement BY kit-li96 Prompt #1 Step back, relax, and I will you take on a Journey. A Journey into the past, of which made me the person I am today. A childhood not so bright, but one of a very promising future. There have been times of struggle, sacrifices, and hardships, but at the end of the day What doesnt kill us can only make us stronger This name carries generations of family history and culture, NigistiAzeb Retta Adane Retta Kesaun Yelow Selassie. I was born on September 22, 1996, in Black Lion Hospital (Ethiopia). The daughter of Kiros Meresa, and Retta Adane, I was born into a olitical family, with relations to the last Emperor Haile Selassie. Most of my life I had no clue to who my dad really was. I met him for the first time when I moved to America, in 2001 with my mother. My father had an affair and contracted HIV, and died 7 years later. But, the first six months coming into the country, we were left with little money, and no place to live. The first few months the church placed us in women shelters, which allowed me to start going to school. Even though I was young I knew I had to learn English as soon as possible to teach my mother. We will write a custom essay sample on personal statement specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on personal statement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on personal statement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I learned what a good work ethic was through my mother. When we first came here we had nothing, but she some how managed to get us from living in a womans shelter to a 2- bedroom apartment within a year. As I reflect upon my childhood, I see a caring, underweight five year old that suffered constant abuse from others. I see a girl lost, stumbling over to her principals office to have their weekly meeting with Social Services. Seeing my mother work day and night in order to support the two of us, I learned how to handle, and adapt to different situations. Later on in my sophomore year of high school my friend thought it would be a good idea to Join the Blairs poetry club. It was there that I learned how to forgive, keep faith and move on through poetry. It has allowed me to be the person I am today, open- minded, sympathetic being with a lot of hope and ambition. On the plus side I learned being involved in the community is also therapeutic. Working in a government subsidized building, I really got to help the children overcome the same situations I was in. , and lead them on to a path of a bright future. Many of whom I still keep in contact with today, and are thriving in school. As class president taking initiative, and being a school leader has helped me build confidence. I have dreams of one day creating my own lifestyle brand. That will extend far beyond clothing, magazines, blogs, anything I can get my hands on. I will become a household name in business, and fashion. Still, I will use the success of my brand to truly make an impact in the world. To one day be able to stand up for our social, economical, and cultural rights. I know that to achieve dreams. I must apply myself in education. Soon I will be getting my diploma, and my dream of going to college is becoming more real. I plan on getting a marketing degree, and minors in communications and public relations. I have high goals, and plans to achieve them all. Robert Frost once said, two roads diverged into a yellow wood, and sorry I could not take both, with that being said regardless of what life throws out at me, I know failure will not be the path I lead. Prompt #2 In the movie Pursuit of Happyiness Chris Gardner tells his son, Dont ever let omeone tell you, you cant do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People cant do something themselves, they want to tell you, you cant do it. You want something, go get it. Period. This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at the Robert Rodriguez Collection, a contemporary womans clothing line. I heard of the program, Discovery Internships, through my counselor. The program offers guaranteed internships in the field of choice, and college credit. Its a great opportunity but quite expensive. I knew it was too much to ask of my mother, about 7000 but I could not pass up on it. This was my sophomore year so I had a year to come up with the money. I gathered a group of friends and together through donations, car washes, and bake sales etc. We came up with almost $5500. My mother was impressed and kindly gave me check for $1500. Soon from there I applied, spoke with Aaron the Internship coordinator and was accepted immediately. Overall I feel that the whole experience from fundraising to working 10-4 taught me basic skills on being on my own. Learning how to manage my time, and how to prioritize. As clich? © as it may sound the bigger lesson I learned is no matter what obstacles may face you, if you really want something you persevere and work your way around it. I could have never imagined myself staying home another summer being idle. From the second I heard about this opportunity I Jumped on it. In a way I proved to myself that when I really set a goal for myself, I could find the means to achieve it. I felt fearless, and strong something I can show the girls I mentor and I am proud of that. I have definitely grown as person because of this experience, and ready to take on the world.

Charles Ives Essays - Guggenheim Fellows, Charles Ives, Free Essays

Charles Ives Essays - Guggenheim Fellows, Charles Ives, Free Essays Charles Ives Born in Danbury, Connecticut on October 20, 1874, Charles Ives pursued what is perhaps one of the most extraordinary and paradoxical careers in American music history. Businessman by day and composer by night, Ives's vast output has gradually brought him recognition as the most original and significant American composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, Ives sought a highly personalized musical expression through the most innovative and radical technical means possible. A fascination with bi-tonal forms, polyrhythms, and quotation was nurtured by his father who Ives would later acknowledge as the primary creative influence on his musical style. Ironically, much of Ives's work would not be heard until his virtual retirement from music and business in 1930 due to severe health problems. The conductor Nicolas Slonimsky, music critic Henry Bellamann, pianist John Kirkpatrick, and the composer Lou Harrison (who conducted the premiere of the Symphony No. 3) played a key role in introducing Ives's music to a wider audience. Henry Cowell was perhaps the most significant figure in fostering public and critical attention for Ives's music, publishing several of the composer's works in his New Music Quarterly. The American composer Charles Ives learned a great deal from his bandmaster father, George Ives, and a love of the music of Bach. At the same time he was exposed to a variety of very American musical influences, later reflected in his own idiosyncratic compositions. Ives was educated at Yale and made a career in insurance, reserving his activities as a composer for his leisure hours. Ironically, by the time that his music had begun to arouse interest, his own inspiration and energy as a composer had waned, so that for the last thirty years of his life he wrote little, while his reputation grew. The symphonies of Ives include music essentially American in inspiration and adventurous in structure and texture, collages of America, expressed in a musical idiom that makes use of complex polytonality (the use of more than one key or tonality at the same time) and rhythm. Symphony No. 3, reflects much of Ives's own background, carrying the explanatory title Camp Meeting and movement titles Old Folks Gatherin', Children's Day and Communion. Symphony No. 4 includes a number of hymns and Gospel songs, and his so-called First Orchestral Set, otherwise known as New England Symphony, depicts three places in New England. Much of the earlier organ music written by Ives from the time of his student years, when he served as organist in a number of churches, found its way into later compositions. The second of his two piano sonatas, Concord, Mass. 1840 - 60, has the characteristic movement titles Emerson, Hawthorne, The Alcotts and Thoreau, a very American literary celebration. The first of the two string quartets of Ives has the characteristic title From the Salvation Army and is based on earlier organ compositions, while the fourth of his four violin sonatas depicts Children's Day at the Camp Meeting. Ives wrote a number of psalm settings, part-songs and verse settings for unison voices and orchestra. In his many solo songs he set verses ranging from Shakespeare, Goethe and Heine to Whitman and Kipling, with a number of texts of his own creation. Relatively well known songs by Ives include Shall We Gather at the River, The Cage and The Side-Show. In 1947, Ives was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his Symphony No. 3, according him a much deserved international renown. Soon after, his works were taken up and championed by such leading conductors as Leonard Bernstein. At his death in 1954, he had witnessed a rise from obscurity to a position of unsurpassed eminence among the world's leading performers and musical institutions. Bibliography Swaffork, Jan. The Vintage Guide to Classical Music. Charles Ives New York: Random House Inc. 1992.

Grammar Myths Split Infinitives and More!

Grammar Myths Split Infinitives and More! Grammar Myths: Split Infinitives and More! As proofreaders, we’re obviously keen on good spelling and grammar. However, since we like to get invited to parties sometimes, we try to avoid being too pedantic when possible. Not all pedants are quite so chilled out, though, so you might want to keep an ear out for these grammar myths so that you can correct any overeager correctors you meet! Myth #1: Never Split an Infinitive The â€Å"infinitive† is a verb form where a verb is combined with â€Å"to,† such as â€Å"to run† or â€Å"to jump.† It’s also the subject of one of the most common grammar myths around: â€Å"Never split an infinitive.† The most famous example of a split infinitive comes from Star Trek, wherein various crews of the USS Enterprise are charged with a mission â€Å"to boldly go where no one has gone before.† The Enterprise looks much smaller there than we remember. Here, the adverb â€Å"boldly† appears in the middle of the infinitive â€Å"to go.† As such, some people insist that it’s grammatically incorrect and should be â€Å"to go boldly where no one has gone before.† This â€Å"rule† was popularized by Henry Alford in 1864, based on the idea that splitting infinitives was â€Å"flying in the face of common usage.† But many writers have split infinitives throughout the history of modern English. And sometimes placing an adverb between â€Å"to† and a verb is a good way of ensuring clarity, since it removes ambiguity about the word being modified. Kirk, Spock and friends can thus â€Å"go boldly† without worrying too much about their grammar. Myth #2: Don’t Start a Sentence with a Conjunction Another common grammar myth is that you should never start a sentence with a conjunction, especially coordinating conjunctions (e.g., â€Å"and,† â€Å"or† or â€Å"but†). In fact, these terms can be used to start sentences if required. The myth may have origins in teachers noticing schoolchildren overusing conjunctions like â€Å"and,† such as in the following: We went on holiday to Brazil. And mom went swimming in the sea. And dad got sunburn. And a monkey stole my lunch†¦ Cheeky monkey! When kids write like this, they might be told not to start sentences with conjunctions. However, while starting every sentence with â€Å"and† is clearly a bad idea, in some situations beginning a statement with a conjunction is fine, like presenting something as an afterthought: I need to buy milk. And cheese. But not bread. Starting a statement with a conjunction can also help to transition between sentences or enhance the flow of prose. It isn’t always correct, especially when you’re left with a sentence fragment in formal writing, but you can usually tell if a conjunction has been misused. Annoyingly, this myth persists despite a consensus among grammarians and writers that it’s nonsense. And as we’ve done it several time in this blogpost, including at the start of this sentence, you can probably guess that we agree with the majority here.

Starbucks the experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Starbucks the experience - Essay Example Basically, employees who are also committed to the organizational goals improve the overall quality of the workforce. Several research studies prove that a high level of customer’s satisfaction could eventually lead to a high customer loyalty. (Entel et al., 2007; Jones & Sasser, 1995) In line with this matter, the constantly increasing Starbucks revenue is a positive sign that shows how well the company is serving its customers. The market share of the company can be very much affected when a customer fails to receive a prompt service from the company. Starbucks HRM approach in providing at a total of five classes workshop training prior to serving the customers is essential in ensuring the delivery of a good quality customer service. (UW Business School, 2003) Considering that not all customers are after low price coffee, the company needs to strive hard in order to retain the loyal of its prospective customers. price they have to pay. (Jiang, 2004) To achieve a good ‘after-delivery satisfaction’, it is a challenge for the company to maintain its reliability at all times. ‘Reliability’ is often linked with aspects such as delivery time – whether each cup of coffee will be delivered as promised, and the consistency of customer service including the order tracking, on-time delivery, customer support and quality of product and services that meets the customer’s expectation. (Smith et al., 2000) The company also extend employee benefits such as medical, dental, vision and short-term disability insurance, paid vacation and holidays, mental health or chemical dependency benefits, employee assistance program, career counselling, product discounts, 401(k) savings plan, and a stock option plan. (UW Business School, 2003) According to Schultz, it is difficult for employees to feel financially and spiritually attached with their jobs without these employement benefits. (Wyss, 2006; MSNBC, 2005) He added that the stock option plan could

Robinson Crusoe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Robinson Crusoe - Essay Example Daniel Defoe had done a good job to bring Robinson to the wilderness of deserted island by a shipwreck, which was essential for the rebuilding of his own future. It was the only event which was a turning point in the life of Robinson Crusoe. It was the ending of his otherwise prolonged journey. The moments he spent there were teaching him new lessons. Slowly he recognized the environs, the features, the objects which were offered to him. In his own words, â€Å"the total nature itself fetch him essentials for his life†. The fear of solitude surrounded him there. This led to the construction of his shelter. It was necessary for him to become self sufficient in every matters like food, drink, animal husbandry, and plantations. When he noticed the miraculous growth of the corns he realized that these are the results of fate ,"for it was the work of Providence as to me, that should order or appoint, that the ten or twelve grains of corn should remain unspoiled, as if it had been d ropped down from Heaven" ( Defoe, 79). Man has such a particular nature to develop special qualities for the improvement in a totally alien surroundings. Defoe filled his hero with the power and strength. For this he uses his own religious believes also. It is Crusoe’s Christianity that helps him to attain richness both spiritually and financially. In that way he became a real colonizer. Thus Defoe represents the island as a symbol of the outside world. All the time Crusoe was trying to recreate his past life. There was surely a conflict arises in the mind of Crusoe, a conflict that of a civilized man and unsophisticated circumstances. Every actions of the hero were that of a civilized man. He learnt to meet all the necessities from the neighboring materials itself. The materials and the nature itself generated ideas in the mind of the hero. These ideas can be treated as intuitions or insights the primitive man was

Revealing a Characters True Nature During a Moment of Crisis Essay

In literature, there are many examples of people who are placed in â€Å"fantastic† situations, which served to reveal much about themselves, as Dostoevsky suggests. There are also many instances in which people break down and do something completely uncharacteristic in these same situations, as a result of extreme suffering. One such example, is Gretchen, from Goethe's Faust. She was an ingà ©nue and thus revealed her true character at a crucial point in her life. She was not a murderer, yet she murdered. When all her misdeeds began to drive her mad, she became the most lucid in her discernment of good and evil. â€Å"Her last remarks saved her, as she cried out to God in repentance, she was forgiven. Receiving a spiritual awakening, though out of her mind with grief, she still recognized the devil. She sensed evil in Faust and finally realized that there was no love between them† (RoseDeClementi 3.2). Gretchen's deeds were just as despicable as his, but there was a difference; in her moment of truth, she repented and was redeemed. Faust knew that he was condemned to spend eternity in hell. In this instance, I believe that Dostoevsky was correct because Gretchen was portrayed as a victim of manipulation. Another example in literature of someone who revealed her true character, in crisis, was Antigone, from a story of the same name. â€Å"In the story of Antigone, (who was the daughter of Oedipus), more tragedy awaited her. Taking a stand for what she believed to be an injustice and offense against her god, she buried her dead brother which violated the law, thereby sentencing her to her own death; she was to be placed in a tomb alive and left for dead† (Rose-DeClementi 1.2). Her strong beliefs shaped her character which dictated her ac... ...his into consideration, I behaved responsibly. Even when I began to lose my composure with the hospital workers, who refused to take my friend in right away, my true character was revealed. Generally, crisis situations have a tendency to bring out the worst in me, as with most people. This disputes Dostoevsky's theory, which holds that the true nature of a person will be revealed during moments of crisis. My account, as well as the examples taken from literature, prove that Dostoevsky's theory, although valid, is not indisputable. Works Cited Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.1. 4 Sept. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.2. 10 Sept. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 3.2. 20 Oct. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.1. 25 Oct. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.2. 6 Nov. 2010.

Conceptual Framework Essay

The crossing of genders has been a hurdle that society has stumbled to accept since the beginning of time. Early hypotheses about the so-called cause of homosexuality originated from the psychodynamic perspective that men became gay because of a dysfunctional family system in which they were emotionally enmeshed with their mothers and had a distant relationship with their father. As a result, the thought of changing one’s sex immediately becomes a staple of criticism, despite the psychological effect it could have on the individual. Yet, Imani, a man who lives life as a woman, successfully copes with work, intimate relationships, family and peer relationships, and has developed a positive assessment of self. Imani is a resilient, creative, and resourceful individual, who has overcome societal myths that a transgender cannot function normally in society. Thus, this essay will attempt to outline Imani’s life journey and compare it to Hutchinson’s (2008) common risk and protective factors, while revealing how she copes with personal and professional relationships according to Werner and Smith (2001) ratings of the quality of adult adaptation and what she attributes her success. Six Criteria of Coping Understanding and coping with cultural differences becomes crucial when attempting to come out about gender or sexual identity. Social constructionist perspective suggests that â€Å"sexual orientation unfolds within a context of environmental or social influences† (Morrow & Messinger, 2006, pp. 61). Growing up poverty stricken, Imani learned to cope at an early age. The eldest of six, Imani grew up without a positive male role model and poor, while dealing with sexual desires for the same sex. â€Å"I use to pretend like I was attracted to girls because that was the normal thing, but since I was twelve, I had sexual desires for other boys† (Imani, personal communication, February 6 2009). Therefore, recognizing her gender identity at an early age, but able to cope with the stigmas of society involved Imani’s ability to reconcile competing demands from the dominant society. In addition, feelings for the opposite sex thwarted Imani from forming peer groups at an early stage in her life. â€Å"Many gay men do not accomplish normal development tasks of adolescence, such as forming a peer group†¦therefore, when experiencing some of the emotionality of teenagers as adults in their twenties or older, there is dissonance between chronological age and developmental tasks they may be struggling with† (Mallon, 2008, pp. 150). Normally, this would have had an unfavorable effect, but, it had a favorable effect on Imani’s life. For example, Imani is a leader in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. She mentors young individuals that are dealing with gender identity issues. Imani has also been in a long term intimate relationship for fifteen years; which induces her happiness. â€Å"When I was growing up, being gay was taboo, but, today you can speak out about who you are and feel comfortable, so I’m taking full advantage of every opportunity and helping others who may feel isolated as well† (Imani, personal communication, February 6, 2009). Even in analyzing her relationship with her siblings, Imani is respected and accepted wholeheartedly by her entire family. This could be attributed to two major reasons. Firstly, Imani was a defiant child, but, she also helped rear her brothers and sisters, which established a sense of respect from them early on. She also was defiant and never conformed to the norm when instructed to complete a task. For example, if her mother instructed her to go right, she would go left. Secondly, unlike people in a cohort group born in the eighties, which are more adept to come out sooner rather than later, Imani made her decision to transform at age thirty-eight. â€Å"Coming out is a critical issue in the process of identifying, some people do not go through this process early in life† (Kane-DeMaios & Bullough, 2006, pp. 10). For this reason, when Imani revealed her decision to become a woman, she perhaps displayed a defiant attitude, not to mention that her mother was supportive of her decision, likely instilled strength, support and understanding from her siblings as well. As a result, Imani shares a strong and supportive bond with her brother and sisters. Although Imani has been resilient in gaining acceptance from peers and family, her professional success is equally astonishing. Imani’s was employed with Phillip Morris, Inc, when she decided to transform. However, her employers were not accepting of her identity change, so, they increased her workload and refused to give her a stable schedule. To combat this deliberate injustice, she filed a grievance, several weeks later she was laid off. Werner and Smith (2001) noted that one of the main qualities of adult adaptation is work. â€Å"The individual is employed and†¦ satisfied with work† (pp. 36). â€Å"My former job was horrible at accepting me for who I was, so I decided to make a move and find employment elsewhere; where the people would make me feel comfortable and I would enjoy what I was doing. (Imani, personal communication, February 6, 2009). Imani is now gainfully employed as a supervisor with a prominent Medicaid service provider. Imani states, â€Å"There’s good energy at work. My colleagues respect me to the upmost and I enjoy helping clients. † Clearly, Imani’s ability to get past the ridicule of a former employee and successfully find employment without becoming discouraged about her gender identity is another emphasis of her resiliency. However, Imani contributes her success to having the courage to live as a transgender to education. Enrolling in VCU’s fine art program during the 70’s broadened my mindset about the world around me and myself, which has helped me become who I am today† (Imani, personal communication, February 6, 2009). Without question, academia can enhance an individual’s perception about the world around them, but, â€Å"the concept of accommodation is an important one in understanding the adaptation of transgender people† (American, 2009,  ¶ 3). Consequently, with Imani having the accommodation of a close knit, supportive family and long term partner has definitely added to her success. Therefore, it is should be pointed out that some risk and protective factors are inherent in the nature of resilient people. Risk and Protective Factors Werner and Smith (2001) noted that even in infancy there was something different about the high-risk children who never developed serious problems. They were active, affectionate, good-natured infants, alert and autonomous toddlers. One protective factor associated with Imani’s success was her development of advanced self help skills, which she acquired early in her life course. For instance, Imani learned early to cope with gender identity issues, despite being reared during a time when homosexuality and cross dressing were deemed taboo. In addition, coping with putting her childhood on hold while helping her mother take care of her siblings, Imani developed an identity of a leader. Evidently, this created strength of mind, which more than likely had an influence on the way Imani set out to accomplish goals or agendas. People who are heterosexual in orientation do not have to ponder on how to develop a heterosexual identity. In contrast, transgender people have as their task the â€Å"development of an identity that runs counter to the heterocentric culture in which they are socialized. † They must â€Å"come to terms with having a sexual orientation that is socially ridiculed, and they must formulate a sense of identity as a transgender person† (Morrow & Messinger 2006, pp. 85). Although Imani’s early development of advanced self-help skills has played a pivotal role in her success during her life course, she still faced the risk factor of growing up in poverty. Coincidentally, this did not have a negative effect on her schooling or personal accomplishments. Hutchison (2008) suggest, â€Å"†¦ poverty alone is much less of a risk than extended poverty. Imani’s life serves as a perfect example for this suggestion. For example, Imani did not continue the family trend of living in poverty. Determined to set the pace for the rest f her siblings, she rose above the line of poverty in her early twenties. She graduated from high school and successfully obtained a college degree. One could raise the question, if her role as the older sibling, which induced a sense of responsibility, while trying to understand her identity issues, kept her from being vulnerable to the risk of falling off track, because she was preoccupied with the task of taking care of her brother and sisters, rather than the poverty situation in front of her. Undoubtedly, it is apparent that Imani’s deprivations growing up did not lead to a trajectory of failure. Hutchison (2008) points out that positive impact of historical events can reverse disadvantages in a person’s life trajectories. Therefore, being torn between the role of patriarch and matriarch at an early age, clearly, had a positive effect on Imani’s life. Conclusively, Imani’s life has been filled with many extenuating effects of internal oppression at an early age, which she was able to overcome at a later stage in her life cycle. The major turning point in her life was enrolling in college; which has made her a resilient, creative, and resourceful individual who possess much strength. Yet, born during a time when social reform was at its peak, Imani serves as a perfect example of resiliency, success and normalcy.