500 Words or Less

by Lauren Monahan

  Like any other sport, horseback riding demands perfection. Unlike other sports, riding requires me to work with an unusual teammate who will not always try her hardest, or strive to be the best that she can be. I have learned, though, to dismiss the bad days and focus on the good ones. Riding has taught me good sportsmanship, patience, compassion, and more. When I compete against the other girls, all signs that it is a competition float away. We play ninja waiting for Showmanship to start; it eases the nerves. It is a custom to ride up next to one another while waiting for classes. As I look down this line, I see the reflections of the sparkles on the girls’ faces underneath each freshly shaped cowboy hat. These girls understand me. I can be myself around them and we will be friends for the rest of our lives. Of course we all want to do well, but we are not hostile; we wish the best for each other.

  Most of all, showing horses has greatly influenced my goals. I distinctly remember the question in first grade, “What do you want to do when you are older?” The response is even clearer in my mind, “I want to qualify for the (American Quarter Horse Youth Association) World Show.” At that time, my goal seemed nearly impossible, similar to becoming an astronaut or the President of the United States. Since then, I have not fulfilled my dream once, but twice. My strong work ethic and my stubbornness will guide me to fulfill any of my ambitions.

  Kelsey Klein

  Attending:UCLA

  The Red Suitcase

  I unzip my favorite red suitcase and begin to fill it with what I’ll need for the week, yet

  again. It’s Monday: transition day. There’s never been a time when people haven’t tilted their heads and looked confused when I shared my family story. But I wouldn’t change the dynamic for anything. I am a sister to four siblings, yet I’m the only child between my mother and father. I’ve lived in nine different houses since I was born, all within San Diego.

  Needless to say, my family situation is complicated. And on the surface, my mom’s house

  and my dad’s house are so different. At my dad’s, I like to eat my bowl of Rice Krispies outside

  because of the dewy coastal morning air. At my mom’s house, I wake up to two dogs and a cat

  scampering around the corners of the hall, while their fur flies every which way. My dad’s house is usually louder, because my seven-year old sister is constantly bouncing around every room and breaking things. Although my siblings who live at my mom’s are closer to my age, I can still find an assortment of Justin Bieber paraphernalia in my sister’s room. It’s almost as if I am entering into a new life every week: constant changes. Some people have a hard time dealing with changes, and I used to be the same way. However, growing up going back and forth between households hasprovided me with more variety than I could ask for; whether it is the environment, the activities, or the people I’m surrounded by. I’ve learned to like adjustments and new things because there is never a dull moment with my family. They certainly put the word “fun” in dysfunctional.

  My family, although complicated and frustrating at times, has greatly impacted my outlook on life. Spending a lot of my time taking care of such a young sister at my dad’s house has educated me on the importance of responsibility. Only spending a week at a time with each half of my family has made me realize the value of opportunities and to never take time for granted. I probably spend more time just hanging out with my family members than most people my age because of the fact that I don’t get to see them all every day. Having two families, instead of being confined to the rules and customs of one, has taught me how to see a larger picture and think, act, and make decisions for myself. In college, I believe I’ll be able to adapt easily and succeed on my own because of the extra support and extra wisdom I have been given from my extra large family.

  My favorite singer, Adele, says, “Who wants to be right as rain? It’s better when something is wrong.” Maybe she’s right, and it‘s all still worth it even if our lives, or our families, aren’t perfect.That’s how we learn.

  Mark Hilton

  Applied to:UC Berkeley,UCLA,UCSB,Cal State San Marcos,Mira Costa Honors Scholar Program

  Attending:Mira Costa Honors Scholar Program/TAG UC

  A Pixelated Place

  When I was younger, my mom would always say “It seems your whole world is a screen sometimes!” whenever I was on my computer too much. Well, looking at myself, screens really are interconnected into my personal world.

  Before I push the power button and begin this journey through my pixilated, 1680x1050 resolution world, I have to admit something: I’m an information junkie. I love absorbing information, whether it’s looking at statistics, reading about what’s going on the Middle East, playing brain-wrenching strategy games, the list continues. By having this personal world of mine, I’ve been able to pursue my interests more effectively and refine my social skills to interact outside the realm of the screen. I’ve experienced a lot of change like many other people my age, but this screen has always been this force I can always fall back on. And that is what can define your world, internal or external.

  Having Asperger’s Syndrome, it can be difficult for me to meet new people and make friends, so the internet is a good way to find common interests with people and discuss them, whether it’s people I already know, or anonymous users on an internet forum. The forum experience can be an interesting one. With the internet, everyone has a mask. We all hear about the nefarious side of that frequently, but this mask allows me to discuss interests with others online without fear of failure that can dominate some of my offline social interactions. This online participation provides a certain level of practice that I can use when I finally decide to pull the mask off and find people like me in the offline world.

  A screen doesn’t limit my interests, of which I have quite a variation. I’m into photography, particularly that of local nature and the non-moving world. I’m a connoisseur of heavy metal. I love far future, space travel science fiction. Contemporary architecture is utterly fascinating to me. But it’s through a computer screen that these interests grow further. I touch up my photos and upload them to my Facebook. I write metal lyrics and critique bands and albums. I write sci-fi of my own and look up books to buy or borrow. I use advanced CAD software and other design tools to create buildings and build upon what I learn during my architecture classes. The screen does not dominate my interests. Instead, it presents a way to bind and hold them together. At its core, a screen isn’t a window into the world. It’s a portal.

  Matthew Myose

  Attending: University of Hawaii at Manoa

  The Ferrari

  The low growl of a Ferrari V8 next to you at a stoplight is an incomparable noise. Your windows rattle from the vibration, and you guiltily envy the owner. I have lived in Carlsbad, California my entire life. It is home to one of the nicest climates in the world, which the wealthy apparently find to be very attractive. It's difficult to go a day without seeing a car that is worth at least $100,000. Visit any surrounding neighborhood and you will find houses "Starting from the low $3,000,000’s!"

  As a child, I was blissfully unaware of economics, income, and job titles. I didn't care who had the biggest house or lived in the nicest neighborhood. It wasn't until I was about seven years old that I began noticing economic differences. It started with a bright green, V12 Lamborghini Murcielago that pulled up next to my family at a stoplight. I had never heard such a sound in my life. When I looked inside the window of the $170,000 dollar machine, I found myself surprised the driver wasn't the Monopoly Man donning a monocle, but a man that looked no older than thirty, wearing expensive sunglasses. I wondered what groundbreaking device he had created or what large inheritance he received to buy that car. But as I began searching for vehicles like this, I realized that most drivers were extremely young and evidently, extremely rich.

  I've been surrounded by success my entire life, evident in the cars, homes, and lifestyles of the wealthy that live in my community. Seeing these expensive belonging
s on a daily basis motivated me to become successful in my own life. While my conscience could never handle living a flashy lifestyle, owning a huge house, wearing expensive clothes, or driving a ridiculously impractical car knowing that the majority of the world is struggling just to survive, I do want the capability to live a comfortable life and help the impoverished third-world with whatever I have leftover. This privilege of course does not fall from the sky, and I'm not planning on winning the lottery any time soon, leaving only one real option. Work hard, get a good education, and find a job that I can be happy with doing until I get old. I may not induce whiplash so people can catch a glimpse of my car, I may not have people walk past my house in envy, but I hope that in working as hard as I can throughout life, I can live my life in happiness. I do not judge this by the amount of material goods in my possession as so commonly done by people today, but by personal fulfillment through helping others. I would much prefer to make enough money to buy nice houses and fast cars, but instead be unselfish with my wealth and help those who are less fortunate. And I am willing to work as hard as I possibly can to obtain that ability.

  Micah McCarver

  Attending: Sonoma State University

  Where I Come From

  The grass is as green as an emerald, but even the beautifully cut grass does not distract you from the journey you are about to embark on. With every step you take, you can feel your blue and orange soccer cleats slowly sink in the partially wet sod. As your size 9 foot moves across the grass, the grass makes a noise as if it whispered to tell you a secret. All around you are fields filled with troops of boys and girls practicing. The fields are organized by circular orange and yellow cones. The players are organized by the color shirt they are wearing. On the field next to you, you can hear a tall man with an English accent yelling a little boy, not even five feet tall, to try harder. When you walk by the frustrated coach, who couldn’t have worn a bigger hat, you catch a whiff of the massive amount of sunscreen he has piled on his skin, probably of the highest SPF.

  After a long trek across the grass, you finally reach your team. Because the walk felt like a marathon, you take out your cold yellow Gatorade and start to drink, being thankful for every sip you taste that goes down your throat. After all of this, it is only time to start to play.

  The soccer community is not the nicest, filled with selfish coaches and jerky players who do not care about you, but only their own success. When I was younger, I never had playing time, let alone was given a chance to be a leader. However, as I sat on the bench, I wanted to speak up. I knew I had what it took to be on the field. Game after game, I would sit on the bench and wonder if I ever would be able to have a chance to shine. Because I was not the superstar, I learned how to watch soccer a lot better than I learned how to play when I was younger.

  As time went on, the more I had an urge to step onto the field. As the urge got stronger, so did my voice. Instead of sitting and waiting, I had started to converse with my coaches about soccer, hoping it would lead to my playing time. As I matured and went through life, I started to develop a voice for myself. When I started high school, I started to talk to my coach about playing time. I stood up for myself – something I never could have imagined myself doing when I was younger. Since the start of high school, I have started every game in the past four years on one of the most highly regarded teams. As I started to be more proactive and started to be a leader throughout high school, I joined Speech and Debate my junior year to voice my opinion. I also have gone to Australia to represent the United States for soccer, using my voice more than ever to have a spot on the team.

  If I looked down on the fact that I was sitting on the bench and just quit, rather than observing the game and realizing what it took to become a great player, I would not be where I am today. The hardest part for me was not to overcome a terrible problem. I just had to find my voice. Because of my experiences, one realizes sometimes the smallest things are the hardest to overcome.

  Through all of this, I have learned that sometimes one must take every opportunity and make the best of it. Playing soccer didn’t shape me, but how I interacted off the field and how I handled situations did. I now eagerly await the opportunity to once again prove myself in the realm of college, whether it be in the classroom, out of the classroom, or on the field.

  Bryan C.

  Accepted to: University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles, University of California San Diego, University of California Davis, Boston College

  Attending: University of California Berkeley

  In 1990 my parents came to the United States from Taiwan with only two pieces of luggage in their name. They started a family in a country where they did not know anybody. Since I was young, I have heard stories about my parents’ education and why they decided to stay in the United States.

  My parents lived their childhoods in a dictatorship before Taiwan gained its democracy. They had "knowledge" crammed down their throats all the way through high school. They were taught myths disguised as history, and forced to memorize nonsensical theories shrouded as philosophy. Political and social issues were not open to interpretation. There was always only one correct answer.

  I started visiting Taiwan since I was one. Through the numerous trips, I gained insight regarding the values I have been raised on. I recall the quaint, mountainous village of Luku in which my father grew up. My grandparents harvest bamboo shoots for a living. They never spent more money than what was necessary to sustain their frugal lifestyles, yet they met every need their five children had ever had. They paid for my father’s education at the best university in Taiwan, and supported my parents when they decided to settle down in America.

  As a second generation immigrant with a multi-cultural and multi-lingual background, I am grateful for what my grandparents and parents did in order to create a promising future for my sister and me. I feel blessed growing up in a nation that encourages autonomous thinking and creativity. While I learn history from a standardized textbook at school, I can read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" at the same time. I love the freedom to question assumptions in society, and understand the nuances of the legal and political systems.

  As of now, my primary scholastic interests lie in economics and law. Upon reflection, I realize that both of these are derived from the world I come from. My curiosity about economics stems from the experiences I have visiting my grandparents, whereas my interest in law was inspired by the stories of my parents’ early education.

  I want to study economics to understand and solve the problems society faces associated with the inefficient allocation of resources. I have grown to understand the importance of spending money carefully and refraining from wasting. I cringe when I see leftovers thrown away, because I have seen firsthand how hard people in other societies, such as my grandparents, must work to provide basic necessities for life.

  I am intrigued by law because it serves as an application of philosophical principles that seeks justice. Reading philosophy is a cherished hobby of mine inspired by stories of my parents’ early education. Instead of indiscriminately accepting generally acknowledged ideas, I have a habit of searching for the rationale behind these ideas. Unlike what my parents were taught, I believe there can be multiple solutions to social and political issues. The law, which extracts ideas from many different philosophical theories, is the embodiment of my belief that different perspectives can be combined to solve a problem.

  To this day, my grandparents still toil in the mountains of Luku, saving as much as they can for their children and grandchildren. My parents trudged through a “less than ideal” education to realize they wanted to provide a better environment for their children to grow up in. These values that I have inherited from my family have helped shape my viewpoints and aspirations. My sense of appreciation drives me to always try my hardest and excel in whatever task I take on.

  Nicole Walters

  Accepted: Oklahoma Wesleya
n University

  Attending: Horizon School of Evangelism.

  Poetry and music are my daily dose of sanity. For most, sanity is conversing with friends, dancing in front of a crowd, playing catch in the outfield, running the last down to score the winning touchdown, or catching the perfect wave. My sanity is plugging in my earphones and writing sweet poetry that flows from my lips.

  Bukowski and Sexton spoke of their confessions while Frost spoke of the road less traveled by, and Collins spoke of his dog who only thought of him as a worthless alien. In any context one expresses themselves, masterpieces consisting of creativity by simply thinking of words are poured out onto a canvas of a whole new world. A world that anyone can enter and experience the minds of the artists who reside in it.

  I cannot get enough of the blaring melody that rattles my eardrums and the rush that the pen and paper give my mind when ink is etched onto the blank, white paper awaiting the masterpiece to be created. The endless stress that homework and school entail can be easily drowned away by the steady beat of 808 drums and guitar riffs echoing in the background. Writing allows my restless subconscious to drift away in the rivers of possibilities and float in the streams of the poetry world of my creating.

  Music allows me to step into a world of endless creativity and release any stress that is acquired throughout the day. I turn the volume up until the speakers are rattling in my ears and I’m singing along to lyrics sung by Danny Worsnop while tapping my fingers on my imaginary drum set. Bands such as Asking Alexandria and The Devil Wears Prada are my inspirations to write poetry and want to pursue my career in writing as well as journalism. My dream is to be able to interview my favorite bands while rocking out backstage to the music I love. Music and writing allows my restless mind to emerge from its shell and reveal my innermost secrets and abilities.