Following Tegan Morcott’s feature regarding the struggle seniors are facing with the Common App essay, The Forest Scout will be publishing a successful example essay from an LFHS alumni each day this week.
This third example comes from Ms. Ciara Lynch, a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Her college essay revolves around the words of a young woman in Thailand and the beauty of the world.
As I scrubbed the red clay off of my worn Tevas, I noticed a young villager stood over me. She sported a dirty pink cardigan and thin khaki-colored cargos decorated with holes; however, her clothes did not take away from the genuine smile on her face.
“Sawahdeeka” I said, although she spoke a language specific to her tribe.
“Hello” she excitedly responded.
Taken aback by her English, we began to have a little conversation and her sense of pride radiated. As I began to wrap up the conversation, I stood up. The little Thai girl caught me off guard once again.
“You’re lovely by the way.”
* * *
High school students are paralyzed by the heavy workload expected of them. Pale morning faces and lifeless eyes decorated with heavy bags become the norm as a result of their minimal sleep. As daily pressures of the week creep in and the stress becomes suffocating, standing tall becomes testing. Still, I have made one exception for myself.
Our objective was to execute the environmental research project of our choice in the waning months of the schoolyear. Because we held the choice to determine our project, it was natural for my passion to manifest.
While brainstorming, I ventured far from my peers. Most groups in my class planned to create an eco-friendly design for a home or picked out seeds for a self-made vegetable garden, but I felt compelled by my own ambition. Since community service had always been my center, I took the opportunity to volunteer in a village in Thailand in the upcoming months. The pictures I saw revealed a horrible reality, one that was painful to look at, but even more tender to think about.
With this in mind, I launched Change for a Change, a campaign to provide education for the village of the Hill tribe. Although I had always found delight in serving others, this assignment set my heart ablaze. I did not perceive the corresponding homework as a burden; instead, I viewed it by its true intention: an assignment and responsibility to provide for the greater good.
I was nearly overcome with self-doubt as I pitched my idea to my judging peers, but their skepticism only fueled my fire. Soon, my spare time was spent researching, preparing and giving presentations, baking for bake sales, and spreading awareness. Though my face felt pale and the bags under my eyes darkened, I was invigorated. With hard work, the money flowed in and I reached my initial goal of one thousand dollars—more than double the average monthly salary in Thailand. Yet my work continued. After my trip, by writing a letter to a local organization, I secured a donation of ten new computers.
Never in my life did I feel such personal pride, but it wasn’t until I arrived in Thailand that I recognized the purest impact.
A family of their village welcomed me in. Although they didn’t share the same language, we communicated through compassion and love. I discovered that the people who seemed as if they had nothing on the outside held treasure within. Their ability to laugh despite their impoverished conditions instilled a change in me.
It was not the 13,719 miles I traveled or the fact that I was without my parents that allowed my development.
It was not the fact that I lived in a third world country, coexisted with the culture, learned the language and specific etiquette unique to that area that measured my high continuing maturity at seventeen.
It was not the fact that I had to take upon leadership roles over the group of teens I traveled with, or the fact that I carried everything that I needed for the month upon my back that highlighted my responsibility.
It was not the physical things; it was not the black and white. It was much more than that. It was lovely.
Stay tuned for more Common App essay examples posted every day this week at 9:00 PM.
