Sample Personal Essay - Aims Community College

Sample Personal Essay The Prompt: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

My parents often tell stories about me as a five-year old in blond pig tails. I was spirited and determined, they proudly tell others with a smile, and then they mention that I was sensitive. I cried during movies and at commercials and wept when my pet bird Mr. Robinson died. I seemed to make friends with each and every student in my kindergarten class and was always worried about them. The older I got, these stories seemed to cease, and yet my character, my true essence, has never changed. Growing up in a family with three brothers and no sisters, I thought often that there was something wrong with me, forever flawed for being kind, sensitive and empathetic. Years later, after immense trial and tribulation, I have come to see and fully understand the power of being empathetic. My ability to feel deeply and to empathize with all natural living beings and experiences is one of my greatest strengths.

On an esoteric level, I love being an empath. It is this ability to feel deeply that enables me to experience life in a profoundly deep way. As an aspiring artist, I first noticed my ability when looking at paintings and sculptures in an art history class during my sophomore year of high school. I was touched by the raw beauty and emotion denoted through a paint brush and clay. Similarly, the music and poetry of my favorite musicians speaks to me on a visceral level, allowing me to literally experience the essence of the song. For example, when I first listened to the haunting "Hallelujah" by the now-deceased Jeff Buckley, I felt his heart ache and his despair and wanted to cry for the unrequited love he so eloquently portrayed. This is an experience I have often when listening to music and appreciating art. Without my ability to empathize and

place myself in the experience of the artist, I would not appreciate art with the same level of gratitude.

In addition to having a deep appreciation for the arts, my empathetic personality benefits other areas of my life, including relationships and professional development. In relationships with others, I have always valued the art of listening ? of truly being present with another person and hearing their stories in their entirety. Being present, giving my undivided attention and sensing what type of support this friend needs at this particular moment, is made possible by being an empath. When I listen, I am able to set aside my stories, agenda and preferences, and fully engage with the other person. Without judgement and with a compassionate heart, I place myself in the shoes of the story-teller. From that place, I ascertain what is needed from me, be it advice, a hug or an empathetic ear, and I provide it. This ability enables me to connect deeply with my friends and family members, thereby strengthening all my relationships.

On a professional level, my empathetic personality will serve both me and my future art students in a number of ways. As an aspiring artist, I am hoping to major in art and then obtain my MFA from a prestigious university. This would enable me to both practice my art and then inspire other eager artists. As a teacher at the college level, I am anticipating working with a diverse group of students and hoping to plant the seed of creativity in ways which resonate most with them. Some students might come to art class with stories of childhood trauma or depression, while others might come to my class simply enthralled with the poetic nature of the art world. Regardless of their individual stories and intentions for pursuing art, it is my job to fuel their creativity and to cultivate a space in which they feel safe to express and explore the artist within. Because of my personality, I naturally create a safe space in which all people can move forward in creative self-expression, and I anticipate my students feeling the same. With similar gusto, I

can teach what I know as an artist, inviting them to engage deeply with the world and in experience, all while diversifying my teaching strategies in an individualized capacity.

Every time I return home to my parent's house in Minneapolis, I am reminded of the girl I once was: the girl with sassy pigtails and a crying towel, who loved "Titanic" and wept each of the five times she saw it in the theater. My parents still tell stories of me as a child, some spoken in sweet admiration, while others slightly condemning and perplexed by my sensitivity. My brothers never understood my being an empath, although they accepted me in their own toughloving way. As an aspiring artist, eager to begin anew at UC Berkeley, I am pleased to now honor the parts of me, of my true nature, that inspire creative expression. Being empathetic, sensitive and compassionate will inevitably serve me as an artist, a teacher, a friend and student.

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