girl inspiration essay

The internet can be a dark and, quite often, violent place for women — many of whom are subjected to trolling, harassment, and threats on a daily basis. But it can also be a truly wonderful place, one that provides free access to news, educational resources, entertainment, communication, and wealth of incredible writing — including these empowering essays by women you can read online right now . Written by Cecile Richards, Lindy West, Lady Gaga, and more, these essays are filled with inspiration and wisdom to guide you through your day.

For female readers, the online world can sometimes feel like a minefield, one that is littered with destructive words meant to tear women down or shut them up. But for famous authors and writers, beloved celebrities, and popular athletes, it can also serve as the perfect platform to share their empowering stories, which often include plenty of inspirational anecdotes and practical advice that makes the whole mess of the internet worth it.

Whether you’re looking for a bit of guidance in your own life, or hoping to inspire your friends with some sage advice from more experienced women, here are nine empowering essays you can read for free online right now .

"The Most Daring Women Don’t Always Make Headlines" by Cecile Richards

"Today, women across this country are doing her proud. The earth is shifting under the force of millions of women standing up for themselves, for each other, for their daughters and their mothers and sisters," writes the former president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund Cecile Richards in her inspiring piece about women and activism for Harper's Bazaar . "Women are no longer asking for permission. They’re just diving in and taking risks. They know we can’t afford to sit this one out."

Read the full essay here .

"Rebranding Motherhood" by Diksha Basu

"If anything, so far being a mother feels quite delightfully self-indulgent. I have a daughter in whom I can constantly look for and find little bits of myself or, better yet, improved bits of myself," writes Windfall author Dikashu Basu in a moving essay for The New York Times about redefining motherhood. "Recently a construction worker called out to me on the street in Lower Manhattan and I got my angry anti-catcalling face ready to respond but he very respectfully said, 'You have a beautiful daughter, ma’am.' My vanity now has two bodies within which to reside — the sacrifice looks more like narcissism from certain angles."

Read the full essay here.

"This Is Survival" by Aly Raisman

In a heartbreaking but incredibly powerful essay for The Players' Tribune , American gymnast Aly Raisman opens up about her experience with sexual abuse, and offers some words of encouragement to anyone else who has gone through the same thing. "I am not a victim. I am a survivor. The abuse does not define me, or anyone else who has been abused. This does not define the millions of those who’ve suffered sexual abuse," the two-time Olympian writes. "They are not victims, either. They are survivors. They are strong, they are brave, they are changing things so the next generation never has to go through what they did."

"What I Learned at War" by Tammy Duckworth

Senator Tammy Duckworth has often spoken out about her time serving in the U.S. army, including in this persuasive essay about the price of war and what it can teach us that she wrote for Politico. "That day, I lost both of my legs, but I was given a second chance at life," she writes, recounting her experience fighting in the Iraq War. "It’s a feeling that has helped to drive me in my second chance at service—no one should be left behind, and every American deserves another chance."

"The 'Perfect Body' Is a Lie. I Believed It For a Long Time and Let It Shrink My Life" by Lindy West

If you have read Lindy West's memoir Shrill , you know that she has a lot of incredibly insightful things to say fat acceptance and body positivity. In an essay for The Guardian, she shares some of them, saying "The 'perfect body' is a lie. I believed in it for a long time, and I let it shape my life, and shrink it – my real life, populated by my real body. Don’t let fiction tell you what to do. In the omnidirectional orgy gardens of Vlaxnoid, no one cares about your arm flab."

"Bring It On" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

The first Muslim American to medal in the Olympics, fencing champion Ibtihaj Muhammad opened up about what it is like to compete in an sport where so few people look like her. "One day, during a fifteen-hour flight to a training camp in Beijing, I arrived at a moment where I said enough is enough — I’d spent years fighting for every win, every opportunity, every ounce of respect on my path to becoming an Olympian, and I was no longer going to allow other people to affect how I perceived myself or restrict what I was capable of," she writes in Lenny Letter. "When people stared me down at a tournament, I didn’t know if it was a race thing or a religious thing or that they weren’t ready for change, but I finally realized: Why was that burden on me to figure out? I didn’t have the time to acquire their baggage or analyze why anyone wanted to make me feel inferior. I had a job to do on that team, and that job was winning a medal."

"Why It's So Important That CEOs Like Me Speak Out Against Trump" by Reshma Saujani

In an essay about corporate responsibility in the age of Trump by Reshma Saujani, the Girls Who Code founder and CEO reminds readers that individuals have a lot of power to enact change. "But if every American has the power to sway a CEO," she argues in a piece for Teen Vogue, "then every American quite literally has a chance to sway public opinion, to shape the way we talk and think and act on our values system — to change the way we treat our fellow Americans and those who come here seeking a better life for their families."

"Ava DuVernay on How to 'Pivot Towards Positivity' in Trying Times" by Ava DuVernay

There are few creatives as wise, or as giving when it comes to advice, as A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay. "These days I’m a lot less competitive, a lot less concerned about what other people do. I’m much more focused on the things that make me happy," she writes in an inspirational essay for InStyle. "I believe that good comes when you put out good, and so I just try to emanate joyful vibes. Why not? I’m not going to spend my day hating on someone else. I’ve got so many better and more joy-filled things to do."

"Portrait of a Lady" by Lady Gaga

In her 2016 essay on being a woman in the modern world, Lady Gaga opens up and offers a truly refreshing and inspiring perspective. "Being a lady today means being a fighter. It means being a survivor," she writes. "It means letting yourself be vulnerable and acknowledging your shame or that you're sad or you're angry. It takes great strength to do that."

46 Inspiring Women Who Have Changed the World for Good

The truth is, women deserve a lot more credit than they receive. Beyond Women’s History Month or International Women’s Day — and yes, even beyond a “Hi Barbie!” — women of all backgrounds deserve greater recognition (and equal pay).

In an attempt to bridge the gap many of us have in our knowledge of women’s history — and to appreciate the world-changing work of women everywhere, we’ve rounded up some stories of inspiring women you ought to know.

From athletes and writers to activists and scientists, this not-at-all-exhaustive glossary of greats will hopefully act as a launch pad for you to learn more about each of them — or go on and change the world yourself. 

Let’s meet them!

You might also like:

• Quotes from inspiring feminists
• Women activists who changed the world for the better

Some of the world’s most inspiring women

Malala yousafzai.

Malala Yousafzai made waves when she was just a young girl who spoke up about girl’s education, taking inspiration from her father, a teacher.

At 15, after she was shot on the bus while riding home from school, Yousafzai became a household name. The Pakistani girl was attacked simply because she was getting an education — something that was highly risky and taboo, as Yousafzai grew up in a time during which the Taliban was taking control of her home country.

Fortunately, Yousafzai survived the attack, and after intense rehabilitation, made a full recovery and went on to champion equal access to education. She became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate in 2014, and now in her 20s, continues her work as a human rights advocate to this day. 

Greta Thunberg

Perhaps one of the most notable faces of the modern climate activism movement, Greta Thunberg has made headlines for her work since she was just 15 years old .

Born in Stockholm, Sweden in 2003, the young activist was quick to learn about climate change and made it to the world stage in 2018, when she led the School Strike for Climate. Thunberg skipped school for three weeks to camp outside of the Swedish Parliament and inspired youth across the globe to take action in their own ways, too.

Since then, she has been invited to speak at international climate summits, met with world leaders, and most importantly, continues to organize against climate change. 

In 2023, Thunberg was arrested and fined numerous times after refusing to abandon protest sites. 

Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King , the wife of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , was born on April 27, 1927 in Heiberger, Alabama. 

She studied music at Antioch College in Ohio, which informed her work as an advocate for justice and peace, and later paved the way for a series of Freedom Concerts as her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement grew. 

Following the murder of her husband, she quickly founded the King Center and became known as the architect of his legacy, while simultaneously continuing the fight against racism, war, homophobia, and other forms of social injustice. 

She is considered one of the most influential Black American leaders of her time, receiving honorary doctorates from over 60 colleges and universities; authoring two books; maintaining a nationally syndicated newspaper column; founding organizations like the Black Leadership Forum, the National Coalition for Voter Participation, and the Black Leadership Roundtable; and more.

When King died in 2006, she was the first woman — and the first Black American — to lay in honor in the rotunda of the Georgia capitol. 

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is a lawyer, writer, and advocate who was thrust into the global spotlight when she became the First Lady of the United States in 2008.

The wife of former president Barack Obama , she served as a role model and advocated for healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, and international adolescent girls’ education during her time at the White House . 

In her memoir, “Becoming,” published in 2018, she wrote about personal experiences with marriage, parenting, growing up, professional ambitions, and more, solidifying her role as a beacon of pride, determination, and optimism for women everywhere.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt is best known for her last name, as the wife of 32nd president Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was an icon of her time and was the longest-serving First Lady throughout her husband’s four terms in office. 

But more than that, she was a humanitarian and tireless social justice activist, using her influence to champion the rights of the marginalized, fight for gender equality, and promote world peace . 

After her husband’s death, Eleanor was appointed as a delegate to the United Nations and served as a chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and played a major role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . 

Eleanor was also desperate to elevate the voices of the oppressed , and was appointed chair of President John F. Kennedy ’s chair of his Commission on the Status of Women in 1961, continuing the work of equal rights to her last days, when she died in 1962.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg , or RBG, as she’s more casually known, was the second female Supreme Court Justice in the U.S. 

She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her law degree from Columbia Law School, becoming a prominent lawyer and law professor in the 1960s.

In the 1970s, Ginsburg became involved in the issue of gender equality and was the founding counsel of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project. She co-authored a law school casebook on gender discrimination, became the first tenured female faculty member at Columbia Law School, and argued before the Supreme Court numerous times.

In 1980, she was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and in 1993, was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton, becoming the second-ever woman to serve on the court.

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was a renowned poet, author, singer, dancer, and activist who dedicated her life to fighting for civil rights and equality.  

With her first-hand experiences of racial discrimination and personal trauma, Angelou used her voice to speak out against injustice, working with civil rights organizations, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 

Angelou is most well-known for her poetry and writing, having penned numerous books and famous works like “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” 

Throughout her life, Angelou received over 30 honorary degrees and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2010. Though she passed away in 2022, Angelou’s legacy lives on today through her powerful writing and tireless activism. 

Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. Alongside her ex-husband Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, she founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , which works to solve health problems around the world, especially focusing on treatments and vaccines for malaria, HIV/AIDS , tuberculosis, insect-transmitted diseases, and malnutrition. 

Alongside this work, Melinda founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015, which advocates for paid leave for all, access to mental health care for LGBTQ+ youth and children of color, as well as increasing the number of women in politics.

Melinda is a leading example of how to use one’s privilege for good, and in 2016 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama . Her book “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes The World” is a best-seller that details her life’s work of helping others.

Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller , born in 1945 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and was also the first woman elected as chief of a major Native tribe. 

She was of Cherokee, Dutch, and Irish descent, and the surname ‘Mankiller’ derives from the high military rank achieved by a Cherokee ancestor.

In 1985, she became the Principal Chief of the tribe ; her administration is known for lowering a high unemployment rate, increasing educational opportunities, and improving community health care. She also focused on the necessity of protecting Cherokee traditions and created the Institute for Cherokee Literacy. 

Mankiller was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998 . She died in 2010, after a life of advocacy and transformation.

Nellie Bly , born Elizabeth Cochran in 1864, was a trailblazing investigative journalist. When she began her work in the 1880s, she adopted “Nellie Bly” as a pen name, going undercover for a variety of stories, in which she covered topics like working conditions for girls in Pittsburgh, corruption in Mexico, injustice in jails, and bribery in the lobbyist system.

One of her most notable exposés is her work “ Ten Days in a Mad House ,” where she was committed to a mental health asylum to expose the inhumane conditions facing disabled community members in 1887. Her reporting led to improved conditions for mentally ill New Yorkers.

Bly also traveled around the world in 72 days in 1889, setting a world record, and solidifying the name “Nellie Bly” as a synonym for a star female reporter.

She became a writer for the “New York Journal” in 1920, just two years before her death.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has become one of the most famous American television personalities and entrepreneurs in modern history.

Before she was a renowned actress and television host, Winfrey was a news anchor at just 19 years old for her local CBS station. After a few years of success in reporting, she was given a talk show hosting gig.

Her daily talk show, the “Oprah Winfrey Show” was syndicated nationally in 1986, and with its high success, paved the way for Winfrey to form her own production companies the same year. 

Following the success of her film and TV works, she launched “ O, the Oprah Magazine ” in 2000. By 2008, she had created her own television network ( OWN ), and ended her talk show in 2011 so she could focus on her other business endeavors.

Along with her massive success and wealth, Winfrey has been a dedicated philanthropist, most notably opening a $40 million school for girls in South Africa in 2007 . 

She was named a Kennedy Center honoree in 2010 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 and continues to advocate for justice and equality through her work today.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is a beloved country musician, actress, and style icon. She is a decorated performer, songwriter, and actress, and is known for bridging the gap between country and pop music, inspiring numerous young female musicians to do the same. 

Off the stage and screen, she is a dedicated philanthropist and business woman. In 1986, she opened Dollywood, a theme park dedicated to Appalachian traditions, in the Great Smoky Mountains. Two years later came the Dollywood Foundation, which provides inspiration and educational resources to children. 

This work has led to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends free books to 1 million children in the mail every month . In addition to this, she has continually shown up as an advocate (and icon) for LGBTQ+ rights , helped to fund (and publicly support) the Moderna vaccine , and keeps showing up to support communities after natural disasters . 

From Grammys to the National Medal of Arts , and everything in between, Parton has received countless awards for her contributions to arts and culture throughout her lifetime of achievement. 

Judy Heumann

Born in 1947, Judith (Judy) Heumann was an educator and activist central to the disability justice movement and was instrumental in the implementation and passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Huemann served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations and was the first-ever Special Advisor for International Disability Rights in the U.S. Department of State between 2010 and 2017. She also co-founded the World Institute on Disability , which was one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and continually led by disabled people.

Just a few years prior to her death in March of 2023, Heumann’s work finally gained more visibility in the American mainstream. Her book, “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist," co-authored with Kristen Joiner, and the documentary "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" were released in 2020, mere weeks before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Florynce ‘Flo’ Kennedy

Florynce ‘Flo’ Kennedy was a lawyer, radical feminist, civil rights advocate, lecturer, and activist.

In fact, in 1974, “People Magazine” called her “the biggest, loudest and, indisputably, the rudest mouth on the battleground where feminist activists and radical politics join in mostly common cause.” 

She was one of the first Black women to graduate from Columbia Law School in 1951, and she fought in both the courts and the streets for women’s rights, civil rights, and reproductive rights. 

Kennedy was a founding member of the National Women’s Political Caucus, established the Media Workshop to fight racism in advertising, and founded the Feminist Party, which nominated Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm for president in 1972.

She also organized a “pee-in” in Harvard Yard in 1973 to protest the lack of women’s bathrooms in university buildings. Her spirit and tenacity were her trademarks up until her death in 2000.

Sarah McBride

Sarah McBride, born in 1990 in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first-ever openly transgender state legislator in the country. She became a member of the Delaware Senate in 2021 and has passed legislation banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity in employment, housing, insurance, and public accommodations.

Prior to her election, McBride worked as the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign and was the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in American history at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Her book “Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality” remains a best-seller after being published in 2018. While she continues to serve in the Delaware Senate, McBride is now running for Congress , and if elected, would be the first openly trans member of Congress in U.S. history .

Serena Williams

Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style and won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other tennis player — man or woman — during her career, totaling 23 titles. 

Growing up in Compton, California, she and her sister, Venus Williams, were taught by their father, Richard Williams, at public courts in the area. In 1991, the family moved to Florida so the sisters could attend a tennis academy, and Serena turned professional in 1995. In addition to her many Grand Slam titles, Serena is a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

After years of success on the court, she retired from tennis in 2022 to focus her efforts on being a mother, pursuing her fashion line , and bolstering her philanthropic work at the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton, which supports families impacted by violence.

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson was a trailblazing mathematician who was integral to sending U.S. astronauts to the moon. 

Johnson was one of three Black Americans selected for her graduate program at West Virginia University, and when she began working as part of NACA’s West Area Computing group in 1953, she was among a group of Black women who analyzed test data and provided important mathematical computations. However, NACA was segregated at that time, and it wasn’t until the group was incorporated into NASA that more opportunities became available.

In 1960, Johnson became the first woman in her division in NASA’s Space Task Group to receive credit as an author of a research report, and she would go on to co-author 26 papers throughout her career.

She spent three decades working with the U.S. space program, and was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the 2016 film “Hidden Figures.” She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and following her death at age 101, a spacecraft was named after her .

Alicia Garza

Alicia Garza is a political activist and leader best known for co-founding the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Since her college days at the University of California, San Diego, Garza has been a staunch advocate against gentrification, police brutality, equal rights, and equitable political power. 

In 2013, she founded the Black Lives Matter movement alongside Opal Tometi and Patrice Cullors, gaining national recognition. This led to the founding of the Black Futures Lab , which builds Black political power across the country.

Garza also works as the Strategy and Partnerships Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance and is the co-founder of Supermajority , empowering other women activists. In 2020, she published her book “The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart.”

Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman , the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, captivated the world when she recited her hope-centric poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration in January 2021. She was just 22 years old. 

She is a graduate of Harvard University, was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban World , and has gone on to write for the New York Times and publish four books since that fateful performance. Her published works include “Call Us What We Carry,” “Change Sings,” “Something, Someday,” and the long-form version of “The Hill We Climb.”

Her poetry speaks to important issues like racism , climate change , feminism, marginalization, and social justice . Gorman has also performed multiple poems on television, spoken at events at the Library of Congress, graced the cover of major magazines, and even co-hosted the Met Gala .

She is the youngest board member of 826 National, the largest youth writing network in the country, continues to share her work and fight against book bans , and has long said that she intends to run for president in 2036.

Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina Supreme Court justice in 2009. She is the third female justice in U.S. history and supports women’s rights, criminal justice reform, and legal immigration in her role as a judge.

She credits the show “Perry Mason” for helping her decide she wanted to become a lawyer at age 10 — and she did just that. She attended Princeton University, Yale Law School, and worked as an editor at the “Yale Law Journal.”

Sotomayor worked as an assistant district attorney in New York for five years before moving to private practice at a law firm. She was appointed as a federal judge in the U.S. District Court in 1992, and was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Second Circuit in 1997 before assuming her role on the Supreme Court over a decade later. 

She remains in her role to this day and has also authored four books .

Mildred Loving

Mildred Loving , whose name perfectly encapsulates her impact on history, is one half of an interracial couple who changed the course of American history for good. Mildred, who was of Native American and Black descent, became a civil rights activist when she married her white husband, Richard. 

In 1958, the pair was arrested for violating the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. They took their case to the Supreme Court, which made it possible for people to marry outside of their race in the U.S.

The case, Loving v. Virginia struck down the law in 1967 and allowed the Lovings to remain a legal, married couple in the state until Richard’s death in 1975. Richard was survived by Mildred and their two children, up until her death in 2008.

Loving Day , celebrated on June 12, commemorates the couple’s triumph in the fight for love and equality for all.

Dylan Mulvaney

Dylan Mulvaney is a transgender actress, comedian, and content creator who is best known for her TikTok series “Days of Girlhood,” where she highlights her transgender journey.

Since the start of her transition in 2022, Mulvaney has delighted her over 10 million TikTok followers with queer joy and exciting milestones: from fun makeup routines, surgery consultations, and adding tampons to her purse to give to other women in the bathroom — to modeling in New York Fashion Week and attending the Forbes Power Women Summit . 

Most importantly, she’s made the Internet — and the world — feel like a safer place for other trans people. In 2023, she was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List , continued to build her acting and modeling career, and maintains a positive and uplifting space for LGBTQ+ people online, even in the face of political backlash .

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton has had a storied political career in American history: serving as the Secretary of State, Senator from New York, First Lady (of both the U.S. and the state of Arkansas), a practicing lawyer, and law professor. 

As the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in 2016, Clinton became the first woman to top the presidential ticket of a major party in the United States, after an already lengthy and meaningful career in Washington, D.C. 

In her many roles, Clinton has prioritized the rights of women and children, fighting for health care reform, assistance for low-income and military families, and more. Her role as Secretary of State was instrumental during the Obama administration, and she has remained a steadfast advocate for human rights (which include women’s rights ), LGBTQ+ freedoms, and more. 

While Clinton earned over 65 million votes in the 2016 election , she conceded to Donald Trump. Inspired by the activism that came after the election, she founded Onward Together , an organization working to advance progressive politics in the U.S.

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall is one of the world's most celebrated primatologists and conservationists . Born in London, England in 1934, Goodall was fascinated by animals from a young age. 

In 1960, she began her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park. She became immersed in their lives, making huge discoveries about primate behavior that have continued to impact the scientific community. 

Gaining the respect of biologists and conservationists across the globe over the course of her five-decade career, Goodall has devoted her life to protecting chimpanzees and their habitats. 

In 2002, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute , which supports chimpanzee conservation efforts around the world, and inspires people of all ages to appreciate and respect animals and our natural environment. 

Emma Watson

An actress best known for her childhood role as Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson has grown up to be a leader in both the arts and advocacy.

Outside of her on-screen performances, she is a dedicated activist in the fields of climate action, gender equality, and human rights. As a graduate of Brown University and supporter of Camfed International , Watson was named a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, serving as an advocate for the organization’s HeForShe campaign. 

An avid reader , she also hosted an online feminist book club from 2016 to 2020, called Our Shared Shelf. 

In addition, her work in climate activism has brought her to the world stage at various COP gatherings . She is also passionate about sustainable style and even wore a dress made entirely of recycled plastic bottles to the 2016 Met Gala .

Rosa Parks — often referred to as “the mother of the civil rights movement” — is celebrated for her courageous act of defiance on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, to a white man. 

Parks was arrested and fined, and instead of paying the fees, accepted the help of the Montgomery NAACP — an organization for which she was the chapter secretary for 13 years — to appeal the conviction. 

Her resistance was a pivotal step in igniting the Montgomery Bus Boycott , which lasted 381 days and spurred subsequent protests and boycotts of segregated spaces across the U.S. In 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that Montgomery’s segregated seating was unconstitutional.

Beyond this iconic part of the Civil Rights Movement, Parks was an active civil rights activist throughout her life and remained active in the NAACP. In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development to provide career training for young people and education about the history of the civil rights movement.

Leah Thomas

Leah Thomas is a celebrated environmentalist, writer, and creative based in Southern California. Her passion for the relationship between social justice and environmentalism led her to found her eco-blog @greengirlleah and nonprofit Intersectional Environmentalist .

Leah was the first to define the term “ intersectional environmentalism ,” giving advocates everywhere a vocabulary for a modern approach to social justice and environmentalism. Since 2020, Intersectional Environmentalist has provided educational resources, advocacy tools, and innovative programming to environmentalists everywhere.

In 2022, Thomas published her book “ The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet ” to provide a framework for a more intentional, accessible, and inclusive future for the climate movement.

In 2023, she was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

Rashida Tlaib

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is a Palestinian American congresswoman representing Michigan. In 2008, she made history as the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature, focusing on environmental justice in Detroit.

She was elected to Congress in 2018 and was known as part of “ The Squad ,” a group of progressive young women representatives who were elected to Congress that year and were vocal against social justice issues during the Trump Administration. 

As a representative, Tlaib has focused her energy on justice for all, affordable housing and health care, environmental justice, and ending poverty. 

Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde , a poet, professor, and activist, dedicated her life and creative skills to addressing injustices like racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. 

Lorde’s writings on lesbian feminism and Black feminism became fundamental to greater social justice movements, with titles like “The Master’s Tools Will Not Dismantle the Master’s House” and “Sister Outsider,” which are still taught in schools to this day.

Aside from her protest-laden poems, Lorde was also bold in her memoir works about her experience with breast cancer, and in her work to make diverse writing more accessible.

In 1981, she and fellow writers founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press , to support the writings of Black feminists. At this time, she was also deeply active in the fight against South African apartheid and created Sisterhood in Support of Sisters in South Africa .

Throughout her life, Lorde was a professor of English at John Jay College and Hunter College, had a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and was New York’s poet laureate from 1991-1992. 

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was a Black trans drag queen and activist who dedicated her life to the liberation of the LGBTQ+ community . As a pioneer of the gay rights movement in the late 1960s, she took part in a number of Pride parades and events — most notably the Stonewall Riots of 1969 .

Following Stonewall, Johnson joined the Gay Liberation Front and later co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with fellow trans activist Sylvia Rivera . Together, the two led a movement advocating for gay and trans rights while providing housing to unhoused LGBTQ+ youth.

Johnson experienced many personal hardships, including a series of mental health breakdowns in the 1970s, a number of arrests, and in 1990, an HIV diagnosis. This did not stop her work, however, and she was a vocal AIDS activist .

In 1992, at age 46, Johnson’s body was found in the Hudson River. While her death was initially ruled a suicide, the New York police reopened her case in 2012. Posthumously, Johnson remains one of the most recognized faces of LGBTQ+ history and is the namesake of many NYC parks and monuments, as well as the Marsha P. Johnson Institute . 

Ava Duvernay

Ava Duvernay is a Black American film director, writer, and producer who has made waves with her work. Although she did not pick up a camera until age 32, she has made history throughout her career.

Duvernay was the first Black American woman to win Best Director at Sundance Film Festival, be nominated for a Best Director Golden Globe, direct a film nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, and direct a film with a budget over $100 million. She is the highest grossing Black woman director in American box office history.

Her projects, which include titles like “When They See Us,” “Selma,” “13th,” and “Origin,” tell deeply compelling stories of racial injustice and civil rights in the United States.

Simone Biles

Simone Biles is an American gymnast who is considered the sport’s greatest athlete. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she became the first female gymnast from the U.S. to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games, and she was the first gymnast to win three consecutive world all-around titles.

She was also the first African-American woman to claim the world all-around title in 2013, years before her Olympic debut. 

Biles is known for incorporating highly difficult moves into her routines and executing them with precision and exuberance, making her a star in the sport.

The gymnast took a break from the sport in 2018 for her mental health and announced she was a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of former U.S. national gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. With Biles’ advocacy , Nassar was convicted of abusing numerous athletes . 

Biles returned to competition later that year and won a record-setting fifth all-around title at the national championships. She continues to be a vocal advocate for mental health , creating a legacy of resilience and achievement never seen in gymnastics before.

Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968. 

A daughter of immigrants, Chisholm grew up in both Brooklyn and Barbados and was an elementary teacher and nursery director. Outside of her work in education, she was an active member of the NAACP and represented Brooklyn in the New York state legislature. 

Once elected to federal office, Chisholm’s Congressional career lasted until 1983 and included a run for president in 1972, where she won 152 Democratic delegates before withdrawing from the race. 

As a founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus and a staunch supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment , Chisholm’s career is remembered by her tireless advocacy for women’s rights, as well as her opposition to weapons development and war in Vietnam.

Chisholm was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

Gloria Jean Watkins, or as she is better known, bell hooks , was a scholar, writer, and activist whose works are central to discussions about race, gender, and class. In fact, one of her most quoted sentiments is that “feminism is for everybody.”

As the author of over 30 books , she often examined the connections between these social constructs and explored the experiences of Black women and the development of feminist ideology. 

Hooks’ pseudonym is the name of her great-grandmother, which she chose to honor female legacies, spelling it in lowercase letters to bring attention to her work, rather than herself. During the 1980s, hooks established a support group for Black women called Sisters of the Yam — which later inspired a book with the same name that celebrates Black sisterhood.

In addition to her writings, hooks taught English and ethnic studies at the University of Southern California, African and Afro-American studies at Yale University, women’s studies at Oberlin College, and English at the City College of New York throughout her career.

In 2004, she became a professor in residence at Berea College in Kentucky, and in 2014, the bell hooks Center was founded at the college. 

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta is an American labor leader and activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America. She is considered one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century, as well as a bold leader of the Chicano civil rights movement .  

Along with her contributions co-founding the UFWA, some of Huerta’s other milestones include coordinating nationwide lettuce, grape, and wine boycotts in the 1970s, leading to the passage of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975 , the first law recognizing the rights of farm workers to bargain collectively. 

She also helped develop the union’s radio station, speaking up and raising funds for causes like immigration policy and laborers’ health. Huerta served on the U.S. Commission on Agricultural Workers from 1988 to 1993, which was created to evaluate the status of labor in the agricultural industry.

In 2002, she founded the Dolores Huerta Foundation and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir was a French feminist writer who created works that became classics in feminist literature. Known primarily for her treatise “The Second Sex,” she became well-respected for her passionate and scholarly takes on feminist philosophy.

While she refused to identify herself as a philosopher , history has made it clear that Beauvoir has made enduring contributions to ethics, social and political philosophy, existentialism, phenomenology, and feminist philosophy. 

In 1945, she helped found the leftist journal “Les Temps Modernes” with other French intellectuals like Jean-Paul Sartre. Beauvoir was a co-editor of the journal, which quickly became an important avenue for political essays of the time, especially as Nazi occupation mounted in Europe.

Since her death in 1986, Beauvior’s works have only gained popularity, solidifying her as one of the most impactful feminist thinkers of the 20th century. “The Second Sex” has been translated in 40 languages. 

Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem is an American journalist, activist, and feminist icon whose work was central to the women’s liberation movement of the late 20th century. 

An avid writer and articulate speaker, she founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 alongside Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug, and Shirley Chisholm.

Around the same time, she created Ms. Magazine , the first magazine of its kind that wrote about contemporary issues from a feminist perspective which changed the popular media landscape in the 1970s.

Steinem also helped create a number of other feminist organizations, such as the Coalition of Labor Union Women , Voters for Choice , the Free to Be Foundation , and the Women’s Media Center .

Throughout her career, she has published 11 books and continues her work as an activist and lecturer. In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2019, the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum. 

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace , a 19th century mathematician, has been called the world’s first computer programmer. As an associate of Charles Babbage , who created a prototype of a digital computer, she created a program.

More specifically, she made the discovery that a computer could follow a sequence of instructions, or a program. Babbage’s proposed computer, the Analytical Engine, was studied by Lovelace, who provided essential feedback and showed that the prototype could follow a series of steps to make complex calculations. 

Her efforts have been widely recognized in the programming world. In fact, the early programming language Ada was named for her — and on the second Tuesday of October, the world celebrates Ada Lovelace Day , honoring the contributions of women in STEM.

Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King is an American tennis player whose advocacy and athletic skill was pivotal in elevating the status of women’s professional tennis. 

Experiencing major success in her early career, King turned professional in 1968 and became the first woman athlete to earn more than $100,000 in one season.

Perhaps her most notable achievement, however, took place in 1973, when she beat Bobby Riggs in a highly competitive “ Battle of the Sexes ” match, which set the record for the largest tennis audience in the world. It was also at this time that King helped create the Women’s Tennis Association and became its first president, campaigning for pay equality. 

The following year, King co-founded the inclusive World TeamTennis co-ed circuit and started the Women’s Sports Foundation to help provide access to sports for girls. 

Unfortunately, King’s success would take a hit a decade later when she was publicly outed as a lesbian and lost all of her endorsement deals. Still, her fight for equality continued. She was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 and became the first woman to have a major sports venue named in her honor .

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , often referred to by her initials, AOC, is a politician and activist representing New York’s 14th congressional district in the U.S. Congress.

Taking office in 2019 at age 29, she became the youngest woman — and youngest Latina — to serve in Congress, garnering support from a young, progressive base and shocking the political establishment. Her campaign in 2018 was driven entirely by grassroots volunteers and donations.

In office, she has been a vocal advocate for social and climate justice, introducing a Green New Deal resolution, as well as advocating to raise the federal poverty line, include immigrants in social safety net programs, strengthen renters' rights, eliminate student debt, and more. 

She has also become well-known for her skills as an effective questioner in committee hearings , holding her peers accountable in a way few politicians have in modern history. 

Sally Ride , a California physicist, was the first American woman to fly in space, in 1983. Getting a number of bachelor’s and advanced degrees from Stanford University, she joined NASA’s class of 1978 , as one of only five women. On her week-long mission into space aboard shuttle Challenger STS-7, she was the flight engineer, breaking barriers as a young woman to operate the shuttle’s mechanical arm and conduct experiments in space. 

Ride also served as the director of the California Space Science Institute, was a physicist and physics professor at the University of California San Diego, and was a member of the president’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.

While her private life was kept quiet throughout her life, after Ride’s death in 2012, it was revealed by her lifelong partner Tam O’Shaughnessy that the two had a 27-year-long relationship; Ride became the first acknowledged gay astronaut. In 2013, Ride was posthumously awarded with a Presidential Medal of Freedom , and O’Shaughnessy accepted on her behalf.

Additionally, Ride and O’Shaughnessy established Sally Ride Science , a nonprofit that encourages STEM education for children of all backgrounds. 

Junko Tabei

Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer, author, and teacher, who, in 1975, became the first woman to summit Mount Everest . She was also the first woman to complete the “Seven Summits,” a challenge that consists of climbing the tallest mountain on each continent.

Tabei led a group of all women for her Everst climb: the Japanese Women’s Everest Expedition. Made of 15 women from a variety of different professional backgrounds, they made a lot of their equipment, like gloves, pouches, and sleeping bags, in order to save money. 

They even survived an avalanche during the expedition, though with limited resources. Tabei was the only member of the group who actually summited the mountain, becoming the 36th person, and first woman, to do so.

After this history-making moment, Tabei remained financially independent and refused corporate sponsorships on her continued expeditions. Instead, she worked as a hiking guide and music and English teacher. 

Throughout her life, she had completed 70 major mountain climbs, written about her experiences, and completed her postgraduate studies in 2022, focusing on environmental preservation on Mount Everest. A few years prior to her passing, Tabei served as the director of the Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan , dedicated to the conservation of mountain environments.

Deb Haaland

Secretary Deb Haaland , a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican, made history as the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary when she was named the U.S. Secretary of the Department of the Interior in 2021. 

Prior to this role, she was New Mexico’s Lieutenant Governor, as well as a Congresswoman. She was one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress, where she championed environmental justice, climate action, family-friendly policies, and the rights of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

As the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Haaland’s responsibilities include things like managing energy development, overseeing public lands, and meeting treaty obligations to 574 federally recognized tribes. 

During her tenure , she has worked to improve consultation efforts with tribal governments, allocate more resources to Native Americans, and launched an investigation into the federal government’s role in Native boarding schools. 

Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison was one of the most celebrated writers in the world, especially in Black feminist circles. Her work — which consists of novels, plays, and children’s books — deeply examines the diverse experiences of folks in the Black community. 

With classic works like “Beloved,” “The Bluest Eye,” and “Song of Solomon,” Morrison was the first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993 and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Morrison was also a professor at Howard University and Princeton University, as well as a book editor at Random House, where she helped edit textbooks, as well as fiction books by African-American authors. Morrison did not publish her own novels until she was 39 years old.

In the last decade of her life, Morrison earned an honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Oxford, was a guest curator at the Louvre Museum, and was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.

Tu Youyou is a Chinese chemist and pharmacologist who made a ground-breaking discovery that led to the first line of defense against malaria.

When she was 16, Youyou contracted tuberculosis, and upon her recovery, realized she wanted to study medicine, to find cures for diseases like the one that afflicted her. At Beijing Medical College, she studied pharmacology and upon graduation, was assigned to work at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where she would stay for her entire career. 

Youyou’s great discovery came when she turned to ancient Chinese medical texts from the Zhou, Qing, and Han dynasties to find a traditional cure for malaria. Ultimately, she was able to extract a compound — artemisinin — for which she volunteered to be the first human subject.

The compound has since saved millions of lives, and has been called “the most important pharmaceutical intervention in the last half-century.”nIn 2015, Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine , which she shared with her collaborators. 

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson was an American biologist and environmental activist best known for her groundbreaking writings on environmental pollution.

Carson studied biology and later joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, as well as Johns Hopkins. In 1936, her career as an aquatic biologist took off when she accepted a job with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries (which is now called the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

During her time here, she served as the editor-in-chief of the service’s publications and began writing her own books about the sea .

Carson’s biggest contribution, however, was her prophetic “ Silent Spring ,” which was published as a quickly best-selling book in 1962. “Silent Spring” was responsible for creating worldwide awareness of the dangers of environmental pollution, including the use of pesticides, and a warning of what would eventually come to be known as climate change.

Despite the threat of lawsuits from the chemical industry, Carson was strong in her convictions and testified before Congress in 1963 , seeking new politics to protect human health and the environment. Although she died just a year later, Carson’s work has lived on as deeply influential in the environmental movement.

Article Details

Meet 3 Indigenous women who are leading the way on climate change

B Corps have a new home base with co-working space in Portland

13 Women Activists Who Changed the World for the Better

10 Ways To Empower Women and Girls

Want to stay up-to-date on positive news.

The best email in your inbox. Filled with the day’s best good news.

• About Good Good Good
• Privacy Policy & Terms
• Take Action
• Subscriber Account
• Affiliate Program

Join the Good News Community

Worldreader Now Home

Search in wr now.

Looking for free books?

10 Inspiring Stories for Girls and Women

By Selena Garrahan

When a girl or woman reads a story that portrays a strong female character, it can be life changing. 

Here’s why: Female role models present real visions of what girls’ futures can look like. They inspire girls to become strong, independent leaders and to pursue their dreams. 

This idea led us to start our Inspire Us collection. It’s a collection that seeks to empower underprivileged girls through stories by local authors. In this blog, we’ve selected ten stories from this collection and hope they inspire more readers to follow their aspirations.

All it takes is one story

It was 2013. We were in the slums of Kenya checking in on an e-reader project we’d launched at the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. 

During our visit, we met a young girl named Dorice . Despite living in extremely difficult circumstances, Dorice had extraordinary optimism. She was determined to improve her life.

In the years since we met Dorice, she’s gone on to to do some incredible things. For starters, she’s just graduated from Kenyatta University, an achievement that most girls in Dorice’s situation will sadly never know.   

We recently asked Dorice which of the books on the e-readers she remembers most.

Here’s what she said: 

“There’s a book I read that really helped me. It was talking about a woman struggling with a ship. And she kept pushing on, while the men were giving up. As they continued with their journey, they made it because of the lady. So I thought: I know I’m a lady, and I know my family is not that well off. But I can do something. I can do something to change the whole situation.”

And she did. 

We’ve seen first hand that when a girl is inspired to dream bigger, it can profoundly change her life. Stories have the power to do just that. 

We’ve selected 10 books from our library that can inspire girls, like Dorice, across the world. Read these books on your mobile phone here .

Here’s a selection of 10 empowering stories for girls and women:

Book Title: Being Adobea Swatson Author: Akua Serwaa Amankwah About the book: A story about finding the courage to pursue your curiosity even when your career path has been decided and seems set in stone. Read this book. 

Book Title: Totems Author: Udechukwu Promise About the book: A fictional account of the life of a western (Yoruba) Nigerian woman. Read this book. 

Book Title: Awakening Author: Chukwudumebi Onoh About the book: The story of Nnamaka, a young Nigerian widow, who struggles to chart her course as a woman despite strong opposition from her family, society, and her own haunting childhood memories. Read this book. 

Book Title: An Unassuming Woman Author: Onis Sampson About the book: The story of Belema and her struggles in finding genuine love and fulfilment in her acting career. The story shows a woman who finds her voice and speaks up irrespective of the forces working against her. Read this book. 

Book Title: Whatever it Takes Author: Ruby Goka About the book: The story of Nayram Agbezudor, a girl who wants to stand as head prefect in an elite mixed secondary school, which has a history of only male head prefects. Read this book. 

Book Title: Cords Author: Ifeoluwa Watson About the book: Set in the fictional town of Fitama, Cords is the story of a young woman’s experience of surviving rape,, finding justice, and leaning on the strong bond of friendship, family and community. Read this book. 

Book Title: Holding Tight to a Dream Author: George Shaw About the book: The story of Araba, a girl who dreams of going to school and getting an education so that she can break away from her humdrum life. Read this book. 

Book Title: Madeline Author: Chijindu Terence James-Ibe About the book: The author tells the story of Madeline, the young woman employed by his mother to be their housekeeper who turned out to be so much more, the woman who saved his life. Read this book. 

Book Title: The Anonymous Letter Author: Adaeze Ibechukwu About the book: A story that depicts the challenges many female teenagers face in Nigeria. Read this book.  

Book Title: Lotus Flower Author: Sandy Om’Iniabohs Iguede About the book: An inspirational story about a rape victim and her struggle to piece herself back together after her ordeal. Read this book. 

These stories are part of our newest collection: The Inspire Us collection.

The collection was created as part of our Inspire Us project, which leverages mobile technology to bring empowering stories to girls and women across Ghana and West Africa.

Here’s what’s critical about this project: the stories reflect the true realities of the young women and girls who will read them – girls from the slums who can’t afford to go to school, girls who have survived rape, girls who are forced into marriage at a young age, girls who are trying to succeed in male dominated environments. 

These stories need to be told. So we organized a writing contest to identify talented Ghanaian and West African authors who could create these stories. 

A group picture of the 10 talented finalists of the Inspire Us writing contest as well as some patrons of the project.

Read these books on your mobile phone at read.worldreader.org.  

The Inspire Us project is part of Worldreader’s larger efforts to promote gender equality. Learn about our four gender equality principles.

P.S. With your help we could reach thousands more children with digital books by the end of the year. Will you join us this holiday season? Give now and change a child’s life. 

Recommended Reading

Meet our Heroes to Zero: 10 Stories to Inspire Children for Climate Action

7 STEM Books to Unlock Your Child’s Inner Scientist

7 Must-Read Fiction Books for 2024

Get the latest updates

Sign up for our emails and never miss out on the latest Worldreader news.

Get in touch

Are you a member of the news media? We’d love to hear from you.

• Annual Report
• Partner with Us
• Jobs & Internships

Your donation is being processed.

Please wait. This may take a moment.

Privacy Overview

When you choose to publish with PLOS, your research makes an impact. Make your work accessible to all, without restrictions, and accelerate scientific discovery with options like preprints and published peer review that make your work more Open.

• PLOS Biology
• PLOS Climate
• PLOS Complex Systems
• PLOS Computational Biology
• PLOS Digital Health
• PLOS Genetics
• PLOS Global Public Health
• PLOS Medicine
• PLOS Mental Health
• PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
• PLOS Pathogens
• PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
• PLOS Collections
• About This Blog
• Official PLOS Blog
• EveryONE Blog
• Speaking of Medicine
• PLOS Biologue
• Absolutely Maybe
• DNA Science
• PLOS ECR Community
• All Models Are Wrong
• About PLOS Blogs

Women in STEM: stories of Resilience, Spirit and Success

Author: Dawn Heimer, Editor, Modern Women in STEM

Note: to commemorate International Women’s Day we kick off our Women in STEM series.

So many STEM books for young girls are history books, showcasing luminaries like Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin. But there are living, breathing, real-life examples of women who are succeeding in STEM – whose contributions aren’t decades old!  Female role models in STEM are right here, right now.

Inspiring women leaders in STEM have come together to contribute to a collective memoir that will soon be published.  They have passionate stories that describe their perseverance, spirit, brilliance, success, commitment, personal transformation and growth through words and photographs.

They have chosen to contribute for the following reasons: they believe their life experiences are inspirational to young girls, sharing their story advances ideas that they care about, they want to highlight the important work they have accomplished and they want to elevate their field of study.

My 10-year-old daughter and I were frustrated with the quality of STEM books for young girls.  As a woman in STEM and an abstract photographer, I was looking for a way to highlight the amazing STEM women I work with every day.  We are often invisible.  You bump into us every day, but don’t realize the extraordinary scientific work we do because we look just like everyone else and don’t always have a forum to tell our stories. 

I hope to change that with a Women in Stem series on the Your Say blog and in my upcoming work. Here’s a snapshot of some of the contributors you’ll see beginning on March 29, 2021:

Christina Goethel, Ph.D. candidate, originally from the USA. Christina’s pursuit of her dreams despite early financial hardship showcases her resourcefulness and determination. She provides the ingredients for “becoming the person you dare to be.”

Lola Adeyemi, Medical Doctor and Entrepreneur, originally from Africa. Recently named to the Forbes 1000 upstart entrepreneurs changing the American dream. As a sickly child with a chronic disease and after the death of several family members, she was inspired to become a physician: “My suffering helped me solidify the belief that our lives are meant for helping others.” She went on to obtain post-graduate degrees from Harvard and Johns Hopkins universities. She runs a healthcare startup, Magna Carta Health in Nigeria, and launched another business to help advance the skills of girls and women called Mentoring Her.

Erika Ebbel Angle, Founder and CEO, originally from the USA. While still in college, Erika started an award-winning, non-profit organization, Science for Scientists, that sends scientists into classrooms to teach students. Erika is also the CEO and co-founder of Ixcela: The Internal Fitness Company.

Eva Suarthana, Medical epidemiologist and Adjunct Professor, originally from Indonesia. Eva has traveled the globe in pursuit of her education. Her bravery is truly inspiring: “…the adventurous blood from my father was in me and my young spirit was excited to explore the world…” In 2012, the European Respiratory Society Task Force adapted her work on medical surveillance to detect work-related asthma. Key themes: Courage, education, and emigration.  

‘Cannot wait to read the book!

‘Cannot wait to read the book and buy it for all the girls & boys in my family! Thanks, Dawn!

This sounds amazing. I want to follow your blog. I have two daughters that are in the STEM field and one currently doing cancer research.

I’m also a children’s author and my books focus on STEM for girls. Let’s connect.

So inspirational seeing how these lovely ladies have made their journeys count. Sending love, peace and happiness to each and every one. Thanks to my friend Latha for sharing with me.

I want to read your book on these inspiring women in STEM. How do I lay my hand on your book/blog.

Kudos to the Women in STEM series on the Your Say blog! It’s wonderful to see such important stories and perspectives being shared. Keep up the great work!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name and email for the next time I comment.

In part one of our Women in STEM series we met Christina, Lola, Erika and Eva, all doing outstanding work around the…

In part one of our Women in Stem series we met Christina, Lola, Erika and Eva, all doing outstanding work around the…

Personal Essay: Inspiring Black Girls to Thrive Within Our Broken Systems

What is giving compass.

We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us .

People I meet always want to know how I survived the systems . Until recently, it was a question I dreaded to be asked. I wanted to avoid being retraumatized, looked at differently, or hurt again by sharing my story. Like many young people involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, my traumatic life experiences made me build a wall of protection, so I trusted no one. Now, a little older and wiser, I understand how my story can be the map for other Black girls to not only survive but to thrive. In this case, as we close out National Foster Care and Mental Health Awareness month, today I share my story for her with you.

My childhood was filled with many challenging and traumatic events. I saw my birth mother, dancing with the devil (or you would know him as the dope man) and doing things that no mother would be proud to do. I was literally ripped from the arms of my birth father, who was nearly killed by police right in front of my siblings and me. I was abused and molested by several family members – none of them were disciplined for their activities. 

I became a foster child at the age of five. Like many of the adolescents and teens in the foster care system, I experienced the daily emotions of feeling angry, neglected, and worthless. I ran away, contemplated suicide many times; attempted once, became pregnant as a teenager, struggled with the loss of family members and close friends, as well as fought with my personal mental health and substance use demons. 

During my young adult years, I suffered in relationships marred by domestic violence. As a young single parent dealing with mental health challenges, domestic violence, and basic needs insecurities, while being in school and working full-time, I struggled. Along this journey, I made some bad choices and had to deal with the consequences of introducing me to the criminal justice system. I knew that I needed to go another path in order to reach sustainable success. I was able to benefit from empowering events in my life and overcome obstacles that could have easily destroyed my future and taken me from my beautiful daughter, Annara.

Following in the footsteps of Ms. Gracie Robinson, my foster mother, a domestic violence counselor, and youth worker for over 35 years, I knew I wanted to work in the nonprofit sector working with youth from vulnerable populations with a focus on supporting the success of my Black and Brown sisters. When I was 17, using a variety of therapeutic expressive modalities and interventions that inspired me to heal, I created a group designed to inspire girls to gain new skills that would enable them to succeed in both education and life.

For about 10 years, I would lead essential life skills and anger management groups in schools, mental health agencies, residential treatment facilities, and community centers throughout Washington and Oregon States, while maintaining various direct service positions in local nonprofit agencies. In 2012, I decided I needed to focus on building a stronger sisterhood for Black girls struggling to see their full potential because of all the roadblocks put in their way by broken institutions at a larger capacity.

The vision of this organization’s framework was to create more opportunities for youth, specifically Black girls and other girls of color, to be surrounded by a sisterhood of not only supportive but inspirational and authentic peers and adults. This sisterhood would be a safe space for a young person to be their authentic selves without judgment so that they can heal, lead, and thrive – not just survive.

You Grow Girl! is a King County-based nonprofit organization that empowers individuals who identify as a girl or young woman through career-focused mentoring, leadership programming, and an array of behavioral health support services, across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. So far, over 1,500 youth have participated in programs and services through You Grow Girl! Currently, we serve approximately 125 unduplicated youth and their families each month with the creative curriculum developed based on my own experiences; revealed to bring awareness to girls of color -- who are considered by society as “at-risk,” “hard-to-serve,” “aggressive” -- that mental health is the foundation for their sustainable success. That they are powerful, important, and beautiful. That they too can overcome the obstacles that broken systems place before them.

While I was not a recipient of culturally responsive or trauma-informed mental health services and youth leadership programming growing up, due to the limited resources centering Black girls available to me, I see the benefits our sisters at You Grow Girl! acquire by participating in both culturally enriching and responsive mental health services and youth leadership programming.

To provide 20 hours a month of free comprehensive, wraparound support services to one youth costs at minimum $1,000 a month. If a youth with state-funded insurance is receiving counseling services, Medicaid pays an average of $9.26 per day for counseling only . There are no dedicated resources allocated to cover the case management, and direct support our youth need to thrive.

As a woman in a leadership role, it can be hard trying to get a seat at the table. It is even harder being a Black woman in a leadership position. I am constantly invited to be the “Representative for Black People” or told to act a certain way. “Don’t be too outspoken,” “don’t wear that,” “change your hair,” “smile more so that people see that you’re approachable,” “you talk white” and the list goes on. These types of remarks are why I do this work. My sisters need someone like me to show them how to get their power back. When we take back our crowns, stand in solidarity with each other along with true allies and accomplices, we are powerful enough to disrupt and dismantle broken systems and flawed community norms designed to tear our Black youth and families down and apart.

We strongly believe no girl should be left behind! Our sisters are tired of not being heard and only supported when it is a trending hashtag. Let them know they matter today and every day. Invest in not just mental health services as a temporary Band-Aid to Black girls but commit to ensuring that these youth have access to equitable and flexible resources. Invest in the organizations that represent and are connected to the youth who are being served.

Together, we can inspire all girls and women of color who have been harmed by systems to lead sustainable, successful lives. Together, we will authentically amplify their resilience to heal and natural leadership abilities so that they can lead the charge in dismantling broken systems to advance gender, economic, and racial justice.

She cannot do it alone.

More Articles

Climate justice legislation begins with listening to those most impacted, stanford social innovation review, apr 25, 2024, listening to indigenous youth voices for solutions, apr 24, 2024.

Become a newsletter subscriber to stay up-to-date on the latest Giving Compass news.

Giving Compass Network

Partnerships & services.

We are a nonprofit too. Donate to Giving Compass to help us guide donors toward practices that advance equity.

Trending Issues

Copyright © 2024, Giving Compass Network

A 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 85-1311683

• Entertainment
• Environment
• Information Science and Technology
• Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Life

Essay Samples on Someone Who Inspires Me

At its core, inspiration is a powerful force that ignites passion, propels dreams, and molds individuals into extraordinary beings. It is the vibrant pulse that surges through our veins, pushing us to achieve greatness even in the face of adversity. Crafting an essay about someone who inspires you allows you to shine a spotlight on the transformative power of such individuals.

How to Write an Essay on Someone Who Inspires Me

Here are some useful example you shpuld consider when writing a college essay about someone who inspires you:

• Consider beginning with a heartfelt introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and sets the stage for the awe-inspiring journey to come.
• Share a personal anecdote or a defining moment that sparked the connection between you and your inspirational figure, allowing the reader to empathize with your experience.
• Delve into the qualities and actions that make this individual so inspiring. Explore their accomplishments, perseverance, and unwavering determination. Showcase how their words and deeds have impacted your life, shaping your values and aspirations. Be vivid and descriptive, illustrating the profound influence they have had on your personal growth and development.
• Weave in personal reflections throughout your essay. Share introspective thoughts and revelations, highlighting the lessons you have learned and the ways in which your perspective has evolved. By doing so, you invite the reader to embark on a transformative journey alongside you, creating a powerful emotional connection.

To aid you in your writing process, we provide a sample essay about someone who inspires you. It serves as a guiding light, illustrating the structure, tone, and depth needed to craft an outstanding piece. Drawing inspiration from this sample, embrace your unique voice, infuse your essay with passion, and let your words leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of the readers.

A Bond Beyond Words: Reflecting on My Relationship with Someone Special

There are moments in life when we cross paths with someone who transforms our world in inexplicable ways. For me, that person is someone special who has walked alongside me, sharing laughter, tears, and countless memories. Our relationship is a testament to the beauty of...

• Someone Who Inspires Me

A Beacon of Inspiration: A Descriptive Peace about the Person I Admire

Amidst the myriad of individuals who have crossed the path of my life, there is one who stands as a beacon of inspiration, illuminating the way with her unwavering determination, boundless compassion, and unyielding spirit. Her name is Emma, and her presence in my life...

A Person I Will Always Remember: My English Teacher

Throughout our lives, we encounter countless individuals who leave a lasting impact on us. Among them, there is always that one person who stands out — a person whose presence, actions, and words etch a permanent mark in our memories. In this essay, I will...

• Influential Person

My Grandmother as My Role Model: Her Role in Shaping My Identity

The identities of Americans are diversified. One’s identity is made up of a person's culture, heritage, personality, and how they strive to succeed. The identity of a person is created, through the hardships faced and their history, whether it is that one is born in...

• Grandmother
• Grandparent

My Role Model and My Heroes: Mother and Father

Heroes can have a massive superb have an effect on on your life. My heroes are my mother and my dad. They are heroes to me each day and I have continually seemed up to them. I have always wanted to be just like my...

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

• 100% unique papers
• 3 hrs deadline option

Audrey Hepburn: Life Of A Timeless Inspiration Of Mine

When I think of an individual who I look up to and aspire to emulate, the first person that comes to mind is Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn’s career in both entertainment and humanitarian work is a path I know I will follow because it is...

• Audrey Hepburn

Oprah Winfrey and Ariana Grande: Women That Inspire Me

Oprah Winfrey was born in Mississippi on January 29,1954. Her parents were not married and broke up soon after she was born. Oprah Winfrey’s grandmother was strict and gave her plenty of discipline as she grew up on an isolated farm. Her grandmother taught her...

• Oprah Winfrey

St. Bernadette: The Woman That Inspires Me

The qualities that St. Bernadette of Soubirous has that I admire are; being humble, being modest, being obedient, and loving. I admire these qualities because they make a person better. Saint Bernadette was modest and humble because, she didn’t brag about seeing Mother Mary, and...

• Catholic Church

Simone De Beauvoir One of the Greatest Woman

Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie-Bertrand de Beauvoir was a French writer, political activist, feminist thinker and existentialist philosopher. She had worked alongside other famous existentialist such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Maurice Merleau-Ponty and was able to produce wonderful works such as She Came to Stay, Pyrrhus and...

• Existentialism
• Simone De Beauvoir

Ned Kelly: American Hero Or Villain

Ned Kelly was a bushranger and was born in June 1855 at Beveridge, Victoria. His father was John Kelly and his mother was Ellen Kelly. Ned became the father of his family at a very young age because of his fathers early death. In 1869...

Joan of Arc One of the Most Heroic Women in French History

Joan of Arc was one of the most heroic women in French history. She has claimed to hear voices that told her to lead France in the Hundred Years War leading France to some victories. Although some believe that the Joan of Arc heard the...

• Joan of Arc

Who Inspired Me to Become a Nurse

To me, nursing is a selfless job. You put the patients’ needs before yours to provide them with the care that they deserve. As a nurse, you are the healing hands. With the energy, compassion, and dedication you build with the patients, you make a...

• Life Changing Experience

Mary Kom, The Person Who Inspired Me to Pursue My Dreams

A question simply arises in my mind that how someone can be a great leader. I thought on this and then I came across various leadership qualities which leaders are having in them. Let me explain first about the leadership qualities. Leader is a word...

The People Who Shaped Me

At a young age of 7, I subconsciously started noticing my mom reminisce about her past and it made me see the way music connected her to her roots and in a way, made her human. It was waking up and witnessing a scene that...

Three People Who Influenced Me Throughout My Life

My parents are undeniably the people who gave me the most profound influence. I would not talk about them separately because they are truly in one flesh. My parents met each other at bible college, and after they married, they served in church and drug...

• Personal Life

Life Lessons in the Diary of Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a 13-year-old Jewish that has made a big impact on people around the world. Making us realize the crimes we create are destroying all of humanity just because some of us have different views and beliefs are certain things. If you don't...

• The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich: An Inspiration to All  

How would one respond to the most miserable and unpromising situation? In The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, the main character, Anne Frank, is deprived of her freedom and forced to hide in a secret annex. As a Jewish girl...

Tara Curb, Her Acts of Kindness Association, and Her Unique Vision of Kindness

It is a late-afternoon, November 7, 2019, on a freezing thirty-five degree and gloomy Thursday at the University of Oklahoma Bizzell Memorial Library. In one of the conference rooms held a Acts of Kindness Association meeting. Running the organization meeting was a smart young woman,...

Biography of Jackie Robinson - National Hero

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” (Jackie Robinson). In the United States in the 1940s, segregation was the way of life. You probably know Jackie Robinson as number 42; the first black man to play major league...

• Jackie Robinson

Life And Art Of Andy Warhol

I remember the first time I saw Andy Warhol’s artworks was about ten years ago at an exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan. At that time, I was not a big fan of Andy Warhol and I didn’t understand why all the works that only show some...

• Andy Warhol

Best topics on Someone Who Inspires Me

1. A Bond Beyond Words: Reflecting on My Relationship with Someone Special

2. A Beacon of Inspiration: A Descriptive Peace about the Person I Admire

3. A Person I Will Always Remember: My English Teacher

4. My Grandmother as My Role Model: Her Role in Shaping My Identity

5. My Role Model and My Heroes: Mother and Father

6. Audrey Hepburn: Life Of A Timeless Inspiration Of Mine

7. Oprah Winfrey and Ariana Grande: Women That Inspire Me

8. St. Bernadette: The Woman That Inspires Me

9. Simone De Beauvoir One of the Greatest Woman

10. Ned Kelly: American Hero Or Villain

11. Joan of Arc One of the Most Heroic Women in French History

12. Who Inspired Me to Become a Nurse

13. Mary Kom, The Person Who Inspired Me to Pursue My Dreams

14. The People Who Shaped Me

15. Three People Who Influenced Me Throughout My Life

• Personal Experience
• Personality
• Selfishness
• Job Interview

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

5 Women Empowerment Essays Everybody Should Read

What does “women’s empowerment” mean? It refers to the process of giving women control over their choices and access to the opportunities and resources that allow them to thrive. While there’s been progress, gender inequality remains a persistent issue in the world. Empowering women politically, socially, economically, educationally, and psychologically helps narrow the gap. Here are five essays about women’s empowerment that everyone should read:

Women’s Movements and Feminist Activism (2019)

Amanda Gouws & Azille Coetzee

This editorial from the “Empowering women for gender equity” issue of the journal Agenda explores the issue’s themes. It gives a big picture view of the topics within. The issue is dedicated to women’s movements and activism primarily in South Africa, but also other African countries. New women’s movements focus on engaging with institutional policies and running campaigns for more female representation in government. Some barriers make activism work harder, such as resistance from men and funding, If you’re interested in the whole issue, this editorial provides a great summary of the main points, so you can decide if you want to read further.

Agenda is an African peer-viewed academic journal focusing on feminism. It was established in 1987. It publishes articles and other entries, and tutors young writers.

5 Powerful Ways Women Can Empower Other Women (2020)

Pavitra Raja

Originally published during Women’s History Month, this piece explores five initiatives spearheaded by women in the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship community. Created by women for women, these innovations demonstrate what’s possible when women harness their skills and empower each other. The initiatives featured in this article embrace technology, education, training programs, and more.

Pavitra Raja is the Community Manager for social entrepreneurs in Europe, North America, and Latin America. She’s consulted with the UN Economic Commission for Europe and also has experience in legal affairs and policy in the private and public sectors.

The Key to Improving Women’s Health in Developing Countries (2019)

Because of gender inequality, women’s health is affected around the world. Factors like a lower income than men, more responsibilities at home, and less education impact health. This is most clear in developing countries. How can this be addressed? This essay states that empowerment is the key. When giving authority and control over their own lives, women thrive and contribute more to the world. It’s important that programs seeking to end gender inequality focus on empowerment, and not “rescue.” Treating women like victims is not the answer.

Axa is a leading global insurer, covering more than 100 million customers in 57 countries. On their website, they say they strive for the collective good by working on prevention issues, fighting climate change, and prioritizing protection. The company has existed for over 200 years.

Empowering Women Is Smart Economics (2012)

Ana Revenga and Sudhir Shetty

What are the benefits of women’s empowerment? This article presents the argument that closing gender gaps doesn’t only serve women, it’s good for countries as a whole. Gender equality boosts economic productivity, makes institutions more representative, and makes life better for future generations. This piece gives a good overview of the state of the world (the data is a bit old, but things have not changed significantly) and explores policy implications. It’s based on the World Bank’s World Development Report in 2012 on gender equality and development.

Ana Revenga and Sudhir Shetty both worked at the World Bank at the time this article was originally published. Revenga was the Sector Director of Human Development, Europe and Central Asia. Shetty (who still works at the World Bank in a different role) was the Sector Director, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, East Asia and Pacific.

The Side Of Female Empowerment We Aren’t Talking About Enough (2017)

Tamara Schwarting

In this era of female empowerment, women are being told they can do anything, but can they? It isn’t because women aren’t capable. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. As this article says, women have “more to do but no more time to do it.” The pressure is overwhelming. Is the image of a woman who can “do it all” unrealistic? What can a modern woman do to manage a high-stakes life? This essay digs into some solutions, which include examining expectations and doing self-checks.

Tamara Schwarting is the CEO of 1628 LTD, a co-working community space of independent professionals in Ohio. She’s also an executive-level consultant in supply chain purchasing and business processes. She describes herself as an “urbanist” and has a passion for creative, empowering work environments.

You may also like

15 Examples of Gender Inequality in Everyday Life

11 Approaches to Alleviate World Hunger 

15 Facts About Malala Yousafzai

12 Ways Poverty Affects Society

15 Great Charities to Donate to in 2024

15 Quotes Exposing Injustice in Society

14 Trusted Charities Helping Civilians in Palestine

The Great Migration: History, Causes and Facts

Social Change 101: Meaning, Examples, Learning Opportunities

Rosa Parks: Biography, Quotes, Impact

Top 20 Issues Women Are Facing Today

Top 20 Issues Children Are Facing Today

About the author, human rights careers.

Human Rights Careers (HRC) provides information about online courses, jobs, paid internships, masters degrees, scholarships and other opportunities in the human rights sector and related areas.

Inspirationfeed

Inspiring and educating bright minds.

71 Touching Love Paragraphs for Her

Love is the greatest of all human emotions. Indeed, he who has a girlfriend has one of life’s most precious possessions. However, keeping a girlfriend demands that you remain true and sensitive to her needs. Since you are the most cherished person in her life, your girl deserves your unrequited love and undivided attention.

Table of Contents

You may consider spoiling her with romantic gifts or taking her on vacation to enchanting faraway destinations. While all these are invaluable in making the relationship grow fonder, nothing delights your girlfriend more than a love message that expresses how passionately you value her. And the convention is that the longer the message, the better it captures your deep sense of appreciation.

Love Paragraphs for Her

Let’s explore some of the cutest love messages you can send to your cute, little flower to strengthen the bonds of love that already exists between the two of you.

1. A day that is void of your voice is to mean an incomplete one. For with your voice comes the soul melting laughter which is all I need to have a great and happy day. I hope mine makes you feel the same way. I love you my Cherie.

2. Before I met you, I didn’t think love was for me. It was something other people had and felt. Something in movies and in TV shows. It felt more like a wish I had then something real. Now that I’m with you, love is so much more tangible. It’s something I can reach out and touch. It’s so much more than a wish or a hope (though it does give me hope, for so many things), it’s the very real, wonderful person I wake up to. The warm hand next to mine, the brush of hair against my cheek. I love you and because of that love, I love so much more than you. I love myself and the world in a way I never thought possible. You’ve made that possible for me. You’ve made everything possible.

3. Even when we know that nothing in this world is eternal, I know deep down that you and I will live together till eternity. I will love you forever, and I will never fall out of love with you. I am always here to be your lover until the end of time.

4. Every day is a celebration of having you in my life. I thank God for making it possible for us to cross the path right from the beginning because that was where my life gained so much impact on your love. I can’t love you enough because you are a precious jewel in my world.

5. Everything you do… The way you eat, the way you smile, the way my name rolls off of your tongue… That all is what keeps me going. It gives me so much joy to watch you be you. I would never give my attention to anyone else because I love giving it to you. The day when you were born, it was raining. Actually, it wasn’t raining itself, but heaven was crying for losing the most beautiful angel!

6. I can create another odyssey describing my love for you. You have such a profound influence in my life that I cannot erase the memories of you even if I live for a million years. I am lucky to be part of your life. I will love you till my last breath!

7. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate having you in my life. For helping me through the bad times and being there to help me celebrate the good times, I cherish all of the moments that we share together. There aren’t enough words in the dictionary for me to tell you how glad I am to have you in my life. I am so lucky to have you by my side. Everything you do for me never goes unnoticed. I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as wonderful as you, but I am eternally grateful to have your love, support, and affection. Thank you for being you, and for having me by your side.

8. Life offers many choices to make, but loving you is the only thing I wish to do. I want to spend my entire existence showing you how much you have impacted my life. Hand-in-hand, I will prove to you that my life is better with you in it. For the sake of your love, I am ready to face whatever it takes to make you smile at all times. I will love you until I am no more because your love is my greatest wealth.

9. Love is not something that you can express in words. Love is something that is expressed by actions and felt with the heart. I don’t know how much loved I make you feel but trust me, dear, you are the most precious thing in my life. I love you!

10. My most beloved woman. Without you, I do not exist. I need you and you alone to survive the storms of life. You are such a perfect woman for me. I could barely meet someone better than you. You’re the meaning of a great experience, and I can’t love you less.

11. My world feels dark when you’re not here. Even when I’m out under a cloudless sky, it feels like there’s a haze over everything. Before you, the world was filled with so many lights, streetlights, stars, the moon, and the sun. Now it feels like you are the brightest light in my life. It would explain why I feel so warm around you, how you provide me with the energy and the strength to persevere through my darkest hours. You also shine brilliantly enough that I know I’ll always be able to find my way back to you.

12. One paragraph is not enough for me to tell you just how much you mean to me. It would take me thousands of pages to tell you just how much I love you. If I spent the rest of eternity writing, I still could not accurately portray how amazing you are and all of the reasons why I love you .

13. Our love is something that is truly special and there is no other love like ours in the world. I feel as if I have won the lottery with you, someone who is so special and magical, who makes my life and my world a thousand times better just by being there. When I look at you, I know that I have truly hit the jackpot. All you have to do in order to warm my heart is to be the loving, caring person that you are. Together, we can do so much and help each other realize our dreams because we truly have a love that is special.

14. Seeing you every day is a blessing because my heart bubbles with excitement when anything reminds me of you. I am filled with great joy whenever the thought of you crosses my mind. I do not understand why, but I can’t stop looking at you. I admire your beauty a lot, and it is one thing that strikes me. You own my heart, and I want your heart forever.

15. Sometimes when I look at the ocean or an especially large mountain range, I feel overwhelmed and small, but in a good way. It’s comforting to know there’s something out there bigger than I am. Something large and enduring that has lasted through the ages. Through harsh weather, storms and droughts, through changes in history and climate , the ocean keeps on rolling and the mountains keep on standing tall. When I think of you and our love and how I feel about you, I feel the same way. My love for you doesn’t make me feel small though, it makes me feel powerful and new. I look at you and I know that I will love you forever, through storms and droughts, through all the changes that will undoubtedly come our way. I will love you forever. There’s no changing that.

16. The first day we met was the best day of my life. I found the source of life, joy, and happiness. You are my inspiration, and I love you beyond words can explain, baby. I know that the world is waiting for our union. It will be the best thing that has ever happened to me.

17. Watching you walk across a room is the greatest gift. The way you move is so graceful and easy. The way you smile makes me feel at peace. Knowing you’re walking towards me is a feeling so hard to describe. It’s like coming home, a comfort, only the home is coming to me. I will never know such love, such peace, as you. You’re my home.

18. Whenever we are apart, have it in mind that you are always in my heart. I take the memories we create with me everywhere I go. I miss you, my love and I want you to know that gaining your appreciation is my most significant feat.

19. When I first saw you, I was attracted by your beautiful face and your charming smile. But it was the beauty of your heart that I fell for. I found an angel in you that is more amazing than what’s visible from outside.

20. When you are around me, my world turns around, and I feel your passion swell up inside my heart. I love you because when I lose control of myself, you pull closer. You are the sun in my sky, without you I’d be in darkness. I will love you until there is no love left in the world.

21. Words may fail to express how much I love you but my deeds will never fail to show my love for you. I loved you yesterday, love you today and will love you until there’s no tomorrow!

22. You are more beautiful than a summer sunset on the ocean horizon. You are more breathtaking than the lush landscape on a mountain. You shine brighter than the stars in the country sky. You are more alluring than any song that was ever sung. I had not seen what the real meaning of beauty was until I found you.

23. You are my match made in heaven. There is never a second where you aren’t there to lift me up when I need you to. I am so fortunate to have crossed paths with you in the beginning. It has brought us to this beautiful point in our lives. You are everything I could ever want in a woman. I will never want anything or anyone else. That I can promise.

24. You are the sunshine that fades all the darkness in my life. You are my road to redemption. I have never loved someone so deeply than you. I love you more than I can say. Nothing can ever change my love for you!

25. Your love attacked my body and melted my soul. If ever two were one, then I plus you will be one. Your love gives me delight than a whole bag of gold. I will love you forever.

26. Your love makes my world glow. It makes the sunrise, the winds to blow and the rain to fall. This love is beautiful because even if the sun rises, the wind blows and the rain falls on me, my love will forever be yours.

27. Your love sneaked up sleeves. Without any direction, it tiptoes gently, slowly and straight to my heart. I never bargained for its dominant grip on my heart. Now I’m helplessly under your control. You must be a magician because I don’t want to get your love off my heart.

28. Your never-ending love was all I needed to make my dark world glow. Your love is so fascinating because you gathered and mended my broken heart together into one piece with your sweet love. My purpose was undefined, but I am gingered to keep living. You gave my life meaning. You loved me until I can stand to live another day. I love you, and I will always do, until the end of time.

29. You’ve lit a fire in me. It’s a passion that grows with each passing day. Just when I think I get used to my love for you, you’ll do something small and amazing. Maybe you’ll make me laugh, or say something so smart it makes me see the world in a new way, and suddenly there it is again—that rush of emotion, of love, that comes over me so swiftly it’s like a wildfire in my soul. I hope you know how much you mean to me, how much I love you, and how excited I am to walk through this life with you.

30. You’re my best friend. The person I can tell all my secrets to, the first person I want to talk to when I wake up, and last person I want to talk to before I drift off to sleep. When something good happens to me, you’re the first person I want to tell. When I’m troubled by something or if I get bad news, you’re the one I go to for comfort and support. But you’re so much more to me than a friend, you’re the love of my life. You’re my friend, my lover, my comfort and my strength. I am so lucky to have you. I just wanted you to know how happy I am to have you in my life.

31. You are my happiness the only treasure I adore with a complete passion. Since the day you came into my world; my life has never remained the same. You brought an endless smile to my face, amazing joy to my heart, baby I love you!

32. My love for you has no beginning and no end. It is cyclical, like life. It is ever-flowing, like the oceans. [And} It is as boundless as the sky and as vast as the universe. When I see your face, I see my past, my present, my future. When I hold your hand I feel everything inside of me expand. You are my everything. I will love you forever.

33. Because of you, I have understood how powerful loving is. You truly made me realize the real meaning of romantic love. Thank you for being wonderful, understanding, and loving to me. You always inspire me to be better. You are my life, baby.

34. I thought that loving someone wholeheartedly and feeling the same amount of affection only happens in movies until I met you. Thank you for all the care and appreciation you have given me. I cannot help but wonder what I ever did to deserve you. I am the luckiest man in the world because I have you.

35. Your beauty is like a ray of sunshine that can bring brightness anywhere. Your beautiful smile never fails to make my heart melt . My dear, thank you for being a fantastic person inside and out. You are the best person in my life now.

36. I know I might not be the perfect man, but you know that I will do everything and anything for you. You are my everything. You are a blessing, so I am beyond grateful for sending someone as wonderful as you.

37. You came into my life when I least expected it. I never imagined that someone like you can make my world a better place. I am thankful that you came into my life, babe. Each moment that we shared is a memory I treasure . You are the most important person in my life.

38. I believe that meeting and being together are not accidents. Even before we met, I knew that our love story had been written. I thank the Lord from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to meet you. I hope that you feel every day how important you are to me.

39. I knew someone should have warned me from falling deeply in love with you. Now, I feel my soul is connected to yours that I will be very lost if I did not love you. What I feel for you is something genuine. Your happiness is my happiness, and your sadness is my sadness.

40. I find your eyes mesmerizing and powerful. When I look at them, I feel a lot of peace, happiness, and hope. I guess you make me feel alive. The joy I feel with you is always with me. Because of the peacefulness, I feel like I am in heaven when you are beside me.

41. My darling, no one brings as much happiness to my life as you. In your company, I find love that I have never known before. I can’t imagine what my life would be without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You have given me so much love and encouragement that I don’t think I will be able to return all that to you. You have been lighting up the dark and bringing joy to my heart. When I am with you I feel alive and strong.

42. Honey, you know that with you by my side, my day seems brighter and full of love. When I first saw you, I just wanted to be with you, to hug and kiss you until we both ran out of breath. I must be the luckiest man in the world because I have your love. Every time I think about you, I can’t help but smile. You’re the reason I smile all the time now. I love you, Honey. I heard that you cherish everything between you and me. That’s really great. I never thought I would have such a lasting influence on you.

43. I love us. We’re the cutest. I know that sounds braggy, but I mean it when I say that I think we make the perfect couple. We understand each other. We listen to each other. We inspire each other to become stronger with each passing day. Happy anniversary . I cannot wait to spend another year alongside you, because there is no place I would rather be. You’re stuck with me. You better remember that!

44. I know I am bad at expressing my love but I want to do this. You have changed me for real. You have changed something inside me, I don’t think I was used to this before I met you. I was so lost in my thoughts, you have made me realise the power of my thoughts. You have had the most magical effect on my life. When I am with you I don’t think about anything else but your love. I want to truly confess my love to you, you have been the most important part of my life and will remain in time. I truly love you!

45. What we have together is unique. It is a special bond that is strong and unbreakable. We can make it through anything we encounter and we will only grow stronger from the trials we face together. Together, we are stronger. Being with you has made me a better person and I can’t believe that I found you. Ever since I met you, I never want to let you go. The attraction that you and I share is one that is so intense and I never want to be separated from you.

46. There are a thousand ways to say I love you around the world, but only one way to prove it and that is by actions. You have proved that you love me unconditionally time and again. You were that one person who was by my side when all the world was against me. I have known ever since that day that you were the one for me. I try to love you and take care of you as much and as well as I can. I hope you know that I have the best intentions always, so forgive me if I ever hurt you or caused you pain. I love you for now until forever and will never leave your side.

47. My life would have been so different had you not been there with me. You have filled every corner of my heart with your love. You have showered me with so much care and affection that I feel I must have done something right in my life to deserve you.

48. When you hold my hand, when you kiss me, and when you hug me, I feel like I am the most fortunate person in this world. There is something so magical about the love we both have for each other because it brings me immense joy. I am glad that our paths crossed and we fell in love.

49. Just a little reminder that when I am with you, I wish that time passes more slowly, because I want to make the most of every moment I live with you. You are the most special present from the Almighty, and I am fortunate that you are mine. I promise to love you till eternity.

50. Until I met you, I had no idea that life could be full of happiness. There are so many new things and feelings that I have experienced with you. You brought into my life so much warmth and love that I have learned to live a life beyond my insecurities. You have become my biggest strength and my most precious asset. I will love you till my last breath, and I will always stand by you till eternity.

51. There is nothing I want more from this life because I have got you. The only wish I have is that I always have you with me in each moment, sharing all of my joys and sorrows. All I want is to start my day with your smile and end it with your warmth and love. I pray that our bond of love is always blessed and we stay together forever and ever.

52. I love you so much that you are always in my thoughts, no matter what I am doing. I always think about the beautiful memories we have created together, and I want to make many more lovely moments. You are the best thing that has happened to me, and I thank you for all the love you have brought into my life. Thank you for making me a fortunate man.

53. I was convinced that love is blind because someone as gorgeous as you fell in love with someone like me. But whatever be the case, I feel that I am truly fortunate that you have accepted my love. Thank you for being there for me and for being my rock. With you I feel like one in a million.

54.  Love of my life , You are the first thing I think of when I wake up and I’m looking forward to a life where I will wake up next to you, not needing to imagine you, because you will be sleeping right there next to me.

55. To my soulmate, I love you. I love you. I love you. I can never say those three words enough and unfortunately, I feel like you haven’t heard them at all lately. I’m sorry about that. I’ve been so overwhelmed with work that I haven’t had the time to give you much attention, but that will change soon. Do you know why? Because I love you. I love you. I love you.

56. I’ll love you like I’ve never been hurt. I’ll make you feel good like life has never been bad. It pays to be in love with you. I’ll give the only love I have in me to you. I’ll show you that my smile belongs to you, that my loyalty is with you and my dream is about you. I would fly a plane just to reach you faster, I’ll adorn you with the finest things in life. Because of you, I’ll make my life about love and whenever you say you love me I’ll fall in love with you all over again. My love, never listen to naysayers.

57. I wanna live on an island with you, protected from the intrusion of naysayers, an island of peace, with the serenity of our love flowing upon the waters. It’s not just a wish but it’s a dream I hope to make true with you, by building a home of peace filled with love, protected by the giant walls of trust, serenaded by my commitment all day and night. Baby, cause I love you.

58. This journey isn’t always easy, but you have stuck by my side from the first day. I no longer live for myself because everything you do gives my life purpose. I live for us and our deep connection.

59.  I asked God to send me the best girlfriend in the world, but He sent me a wonderful woman , who has become my true friend, a passionate lover, a caring partner, and the one without whom I cannot live! Thank you for being in my life.

60. I will always pray for that moment that I’ll be the last person you will kiss goodnight, hug at midnight when It’s cold, and wake up to a good morning hug. I want to exist for your love, because life has a different meaning with you in my life. I can’t wait to have you as my wife officially.

61. Some people are lucky enough to be able to put their emotions down on paper. Nevertheless, I will try my best to convey to you the depth of my ferocious love for you. The route of my life changed since the day I met you. You bring out the best in me. Your love gives me wings. Never have I ever been able to show gratitude for the small things in life; the warm showers, the scent of freshly washed linens, the aroma of oven-baked cookies, a food full of table, and everything in between. Thank you for blessing my soul. You may be a human being to the rest of the world, but to me, you are an angel. 

62. You are no ordinary person. You may think you’re ordinary, but that would also change if I told you the manner in which you have bewitched my mind, body, and soul. You are the reaping essence of spring’s first bloom. Your soft, soothing voice and beautiful smile make my day so much brighter. Your caressing touch makes me want to reside in your subtle embrace forever. Your presence in my life is what makes it lively and whole. You are wonderful; I love you.

63. I did not know about luck until you came into my life. But now I do. I am lucky to embrace you in my arms every night. Waking up next to you in the morning is the best feeling in the world. Your laughter is my kryptonite; I’d do anything for you to make you smile. Your teary-eyed face tugs on my heartstrings ever so badly. My world has started to revolve around you. I am so lucky to call you mine. 

64. Everything else becomes irrelevant when I’m with you. Your presence is so soothing, and I yearn for it everywhere I go. What is it about you that has made me lose interest in everything else? You have captured my attention, and I will forever be in awe of your charisma. I am so lucky to have you in my life.

65. Let’s go somewhere quiet, where the background noise of this world can not penetrate our silent whispers and ardent telepathy. I want us to rediscover ourselves and breathe life into this new chapter of our life where we’re madly in love with each other. I want to take you away from here and never see you cry again. Let’s start this new phase in life somewhere only we know. 

66. I never thought I could become someone’s need or desire. You make me feel so loved, so wanted. I love the way I feel when I’m with you. No barriers, no insecurities, no toxicity. Everything negative that this world gave to me, you took it away. You make my worries disappear. Thank you for being the light in my life.

67. I love our energy when we’re together. It’s like nothing else in the world matters. It’s just us, our romantic kisses, our tight cuddles, and immense laughter. I could have lived through a thousand life cycles but could have never found a woman as lovely as you. Thank you for enlightening my life forever. 

68. Everything that I used to do alone is a thousand times better when I do it with you. Sneaking in bed with our favorite snacks and watching decade-old movies has now become a weekend ritual I look forward to all week. I enjoy cooking with you, especially when we’re making comfort food to sit out the cold, rainy days. I love cuddling with you at night; our bodies wrapped around each tightly feels surreal. You’ve made my life a fantasy movie in motion. I love life because of you. I love you.

69. It’s not possible to give love when you’ve got none for yourself. You came into my life at an hour that was dark and melancholic. How you managed to make me fall in love with myself is a miracle. You’re a blessing in disguise, and I just want you to know that you have made my life absolutely amazing.

70. I just want you to know that your aura is so radiant. You have a beaming smile, and your face glows like you’ve been sent from the heavens above. Everywhere you go, you bring a smile to people’s faces. You’re not only beautiful from the outside but from within as well. Your soft corner for the needy and poor is such a rarity. You are indeed a blessing in disguise. You are my favorite muse and my most cherished possession. I love having you in my life.

71. It’s about time someone told you how amazing you are. I used to be a different person before I met you. I didn’t like myself, and I failed to see the good in others. With you, I see everything bright and colorful, even if it is sparse. My life no longer suffers in a monochrome filter, for you have filled it with every color in this universe. You brought me warmth when I was cold, you brought me love when I least deserved it, and you set ablaze a desire within me that brings me nearer to you by the passing minute. I love you.

Evidently, there are more than enough love messages you can write to your girlfriend to prove that you love and adore her. Charm your dear one today by implementing some of the love messages we’ve reviewed here, and watch your relationship scale to new heights.

Posted by: Igor Ovsyannnykov

Igor is an SEO specialist, designer, photographer, writer and music producer. He believes that knowledge can change the world and be used to inspire and empower young people to build the life of their dreams. When he is not writing in his favorite coffee shop, Igor spends most of his time reading books, taking photos, producing house music, and learning about cinematography. He is a sucker for good coffee, Indian food, and video games.

Our travel boxes are selling out! Grab your Shop TODAY Staycation box for 63% off before it's gone

• TODAY Plaza
• Share this —

• Watch Full Episodes
• Read With Jenna
• Inspirational
• Relationships
• TODAY Table
• Newsletters
• Start TODAY
• Shop TODAY Awards
• Citi Concert Series
• Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

• On The Show

55 quotes that celebrate women's strength and contributions

Coco Chanel once remarked, "Women have always been the strong ones of the world."

It's a message that still holds true today. Why? Because women are inherently built with strength, perseverance and character. In honor of Women's History Month, we've gathered together a list of empowering strong women quotes to use however you see fit.

Included in this collection of inspiring messages are luminaries like Michelle Obama , Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart , Madeleine Albright and Maya Angelou who once said, "Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women."

It's a powerful message, as are all these meaningful quotes that honor and recognize women's courage and their countless contributions, like civil rights activist Rosa Parks , whose decision to stand her ground would go on to change the course of history.

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right," Parks memorably said.

Whether you're aspiring to reach a personal goal , reminding a friend or loved one to stand strong in the face of adversity, or simply reading for inspiration, you're bound to find plenty of keepers among this compilation of motivating quotes from these mighty women.

After all, in many ways, it's words that can help us not only effect change in our own lives, but ultimately help shape the world .

Short strong women quotes

• “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” ― Oprah Winfrey
• “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” ― Madeleine Albright
• “Behind every great woman ... is another great woman.” ― Kate Hodges
• “I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”― Dolly Parton
• “Some leaders are born women.” ― Geraldine Ferraro

• “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” — Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
• “Am I good enough? Yes, I am.” ― Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
• “I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man.” — Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I A Woman?”
• “Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.” — Amelia Earhart, “Courage”
• “Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.” — Jane Austen, “Mansfield Park”

• “I may be the first woman member of Congress, but I won’t be the last.” — Jeannette Rankin
• “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” ― Maya Angelou
• “Women have always been the strong ones of the world.” ― Coco Chanel
• “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right.” — Rosa Parks
• “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg

• “We are here, not because we are lawbreakers; we are here in our efforts to be law-makers.” — Emmeline Pankhurst, “My Own Story”
• “What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters.” — Kamala Harris
• “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” — Serena Williams
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” — Angela Davis

• “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman.” — Melinda French Gates
• “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.” — Margaret Thatcher
• “Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.” — Marie Curie
• “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller, “Let Us Have Faith”
• “As women achieve power, the barriers will fall.” — Sandra Day O’Connor, “Women in Power”

• “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.” — Lucille Ball
• “Don’t mistake politeness for lack of strength.” — Sonia Sotomayor, “My Beloved World”
• “I am a woman’s rights.” — Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I A Woman?”
• “If you do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” — Katharine Hepburn
• “Ignite the mind’s spark to rise the sun in you.” — Florence Nightingale

Confident women quotes to inspire you

• “Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.” — Rosa Parks
• “I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.” ― Amy Tan
• “It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in the end. There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.” ―Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
• “In politics, If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.” — Margaret Thatcher
• “How shall we explain to them the meaning of democracy if the same Congress that voted for war to make the world safe for democracy refuses to give this small measure of democracy to the women of our country?” — Jeannette Rankin

• “Alone she goes to the gates of death to give life to every man that is born into the world.” — Elizabeth Stanton, “Solitude of Self"
• “The problems of our time will be solved only when all of the best mind, conscience and talent in the community are brought to their solution.” — Jane Addams, “Speech on Woman Suffrage”
• “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• “Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, “It’s Up to the Women”
• “Life is about finding yourself, embracing your strengths and weaknesses, and being true to who you are.” — Oprah Winfrey

• “The love expressed between women is particular and powerful because we have had to love in order to live; love has been our survival.” — Audre Lorde, “Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches”
• “We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” — Marie Curie
• “It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it! We’ve made it — all of us.” — Ketanji Brown Jackson, Supreme Court confirmation speech
• “The easiest way to disregard a woman’s voice is to package her as a scold.” — Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
• “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.” — Maya Angelou

• “My daily challenge to myself is to be part of the solution, to be a joyful warrior in the battle to come.” — Kamala Harris
• “For one thing we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “The future of life as we know it is being determined by everything we’re doing — and not doing. Now.” — Oprah Winfrey
• “When I dare to be powerful — to use my strength in the service of my vision — then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” — Audre Lorde

• “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land.” — Helen Keller, “Optimism: An Essay”
• “When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you couldn’t hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that’s just the place and time that the tide’ll turn.” — Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Oldtown Folks”
• “As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.”  — Sandra Day O’Connor, “Women in Power”
• “Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward.” — Amy Tan, “The Kitchen God’s Wife”
• “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou

More quotes to read for a boost

• Success quotes that'll motivate you to keep moving forward
• Life quotes that’ll inspire you to find the good in every day
• Positive quotes to brighten even the rainiest of days

Sarah is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter for TODAY who covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between.

30 inspirational mom quotes to lift up all mothers

79 Father's Day quotes that'll make him cry happy tears

101 graduation quotes to inspire the class of 2024

40 powerful motherhood quotes that celebrate all moms

134 funny quotes that are laugh-out-loud good

Inspiration.

30 patriotic quotes that honor our country's legacy

The 128 best Mother's Day quotes to warm mom's heart

60 nature quotes that capture the beauty of Mother Earth

30 Dr. Seuss quotes that are full of whimsy and wisdom

35 summer quotes that bring the sunshine

College Essay: How My Mother Inspires Me

I remember my childhood fondly: looking out the window at a beautiful lake, watching the latest Nickelodeon cartoons on a big flat screen TV, driving an ATV through a muddy forest, and eating snacks from a huge  stainless steel  fridge.  

That’s all true – but none of those things were mine. All of them belonged to kids of rich white people whose homes my mother had to clean.  

My mother came to the United States from Mexico in her early twenties, looking for a superior way of life than what she had living on the outskirts of Morelos, Mexico. In the U.S., she took the only jobs she could get – cleaning other people’s houses. She did that day after day, week after week, year after year, to support me and my three younger siblings.  

The lake view was from a house that my mom had to clean to pay our rent. The flat screen TV belonged to the child of the woman whose windows my mom had to clean to pay our electric bill. The ATV I loved to drive in the woods and the fridge where I got snacks belonged to a kid I met when I helped my mom clean his mother’s house every Saturday to buy a week’s groceries.  

When I started to feel sorry for myself because I didn’t own these amenities, I would think of my beautiful mother. As I saw her do backbreaking work, day in day out, sacrificing herself for me and my siblings – giving up any life of her own – I would think, “My mom doesn’t deserve to suffer like this. I need to do more. I need to sacrifice too.”    

So  I gradually gave up sports and friends to help around the house and care for my younger brothers and sister. And our frequent moves to cheaper housing meant adapting to new  schools  multiple times, saying goodbye to old friends and trying to make new ones.  

It wasn’t always easy, but whenever I thought, “Why me? Why does my life have to be difficult?” I thought about my mom. Even with my learning disability (ADD) and  d epression, I pushed forward, just like I saw my mother do with her suffering.   

I pushed forward dealing with frustration, asking for extra help from my teachers and holding in my thoughts and feelings. I knew the only way I could do more and be successful was by working harder on my academics. I remember my body enduring long nights of trying to complete and understand my school material.  

Through all of these difficulties, my mom has been my greatest inspiration. She’s been my biggest fan and supporter. She’s taught me by her example that I need to sacrifice for others and for myself to persevere in the face of adversity. The things I learned from her example will make me a more determined student in college and a contributor to my college community. My goals for the future are to get a college degree, establish a career and to become a greater contributor to society by giving back to my community, the Mexican-American community.  

With my determination to succeed in college, the pinnacle of my success will be when I will walk upon the stage, smiling cheek to cheek, receiving my degree that I worked hard for, and then gazing out into the crowd to find my mother applauding with tears running down her face.  

© 2024 ThreeSixty Journalism • Login

ThreeSixty Journalism,

a nonprofit program of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas, uses the principles of strong writing and reporting to help diverse Minnesota youth tell the stories of their lives and communities.

• Social Justice
• Environment
• Health & Happiness
• Get YES! Emails
• Teacher Resources

• Give A Gift Subscription
• Teaching Sustainability
• Teaching Social Justice
• Teaching Respect & Empathy
• Student Writing Lessons
• Visual Learning Lessons
• Tough Topics Discussion Guides
• About the YES! for Teachers Program
• Student Writing Contest

Follow YES! For Teachers

Eight brilliant student essays on what matters most in life.

Read winning essays from our spring 2019 student writing contest.

For the spring 2019 student writing contest, we invited students to read the YES! article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill. Like the author, students interviewed someone significantly older than them about the three things that matter most in life. Students then wrote about what they learned, and about how their interviewees’ answers compare to their own top priorities.

The Winners

From the hundreds of essays written, these eight were chosen as winners. Be sure to read the author’s response to the essay winners and the literary gems that caught our eye. Plus, we share an essay from teacher Charles Sanderson, who also responded to the writing prompt.

Middle School Winner: Rory Leyva

High School Winner:  Praethong Klomsum

University Winner:  Emily Greenbaum

Powerful Voice Winner: Amanda Schwaben

Powerful Voice Winner: Antonia Mills

Powerful Voice Winner:  Isaac Ziemba

Powerful Voice Winner: Lily Hersch

“Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner: Jonas Buckner

From the Author: Response to Student Winners

Literary Gems

From A Teacher: Charles Sanderson

From the Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Middle School Winner

Village Home Education Resource Center, Portland, Ore.

The Lessons Of Mortality 

“As I’ve aged, things that are more personal to me have become somewhat less important. Perhaps I’ve become less self-centered with the awareness of mortality, how short one person’s life is.” This is how my 72-year-old grandma believes her values have changed over the course of her life. Even though I am only 12 years old, I know my life won’t last forever, and someday I, too, will reflect on my past decisions. We were all born to exist and eventually die, so we have evolved to value things in the context of mortality.

One of the ways I feel most alive is when I play roller derby. I started playing for the Rose City Rollers Juniors two years ago, and this year, I made the Rosebud All-Stars travel team. Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport. The physicality and intense training make me feel in control of and present in my body.

My roller derby team is like a second family to me. Adolescence is complicated. We understand each other in ways no one else can. I love my friends more than I love almost anything else. My family would have been higher on my list a few years ago, but as I’ve aged it has been important to make my own social connections.

Music led me to roller derby.  I started out jam skating at the roller rink. Jam skating is all about feeling the music. It integrates gymnastics, breakdancing, figure skating, and modern dance with R & B and hip hop music. When I was younger, I once lay down in the DJ booth at the roller rink and was lulled to sleep by the drawl of wheels rolling in rhythm and people talking about the things they came there to escape. Sometimes, I go up on the roof of my house at night to listen to music and feel the wind rustle my hair. These unique sensations make me feel safe like nothing else ever has.

My grandma tells me, “Being close with family and friends is the most important thing because I haven’t

always had that.” When my grandma was two years old, her father died. Her mother became depressed and moved around a lot, which made it hard for my grandma to make friends. Once my grandma went to college, she made lots of friends. She met my grandfather, Joaquin Leyva when she was working as a park ranger and he was a surfer. They bought two acres of land on the edge of a redwood forest and had a son and a daughter. My grandma created a stable family that was missing throughout her early life.

My grandma is motivated to maintain good health so she can be there for her family. I can relate because I have to be fit and strong for my team. Since she lost my grandfather to cancer, she realizes how lucky she is to have a functional body and no life-threatening illnesses. My grandma tries to eat well and exercise, but she still struggles with depression. Over time, she has learned that reaching out to others is essential to her emotional wellbeing.  

Caring for the earth is also a priority for my grandma I’ve been lucky to learn from my grandma. She’s taught me how to hunt for fossils in the desert and find shells on the beach. Although my grandma grew up with no access to the wilderness, she admired the green open areas of urban cemeteries. In college, she studied geology and hiked in the High Sierras. For years, she’s been an advocate for conserving wildlife habitat and open spaces.

Our priorities may seem different, but it all comes down to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and need to be loved. Like Nancy Hill says in the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” it can be hard to decipher what is important in life. I believe that the constant search for satisfaction and meaning is the only thing everyone has in common. We all want to know what matters, and we walk around this confusing world trying to find it. The lessons I’ve learned from my grandma about forging connections, caring for my body, and getting out in the world inspire me to live my life my way before it’s gone.

Rory Leyva is a seventh-grader from Portland, Oregon. Rory skates for the Rosebuds All-Stars roller derby team. She loves listening to music and hanging out with her friends.

High School Winner

Praethong Klomsum

  Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

Time Only Moves Forward

Sandra Hernandez gazed at the tiny house while her mother’s gentle hands caressed her shoulders. It wasn’t much, especially for a family of five. This was 1960, she was 17, and her family had just moved to Culver City.

Flash forward to 2019. Sandra sits in a rocking chair, knitting a blanket for her latest grandchild, in the same living room. Sandra remembers working hard to feed her eight children. She took many different jobs before settling behind the cash register at a Japanese restaurant called Magos. “It was a struggle, and my husband Augustine, was planning to join the military at that time, too.”

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author Nancy Hill states that one of the most important things is “…connecting with others in general, but in particular with those who have lived long lives.” Sandra feels similarly. It’s been hard for Sandra to keep in contact with her family, which leaves her downhearted some days. “It’s important to maintain that connection you have with your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

Despite her age, Sandra is a daring woman. Taking risks is important to her, and she’ll try anything—from skydiving to hiking. Sandra has some regrets from the past, but nowadays, she doesn’t wonder about the “would have, could have, should haves.” She just goes for it with a smile.

Sandra thought harder about her last important thing, the blue and green blanket now finished and covering

her lap. “I’ve definitely lived a longer life than most, and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I hope I can see the day my great-grandchildren are born.” She’s laughing, but her eyes look beyond what’s in front of her. Maybe she is reminiscing about the day she held her son for the first time or thinking of her grandchildren becoming parents. I thank her for her time and she waves it off, offering me a styrofoam cup of lemonade before I head for the bus station.

The bus is sparsely filled. A voice in my head reminds me to finish my 10-page history research paper before spring break. I take a window seat and pull out my phone and earbuds. My playlist is already on shuffle, and I push away thoughts of that dreaded paper. Music has been a constant in my life—from singing my lungs out in kindergarten to Barbie’s “I Need To Know,” to jamming out to Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” in sixth grade, to BTS’s “Intro: Never Mind” comforting me when I’m at my lowest. Music is my magic shop, a place where I can trade away my fears for calm.

I’ve always been afraid of doing something wrong—not finishing my homework or getting a C when I can do better. When I was 8, I wanted to be like the big kids. As I got older, I realized that I had exchanged my childhood longing for the 48 pack of crayons for bigger problems, balancing grades, a social life, and mental stability—all at once. I’m going to get older whether I like it or not, so there’s no point forcing myself to grow up faster.  I’m learning to live in the moment.

The bus is approaching my apartment, where I know my comfy bed and a home-cooked meal from my mom are waiting. My mom is hard-working, confident, and very stubborn. I admire her strength of character. She always keeps me in line, even through my rebellious phases.

My best friend sends me a text—an update on how broken her laptop is. She is annoying. She says the stupidest things and loves to state the obvious. Despite this, she never fails to make me laugh until my cheeks feel numb. The rest of my friends are like that too—loud, talkative, and always brightening my day. Even friends I stopped talking to have a place in my heart. Recently, I’ve tried to reconnect with some of them. This interview was possible because a close friend from sixth grade offered to introduce me to Sandra, her grandmother.  

I’m decades younger than Sandra, so my view of what’s important isn’t as broad as hers, but we share similar values, with friends and family at the top. I have a feeling that when Sandra was my age, she used to love music, too. Maybe in a few decades, when I’m sitting in my rocking chair, drawing in my sketchbook, I’ll remember this article and think back fondly to the days when life was simple.

Praethong Klomsum is a tenth-grader at Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California.  Praethong has a strange affinity for rhyme games and is involved in her school’s dance team. She enjoys drawing and writing, hoping to impact people willing to listen to her thoughts and ideas.

University Winner

Emily Greenbaum

Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 

The Life-Long War

Every morning we open our eyes, ready for a new day. Some immediately turn to their phones and social media. Others work out or do yoga. For a certain person, a deep breath and the morning sun ground him. He hears the clink-clank of his wife cooking low sodium meat for breakfast—doctor’s orders! He sees that the other side of the bed is already made, the dogs are no longer in the room, and his clothes are set out nicely on the loveseat.

Today, though, this man wakes up to something different: faded cream walls and jello. This person, my hero, is Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James.

I pulled up my chair close to Roger’s vinyl recliner so I could hear him above the noise of the beeping dialysis machine. I noticed Roger would occasionally glance at his wife Susan with sparkly eyes when he would recall memories of the war or their grandkids. He looked at Susan like she walked on water.

Roger James served his country for thirty years. Now, he has enlisted in another type of war. He suffers from a rare blood cancer—the result of the wars he fought in. Roger has good and bad days. He says, “The good outweighs the bad, so I have to be grateful for what I have on those good days.”

When Roger retired, he never thought the effects of the war would reach him. The once shallow wrinkles upon his face become deeper, as he tells me, “It’s just cancer. Others are suffering from far worse. I know I’ll make it.”

Like Nancy Hill did in her article “Three Things that Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I asked Roger, “What are the three most important things to you?” James answered, “My wife Susan, my grandkids, and church.”

Roger and Susan served together in the Vietnam war. She was a nurse who treated his cuts and scrapes one day. I asked Roger why he chose Susan. He said, “Susan told me to look at her while she cleaned me up. ‘This may sting, but don’t be a baby.’ When I looked into her eyes, I felt like she was looking into my soul, and I didn’t want her to leave. She gave me this sense of home. Every day I wake up, she makes me feel the same way, and I fall in love with her all over again.”

Roger and Susan have two kids and four grandkids, with great-grandchildren on the way. He claims that his grandkids give him the youth that he feels slowly escaping from his body. This adoring grandfather is energized by coaching t-ball and playing evening card games with the grandkids.

The last thing on his list was church. His oldest daughter married a pastor. Together they founded a church. Roger said that the connection between his faith and family is important to him because it gave him a reason to want to live again. I learned from Roger that when you’re across the ocean, you tend to lose sight of why you are fighting. When Roger returned, he didn’t have the will to live. Most days were a struggle, adapting back into a society that lacked empathy for the injuries, pain, and psychological trauma carried by returning soldiers. Church changed that for Roger and gave him a sense of purpose.

When I began this project, my attitude was to just get the assignment done. I never thought I could view Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James as more than a role model, but he definitely changed my mind. It’s as if Roger magically lit a fire inside of me and showed me where one’s true passions should lie. I see our similarities and embrace our differences. We both value family and our own connections to home—his home being church and mine being where I can breathe the easiest.

Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me and that every once in a while, I should step back and stop to smell the roses. As we concluded the interview, amidst squeaky clogs and the stale smell of bleach and bedpans, I looked to Roger, his kind, tired eyes, and weathered skin, with a deeper sense of admiration, knowing that his values still run true, no matter what he faces.

Emily Greenbaum is a senior at Kent State University, graduating with a major in Conflict Management and minor in Geography. Emily hopes to use her major to facilitate better conversations, while she works in the Washington, D.C. area.  

Powerful Voice Winner

Amanda Schwaben

Wise Words From Winnie the Pooh

As I read through Nancy Hill’s article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I was comforted by the similar responses given by both children and older adults. The emphasis participants placed on family, social connections, and love was not only heartwarming but hopeful. While the messages in the article filled me with warmth, I felt a twinge of guilt building within me. As a twenty-one-year-old college student weeks from graduation, I honestly don’t think much about the most important things in life. But if I was asked, I would most likely say family, friendship, and love. As much as I hate to admit it, I often find myself obsessing over achieving a successful career and finding a way to “save the world.”

A few weeks ago, I was at my family home watching the new Winnie the Pooh movie Christopher Robin with my mom and younger sister. Well, I wasn’t really watching. I had my laptop in front of me, and I was aggressively typing up an assignment. Halfway through the movie, I realized I left my laptop charger in my car. I walked outside into the brisk March air. Instinctively, I looked up. The sky was perfectly clear, revealing a beautiful array of stars. When my twin sister and I were in high school, we would always take a moment to look up at the sparkling night sky before we came into the house after soccer practice.

I think that was the last time I stood in my driveway and gazed at the stars. I did not get the laptop charger from

my car; instead, I turned around and went back inside. I shut my laptop and watched the rest of the movie. My twin sister loves Winnie the Pooh. So much so that my parents got her a stuffed animal version of him for Christmas. While I thought he was adorable and a token of my childhood, I did not really understand her obsession. However, it was clear to me after watching the movie. Winnie the Pooh certainly had it figured out. He believed that the simple things in life were the most important: love, friendship, and having fun.

I thought about asking my mom right then what the three most important things were to her, but I decided not to. I just wanted to be in the moment. I didn’t want to be doing homework. It was a beautiful thing to just sit there and be present with my mom and sister.

I did ask her, though, a couple of weeks later. Her response was simple.  All she said was family, health, and happiness. When she told me this, I imagined Winnie the Pooh smiling. I think he would be proud of that answer.

I was not surprised by my mom’s reply. It suited her perfectly. I wonder if we relearn what is most important when we grow older—that the pressure to be successful subsides. Could it be that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world?

Amanda Schwaben is a graduating senior from Kent State University with a major in Applied Conflict Management. Amanda also has minors in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication. She hopes to further her education and focus on how museums not only preserve history but also promote peace.

Antonia Mills

Rachel Carson High School, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Decoding The Butterfly

For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must first digest itself. The caterpillar, overwhelmed by accumulating tissue, splits its skin open to form its protective shell, the chrysalis, and later becomes the pretty butterfly we all know and love. There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies, and just as every species is different, so is the life of every butterfly. No matter how long and hard a caterpillar has strived to become the colorful and vibrant butterfly that we marvel at on a warm spring day, it does not live a long life. A butterfly can live for a year, six months, two weeks, and even as little as twenty-four hours.

I have often wondered if butterflies live long enough to be blissful of blue skies. Do they take time to feast upon the sweet nectar they crave, midst their hustling life of pollinating pretty flowers? Do they ever take a lull in their itineraries, or are they always rushing towards completing their four-stage metamorphosis? Has anyone asked the butterfly, “Who are you?” instead of “What are you”? Or, How did you get here, on my windowsill?  How did you become ‘you’?

Humans are similar to butterflies. As a caterpillar

Suzanna Ruby/Getty Images

becomes a butterfly, a baby becomes an elder. As a butterfly soars through summer skies, an elder watches summer skies turn into cold winter nights and back toward summer skies yet again.  And as a butterfly flits slowly by the porch light, a passerby makes assumptions about the wrinkled, slow-moving elder, who is sturdier than he appears. These creatures are not seen for who they are—who they were—because people have “better things to do” or they are too busy to ask, “How are you”?

Our world can be a lonely place. Pressured by expectations, haunted by dreams, overpowered by weakness, and drowned out by lofty goals, we tend to forget ourselves—and others. Rather than hang onto the strands of our diminishing sanity, we might benefit from listening to our elders. Many elders have experienced setbacks in their young lives. Overcoming hardship and surviving to old age is wisdom that they carry.  We can learn from them—and can even make their day by taking the time to hear their stories.  

Nancy Hill, who wrote the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” was right: “We live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” I know a lot about my grandmother’s life, and it isn’t as serene as my own. My grandmother, Liza, who cooks every day, bakes bread on holidays for our neighbors, brings gifts to her doctor out of the kindness of her heart, and makes conversation with neighbors even though she is isn’t fluent in English—Russian is her first language—has struggled all her life. Her mother, Anna, a single parent, had tuberculosis, and even though she had an inviolable spirit, she was too frail to care for four children. She passed away when my grandmother was sixteen, so my grandmother and her siblings spent most of their childhood in an orphanage. My grandmother got married at nineteen to my grandfather, Pinhas. He was a man who loved her more than he loved himself and was a godsend to every person he met. Liza was—and still is—always quick to do what was best for others, even if that person treated her poorly. My grandmother has lived with physical pain all her life, yet she pushed herself to climb heights that she wasn’t ready for. Against all odds, she has lived to tell her story to people who are willing to listen. And I always am.

I asked my grandmother, “What are three things most important to you?” Her answer was one that I already expected: One, for everyone to live long healthy lives. Two, for you to graduate from college. Three, for you to always remember that I love you.

What may be basic to you means the world to my grandmother. She just wants what she never had the chance to experience: a healthy life, an education, and the chance to express love to the people she values. The three things that matter most to her may be so simple and ordinary to outsiders, but to her, it is so much more. And who could take that away?

Antonia Mills was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and attends Rachel Carson High School.  Antonia enjoys creative activities, including writing, painting, reading, and baking. She hopes to pursue culinary arts professionally in the future. One of her favorite quotes is, “When you start seeing your worth, you’ll find it harder to stay around people who don’t.” -Emily S.P.  

  Powerful Voice Winner

   Isaac Ziemba

Odyssey Multiage Program, Bainbridge Island, Wash. 

This Former State Trooper Has His Priorities Straight: Family, Climate Change, and Integrity

I have a personal connection to people who served in the military and first responders. My uncle is a first responder on the island I live on, and my dad retired from the Navy. That was what made a man named Glen Tyrell, a state trooper for 25 years, 2 months and 9 days, my first choice to interview about what three things matter in life. In the YES! Magazine article “The Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I learned that old and young people have a great deal in common. I know that’s true because Glen and I care about a lot of the same things.

For Glen, family is at the top of his list of important things. “My wife was, and is, always there for me. My daughters mean the world to me, too, but Penny is my partner,” Glen said. I can understand why Glen’s wife is so important to him. She’s family. Family will always be there for you.

Glen loves his family, and so do I with all my heart. My dad especially means the world to me. He is my top supporter and tells me that if I need help, just “say the word.” When we are fishing or crabbing, sometimes I

think, what if these times were erased from my memory? I wouldn’t be able to describe the horrible feeling that would rush through my mind, and I’m sure that Glen would feel the same about his wife.

My uncle once told me that the world is always going to change over time. It’s what the world has turned out to be that worries me. Both Glen and I are extremely concerned about climate change and the effect that rising temperatures have on animals and their habitats. We’re driving them to extinction. Some people might say, “So what? Animals don’t pay taxes or do any of the things we do.” What we are doing to them is like the Black Death times 100.

Glen is also frustrated by how much plastic we use and where it ends up. He would be shocked that an explorer recently dived to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean—seven miles!— and discovered a plastic bag and candy wrappers. Glen told me that, unfortunately, his generation did the damage and my generation is here to fix it. We need to take better care of Earth because if we don’t, we, as a species, will have failed.

Both Glen and I care deeply for our families and the earth, but for our third important value, I chose education and Glen chose integrity. My education is super important to me because without it, I would be a blank slate. I wouldn’t know how to figure out problems. I wouldn’t be able to tell right from wrong. I wouldn’t understand the Bill of Rights. I would be stuck. Everyone should be able to go to school, no matter where they’re from or who they are.  It makes me angry and sad to think that some people, especially girls, get shot because they are trying to go to school. I understand how lucky I am.

Integrity is sacred to Glen—I could tell by the serious tone of Glen’s voice when he told me that integrity was the code he lived by as a former state trooper. He knew that he had the power to change a person’s life, and he was committed to not abusing that power.  When Glen put someone under arrest—and my uncle says the same—his judgment and integrity were paramount. “Either you’re right or you’re wrong.” You can’t judge a person by what you think, you can only judge a person from what you know.”

I learned many things about Glen and what’s important in life, but there is one thing that stands out—something Glen always does and does well. Glen helps people. He did it as a state trooper, and he does it in our school, where he works on construction projects. Glen told me that he believes that our most powerful tools are writing and listening to others. I think those tools are important, too, but I also believe there are other tools to help solve many of our problems and create a better future: to be compassionate, to create caring relationships, and to help others. Just like Glen Tyrell does each and every day.

Isaac Ziemba is in seventh grade at the Odyssey Multiage Program on a small island called Bainbridge near Seattle, Washington. Isaac’s favorite subject in school is history because he has always been interested in how the past affects the future. In his spare time, you can find Isaac hunting for crab with his Dad, looking for artifacts around his house with his metal detector, and having fun with his younger cousin, Conner.     

Lily Hersch

 The Crest Academy, Salida, Colo.

The Phone Call

Dear Grandpa,

In my short span of life—12 years so far—you’ve taught me a lot of important life lessons that I’ll always have with me. Some of the values I talk about in this writing I’ve learned from you.

Dedicated to my Gramps.

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author and photographer Nancy Hill asked people to name the three things that mattered most to them. After reading the essay prompt for the article, I immediately knew who I wanted to interview: my grandpa Gil.      

My grandpa was born on January 25, 1942. He lived in a minuscule tenement in The Bronx with his mother,

father, and brother. His father wasn’t around much, and, when he was, he was reticent and would snap occasionally, revealing his constrained mental pain. My grandpa says this happened because my great grandfather did not have a father figure in his life. His mother was a classy, sharp lady who was the head secretary at a local police district station. My grandpa and his brother Larry did not care for each other. Gramps said he was very close to his mother, and Larry wasn’t. Perhaps Larry was envious for what he didn’t have.

Decades after little to no communication with his brother, my grandpa decided to spontaneously visit him in Florida, where he resided with his wife. Larry was taken aback at the sudden reappearance of his brother and told him to leave. Since then, the two brothers have not been in contact. My grandpa doesn’t even know if Larry is alive.         

My grandpa is now a retired lawyer, married to my wonderful grandma, and living in a pretty house with an ugly dog named BoBo.

So, what’s important to you, Gramps?

He paused a second, then replied, “Family, kindness, and empathy.”

“Family, because it’s my family. It’s important to stay connected with your family. My brother, father, and I never connected in the way I wished, and sometimes I contemplated what could’ve happened.  But you can’t change the past. So, that’s why family’s important to me.”

Family will always be on my “Top Three Most Important Things” list, too. I can’t imagine not having my older brother, Zeke, or my grandma in my life. I wonder how other kids feel about their families? How do kids trapped and separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border feel?  What about orphans? Too many questions, too few answers.

“Kindness, because growing up and not seeing a lot of kindness made me realize how important it is to have that in the world. Kindness makes the world go round.”

What is kindness? Helping my brother, Eli, who has Down syndrome, get ready in the morning? Telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear? Maybe, for now, I’ll put wisdom, not kindness, on my list.

“Empathy, because of all the killings and shootings [in this country.] We also need to care for people—people who are not living in as good circumstances as I have. Donald Trump and other people I’ve met have no empathy. Empathy is very important.”

Empathy is something I’ve felt my whole life. It’ll always be important to me like it is important to my grandpa. My grandpa shows his empathy when he works with disabled children. Once he took a disabled child to a Christina Aguilera concert because that child was too young to go by himself. The moments I feel the most empathy are when Eli gets those looks from people. Seeing Eli wonder why people stare at him like he’s a freak makes me sad, and annoyed that they have the audacity to stare.

After this 2 minute and 36-second phone call, my grandpa has helped me define what’s most important to me at this time in my life: family, wisdom, and empathy. Although these things are important now, I realize they can change and most likely will.

When I’m an old woman, I envision myself scrambling through a stack of storage boxes and finding this paper. Perhaps after reading words from my 12-year-old self, I’ll ask myself “What’s important to me?”

Lily Hersch is a sixth-grader at Crest Academy in Salida, Colorado. Lily is an avid indoorsman, finding joy in competitive spelling, art, and of course, writing. She does not like Swiss cheese.

  “Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner

Jonas Buckner

KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory, Gaston, N.C.

Lessons My Nana Taught Me

I walked into the house. In the other room, I heard my cousin screaming at his game. There were a lot of Pioneer Woman dishes everywhere. The room had the television on max volume. The fan in the other room was on. I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to learn something powerful.

I was in my Nana’s house, and when I walked in, she said, “Hey Monkey Butt.”

I said, “Hey Nana.”

Before the interview, I was talking to her about what I was gonna interview her on. Also, I had asked her why I might have wanted to interview her, and she responded with, “Because you love me, and I love you too.”

Now, it was time to start the interview. The first

question I asked was the main and most important question ever: “What three things matter most to you and you only?”

She thought of it very thoughtfully and responded with, “My grandchildren, my children, and my health.”

Then, I said, “OK, can you please tell me more about your health?”

She responded with, “My health is bad right now. I have heart problems, blood sugar, and that’s about it.” When she said it, she looked at me and smiled because she loved me and was happy I chose her to interview.

I replied with, “K um, why is it important to you?”

She smiled and said, “Why is it…Why is my health important? Well, because I want to live a long time and see my grandchildren grow up.”

I was scared when she said that, but she still smiled. I was so happy, and then I said, “Has your health always been important to you.”

She responded with “Nah.”

Then, I asked, “Do you happen to have a story to help me understand your reasoning?”

She said, “No, not really.”

Now we were getting into the next set of questions. I said, “Remember how you said that your grandchildren matter to you? Can you please tell me why they matter to you?”

Then, she responded with, “So I can spend time with them, play with them, and everything.”

Next, I asked the same question I did before: “Have you always loved your grandchildren?” 

She responded with, “Yes, they have always been important to me.”

Then, the next two questions I asked she had no response to at all. She was very happy until I asked, “Why do your children matter most to you?”

She had a frown on and responded, “My daughter Tammy died a long time ago.”

Then, at this point, the other questions were answered the same as the other ones. When I left to go home I was thinking about how her answers were similar to mine. She said health, and I care about my health a lot, and I didn’t say, but I wanted to. She also didn’t have answers for the last two questions on each thing, and I was like that too.

The lesson I learned was that no matter what, always keep pushing because even though my aunt or my Nana’s daughter died, she kept on pushing and loving everyone. I also learned that everything should matter to us. Once again, I chose to interview my Nana because she matters to me, and I know when she was younger she had a lot of things happen to her, so I wanted to know what she would say. The point I’m trying to make is that be grateful for what you have and what you have done in life.

Jonas Buckner is a sixth-grader at KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory in Gaston, North Carolina. Jonas’ favorite activities are drawing, writing, math, piano, and playing AltSpace VR. He found his passion for writing in fourth grade when he wrote a quick autobiography. Jonas hopes to become a horror writer someday.

From The Author: Responses to Student Winners

Dear Emily, Isaac, Antonia, Rory, Praethong, Amanda, Lily, and Jonas,

Your thought-provoking essays sent my head spinning. The more I read, the more impressed I was with the depth of thought, beauty of expression, and originality. It left me wondering just how to capture all of my reactions in a single letter. After multiple false starts, I’ve landed on this: I will stick to the theme of three most important things.

The three things I found most inspirational about your essays:

You listened.

You connected.

We live in troubled times. Tensions mount between countries, cultures, genders, religious beliefs, and generations. If we fail to find a way to understand each other, to see similarities between us, the future will be fraught with increased hostility.

You all took critical steps toward connecting with someone who might not value the same things you do by asking a person who is generations older than you what matters to them. Then, you listened to their answers. You saw connections between what is important to them and what is important to you. Many of you noted similarities, others wondered if your own list of the three most important things would change as you go through life. You all saw the validity of the responses you received and looked for reasons why your interviewees have come to value what they have.

It is through these things—asking, listening, and connecting—that we can begin to bridge the differences in experiences and beliefs that are currently dividing us.

Individual observations

Each one of you made observations that all of us, regardless of age or experience, would do well to keep in mind. I chose one quote from each person and trust those reading your essays will discover more valuable insights.

“Our priorities may seem different, but they come back to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and work to make a positive impact.” 

“You can’t judge a person by what you think , you can only judge a person by what you know .”

Emily (referencing your interviewee, who is battling cancer):

“Master Chief Petty Officer James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me.”

Lily (quoting your grandfather):

“Kindness makes the world go round.”

“Everything should matter to us.”

Praethong (quoting your interviewee, Sandra, on the importance of family):

“It’s important to always maintain that connection you have with each other, your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

“I wonder if maybe we relearn what is most important when we grow older. That the pressure to be successful subsides and that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world.”

“Listen to what others have to say. Listen to the people who have already experienced hardship. You will learn from them and you can even make their day by giving them a chance to voice their thoughts.”

I end this letter to you with the hope that you never stop asking others what is most important to them and that you to continue to take time to reflect on what matters most to you…and why. May you never stop asking, listening, and connecting with others, especially those who may seem to be unlike you. Keep writing, and keep sharing your thoughts and observations with others, for your ideas are awe-inspiring.

I also want to thank the more than 1,000 students who submitted essays. Together, by sharing what’s important to us with others, especially those who may believe or act differently, we can fill the world with joy, peace, beauty, and love.

We received many outstanding essays for the Winter 2019 Student Writing Competition. Though not every participant can win the contest, we’d like to share some excerpts that caught our eye:

Whether it is a painting on a milky canvas with watercolors or pasting photos onto a scrapbook with her granddaughters, it is always a piece of artwork to her. She values the things in life that keep her in the moment, while still exploring things she may not have initially thought would bring her joy.

—Ondine Grant-Krasno, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif.

“Ganas”… It means “desire” in Spanish. My ganas is fueled by my family’s belief in me. I cannot and will not fail them. 

—Adan Rios, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I hope when I grow up I can have the love for my kids like my grandma has for her kids. She makes being a mother even more of a beautiful thing than it already is.

—Ashley Shaw, Columbus City Prep School for Girls, Grove City, Ohio

You become a collage of little pieces of your friends and family. They also encourage you to be the best you can be. They lift you up onto the seat of your bike, they give you the first push, and they don’t hesitate to remind you that everything will be alright when you fall off and scrape your knee.

— Cecilia Stanton, Bellafonte Area Middle School, Bellafonte, Pa.

Without good friends, I wouldn’t know what I would do to endure the brutal machine of public education.

—Kenneth Jenkins, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.

My dog, as ridiculous as it may seem, is a beautiful example of what we all should aspire to be. We should live in the moment, not stress, and make it our goal to lift someone’s spirits, even just a little.

—Kate Garland, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif. 

I strongly hope that every child can spare more time to accompany their elderly parents when they are struggling, and moving forward, and give them more care and patience. so as to truly achieve the goal of “you accompany me to grow up, and I will accompany you to grow old.”

—Taiyi Li, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I have three cats, and they are my brothers and sisters. We share a special bond that I think would not be possible if they were human. Since they do not speak English, we have to find other ways to connect, and I think that those other ways can be more powerful than language.

—Maya Dombroskie, Delta Program Middle School, Boulsburg, Pa.

We are made to love and be loved. To have joy and be relational. As a member of the loneliest generation in possibly all of history, I feel keenly aware of the need for relationships and authentic connection. That is why I decided to talk to my grandmother.

—Luke Steinkamp, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

After interviewing my grandma and writing my paper, I realized that as we grow older, the things that are important to us don’t change, what changes is why those things are important to us.

—Emily Giffer, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

The media works to marginalize elders, often isolating them and their stories, and the wealth of knowledge that comes with their additional years of lived experiences. It also undermines the depth of children’s curiosity and capacity to learn and understand. When the worlds of elders and children collide, a classroom opens.

—Cristina Reitano, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.

My values, although similar to my dad, only looked the same in the sense that a shadow is similar to the object it was cast on.

—Timofey Lisenskiy, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

I can release my anger through writing without having to take it out on someone. I can escape and be a different person; it feels good not to be myself for a while. I can make up my own characters, so I can be someone different every day, and I think that’s pretty cool.

—Jasua Carillo, Wellness, Business, and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore. 

Notice how all the important things in his life are people: the people who he loves and who love him back. This is because “people are more important than things like money or possessions, and families are treasures,” says grandpa Pat. And I couldn’t agree more.

—Brody Hartley, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.  

Curiosity for other people’s stories could be what is needed to save the world.

—Noah Smith, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Peace to me is a calm lake without a ripple in sight. It’s a starry night with a gentle breeze that pillows upon your face. It’s the absence of arguments, fighting, or war. It’s when egos stop working against each other and finally begin working with each other. Peace is free from fear, anxiety, and depression. To me, peace is an important ingredient in the recipe of life.

—JP Bogan, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

From A Teacher

Charles Sanderson

Wellness, Business and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore. 

The Birthday Gift

I’ve known Jodelle for years, watching her grow from a quiet and timid twelve-year-old to a young woman who just returned from India, where she played Kabaddi, a kind of rugby meets Red Rover.

One of my core beliefs as an educator is to show up for the things that matter to kids, so I go to their games, watch their plays, and eat the strawberry jam they make for the county fair. On this occasion, I met Jodelle at a robotics competition to watch her little sister Abby compete. Think Nerd Paradise: more hats made from traffic cones than Golden State Warrior ball caps, more unicorn capes than Nike swooshes, more fanny packs with Legos than clutches with eyeliner.

We started chatting as the crowd chanted and waved six-foot flags for teams like Mystic Biscuits, Shrek, and everyone’s nemesis The Mean Machine. Apparently, when it’s time for lunch at a robotics competition, they don’t mess around. The once-packed gym was left to Jodelle and me, and we kept talking and talking. I eventually asked her about the three things that matter to her most.

She told me about her mom, her sister, and her addiction—to horses. I’ve read enough of her writing to know that horses were her drug of choice and her mom and sister were her support network.

I learned about her desire to become a teacher and how hours at the barn with her horse, Heart, recharge her when she’s exhausted. At one point, our rambling conversation turned to a topic I’ve known far too well—her father.

Later that evening, I received an email from Jodelle, and she had a lot to say. One line really struck me: “In so many movies, I have seen a dad wanting to protect his daughter from the world, but I’ve only understood the scene cognitively. Yesterday, I felt it.”

Long ago, I decided that I would never be a dad. I had seen movies with fathers and daughters, and for me, those movies might as well have been Star Wars, ET, or Alien—worlds filled with creatures I’d never know. However, over the years, I’ve attended Jodelle’s parent-teacher conferences, gone to her graduation, and driven hours to watch her ride Heart at horse shows. Simply, I showed up. I listened. I supported.

Jodelle shared a series of dad poems, as well. I had read the first two poems in their original form when Jodelle was my student. The revised versions revealed new graphic details of her past. The third poem, however, was something entirely different.

She called the poems my early birthday present. When I read the lines “You are my father figure/Who I look up to/Without being looked down on,” I froze for an instant and had to reread the lines. After fifty years of consciously deciding not to be a dad, I was seen as one—and it felt incredible. Jodelle’s poem and recognition were two of the best presents I’ve ever received.

I  know that I was the language arts teacher that Jodelle needed at the time, but her poem revealed things I never knew I taught her: “My father figure/ Who taught me/ That listening is for observing the world/ That listening is for learning/Not obeying/Writing is for connecting/Healing with others.”

Teaching is often a thankless job, one that frequently brings more stress and anxiety than joy and hope. Stress erodes my patience. Anxiety curtails my ability to enter each interaction with every student with the grace they deserve. However, my time with Jodelle reminds me of the importance of leaning in and listening.

In the article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill, she illuminates how we “live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” For the last twenty years, I’ve had the privilege to work with countless of these “remarkable people,” and I’ve done my best to listen, and, in so doing, I hope my students will realize what I’ve known for a long time; their voices matter and deserve to be heard, but the voices of their tias and abuelitos and babushkas are equally important. When we take the time to listen, I believe we do more than affirm the humanity of others; we affirm our own as well.

Charles Sanderson has grounded his nineteen-year teaching career in a philosophy he describes as “Mirror, Window, Bridge.” Charles seeks to ensure all students see themselves, see others, and begin to learn the skills to build bridges of empathy, affinity, and understanding between communities and cultures that may seem vastly different. He proudly teaches at the Wellness, Business and Sports School in Woodburn, Oregon, a school and community that brings him joy and hope on a daily basis.

From   The Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Dear Charles Sanderson,

Thank you for submitting an essay of your own in addition to encouraging your students to participate in YES! Magazine’s essay contest.

Your essay focused not on what is important to you, but rather on what is important to one of your students. You took what mattered to her to heart, acting upon it by going beyond the school day and creating a connection that has helped fill a huge gap in her life. Your efforts will affect her far beyond her years in school. It is clear that your involvement with this student is far from the only time you have gone beyond the classroom, and while you are not seeking personal acknowledgment, I cannot help but applaud you.

In an ideal world, every teacher, every adult, would show the same interest in our children and adolescents that you do. By taking the time to listen to what is important to our youth, we can help them grow into compassionate, caring adults, capable of making our world a better place.

Your concerted efforts to guide our youth to success not only as students but also as human beings is commendable. May others be inspired by your insights, concerns, and actions. You define excellence in teaching.

Get Stories of Solutions to Share with Your Classroom

Teachers save 50% on YES! Magazine.

Inspiration in Your Inbox

Get the free daily newsletter from YES! Magazine: Stories of people creating a better world to inspire you and your students.

Challenges in College , Getting Into College , Going Back to College , Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Inspirational College Application Essay Decoded!

Updated: July 11, 2022

Published: October 29, 2021

If you are applying to a college that requires a college application essay, you will undoubtedly want your college essay to leave a lasting impression on its readers. 

Many colleges request a college application essay; some colleges will provide prospective students with the topic they want you to write about, while others will leave the choice up to you.  

So, how do you write an inspirational essay? There’s no single right way to source college essay inspiration, but there are some recommendations that we’ve compiled here to help you along with your process. 

What is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement, or college application essay, is an opportunity to share something about yourself through writing that the college admissions team won’t necessarily glean from your resume , transcript, or letters of recommendation. 

It provides applicants with the space to share more about their personality and complement the other pieces of your application to offer a well-rounded picture of who you are. 

Things to Note 

Before you get started on your college essay, there are some important things to keep in mind . You’ll likely have been spending a lot of time compiling all the other components for your application, which may include transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, letters of recommendation, and more. 

When it comes time to write your personal statement, be sure to:

Read the Directions Closely

Many prospective students and enrolled students will note that their college essay was the most challenging aspect of completing their college application. This is because it requires the most thought, time, and can also be somewhat open-ended. As such, it’s vital that students read the college essay guidelines and directions closely. In itself, the college essay is like a test for college admissions committees to see how well you can follow directions. 

Avoid Clichés 

There are many inspirational essay examples you can choose from to find ideas, but when using inspiration, avoid using clichés. While clichés exist for a reason because they are based in truth, many students will likely use them. To prevent your essay from getting overlooked, use your own words and voice to describe what you write about so that you can stand apart. 

Once you have your essay drafted, be sure to plan enough time to proofread and edit your work. Even if you feel unsure of putting words on the page, write them down. You can spend time making it better with a second, third, and fourth look. The proofreading stage should also include an objective set of eyes (someone you trust) who can give you their honest opinion about your essay.

A Step-by-Step Guide 

Your college essay isn’t going to write itself. You have to put in the work, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide that should help you start and finish your inspirational college essay. 

Organize and Brainstorm 

Before you get started on drafting your college essay, organize your thoughts. If you’ve been given essay prompts, dedicate at least 5-10 minutes to each prompt to think about what you may write about.  

Choose Your Topic 

Based on how much you come up with for each prompt, you can choose which prompt will suit your story the best. If you have an open-ended prompt, think about defining moments in your life, your passions, inspirations, achievements, and the like to come up with some ideas of what you can share. 

Create an Outline 

There will be a lot of details that you’ll want to add to your essay to convey your point(s). To keep the flow organized, begin by outlining what you will talk about. A clear starting point is a brief introduction with a hook sentence to grab the reader’s attention. Then, list where you will go next with main points and supporting evidence (anecdotes from your past, examples of your point, etc.). Finish up with a conclusion that reiterates your main point (topic/gist), and close out with something that leaves the reader thinking or feeling something strongly so that your essay lingers in their mind. 

Once you have your outline sorted, you can get to drafting up your inspirational essay. While it’s difficult not to edit as you write, try to let everything out. You’ll have time to clean it up after, but allowing your train of thought to appear on the page may lead to something brilliant. 

Many college essays will provide you with a maximum word count. Remain aware of this word count as you write. 

Pro Tip: If you use Google Docs, go to Tools> Word Count> Select “Display Word Count While Typing.”

The chances are, you’ll probably find it easier to write more than less. To cut down your word count, read each sentence and ask yourself if that sentence or word is necessary to convey your point. Keep an eye on grammar and spelling. Even though you will use the word processor’s spelling and grammar review upon completion, it doesn’t always catch everything. 

After you’ve edited down your college essay, read it over a few times, and entrust someone (or multiple people) to give you some feedback. Try not to take the feedback personally, as the people you allow to read your essay will likely have your best interest in mind, and they are just trying to help you write a better final product. 

College Essay Inspiration 

You’ll want your personal statement to be considered an inspirational college essay. To make this vision a reality, remember to: 

• Be passionate 
• Be specific 
• Be yourself 

Some topics that make for inspirational college essays include stories about:

• Overcoming a challenge 
• Learning something new 
• Making a significant life change 
• Sharing an epiphany 
• Expressing your interests and reasoning 

Your Story is Important 

Whether you believe it or not, your personal statement and story is important. No two people have the same life circumstance or outlook as another, so sharing your truth with a college admissions team can be the root of inspiration, and ultimately, admission. 

Believe in yourself and your words, and take the necessary time to prepare, edit, and write your very own inspirational essay for college. The truth is that it can be all the difference to granting your acceptance into the college of your dreams.

Related Articles

‘If she can do it, I can do it’: 10 inspirational Irish women on their heroines

Ahead of international women’s day, 10 women tell us about the female leaders who paved their way.

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8th, 10 inspirational women living in Ireland tell us about the women who inspire them.

Behind every inspirational woman is a woman who inspires them: a person who taught them that they can become who they want to be, fight for what they need to fight for, or live the life they yearn to live. To celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th, we ask 10 inspirational women living in Ireland about the women in this country who inspire them. They have chosen women from across different industries and careers, who have all achieved incredible things – and who, whether they know it or not, have helped them become who they are today.

EDNA O’BRIEN by Rachael English

‘she enabled those who came after her to tell stories of irish women’s lives’.

I was 14 when I read Edna O’Brien’s novel The Country Girls . Until then, almost every Irish book I’d read had either been aimed at children or had focused on the concerns of men. For the first time I was reading about young Irish women and their desire to lead bigger, more colourful lives. That the book had once been banned added to its appeal. Something else was important too. To my teenage self, growing up in Shannon, it felt remarkable that a woman who had been born just a few miles away had written a book that was known around the world. A few years ago, I reread The Country Girls and was astonished at how brave it was. Edna O’Brien’s empathy and honesty shine through on every page. I’m also inspired by the way she has retained her curiosity and willingness to take risks. She has written about war criminals and abuse victims, dysfunctional families and obsessive love. At an age when many authors would be content to live on past glories, she travelled to Nigeria to research her most recent book, Girl. But more than anything, I’m grateful for the way she pushed open the door and enabled those who came after her to tell stories of Irish women’s lives.

• Rachael English is author of Whatever Happened to Birdy Troy? and a presenter on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1

LAVINIA KERWICK by Tric Kearney

‘her bravery seeped into my world’.

The Irish woman who has inspired me most is Lavinia Kerwick . We have never met, yet I owe her a great deal. In July 1992 I stood mesmerised listening to a caller to Gerry Ryan’s RTÉ radio show. The caller spoke of how her rapist’s case had been adjourned for 12 months, just the day before. The echo of her distress and rage filled my kitchen. When Ryan, expecting anonymity, asked what name he would call her, she spoke her own name: Lavinia. In that moment, Kerwick smashed through the taboo around sexual violence prevalent in 1990s Ireland and the shame of anyone knowing you were a victim. The longer I listened, the louder I heard, beyond her distress and rage, to her courage and bravery. Just a few months later I received a letter from Gary O’Toole, asking if I might have been a victim of Irish swim coach George Gibney , who was accused of sexual abuse. As I faltered, I remembered Lavinia. Without realising it, her bravery and courage had seeped into my world. I may have never met her, but I had heard her. She was wronged. She fought back. I would too. So have many more. Thank you, Lavinia.

• Tric Kearney is author of the memoir Above Water and a contributor to the podcast Where Is George Gibney?

DR HANNAGH MCGINLEY and BERNADETTE DEVLIN McALISKEY by Senator Eileen Flynn

‘hannah told me to keep going’.

Dr Hannagh McGinley really inspires me. I met her at the Irish Traveller Movement’s AGM and heard her life story; we became good friends. She does so much work for young Travellers in education. It’s tough for young Travellers today, but when Hannagh did it, it was even tougher. She showed me it’s okay to realise you can get burned out. When I was part of the Repeal movement and didn’t feel support, Hannagh would say: keep going, don’t let anyone stop you from using your voice.

The meaning of motherhood in a world that devalues, judges and polices it

Proposed changes to Constitution ‘too vague’ and causing ‘confusion’, say voters outside polling station

The Movie Quiz: What is the highest-grossing film ever directed solely by a woman?

Another inspiring woman is Bernadette Devlin McAliskey . She flew the flag for women in Ireland when it wasn’t sexy to do so. One of her quotes that really stands out to me is: “We were born into an unjust system; we are not prepared to grow old in it.” For me and for many Travellers, we grew up in that unequal society.

I became friends with Bernadette. I was nervous when I met her – but I knew she got me. We can’t forget about the women before us. Going for the Seanad, knowing Bernadette was so young and coming from her community to become an MP gave me strength to know that this was possible.

I feel like the Irish women’s movement isn’t as radical and we’re not as demanding as we were decades ago. Not everything needs to be like that, but we can learn from women like Hannagh and Bernadette. We need to lose the middle-class momentum in the women’s movement and go back to the roots of what women like Bernadette and Hannagh did. I’m really passionate about change for us all, rather than the few.

• Eileen Flynn is an Independent Senator

SAMANTHA MUMBA by Erica Cody

‘representation is everything: she broke the mould’.

My hero growing up was Samantha Mumba . She’s the reason I pursued music. I saw her and I believed I could do what she did. Representation is everything and, growing up as a young black Irish woman, you go through an identity crisis. She broke the mould when it came to pop stars in Ireland. To see that she was doing it as a black Irish woman, not only here in Ireland but in the UK and in the US, had a huge impact on me. When I saw her it made me believe that I could achieve that one day. I’m still working towards a hell of a lot of stuff, but she has been super important in my growth as an artist. It’s full circle now. Fast-forward to 20 years later, I’m in her house having dinner with her in LA. She’s a really good friend, and she will forever be important to me.

• Erica Cody is a singer and television presenter

KATRIONA O’SULLIVAN by Áine Kerr

‘she is a courageous truth-teller’.

The first time I heard Katriona O’Sullivan speak, she drew sustained applause from Gaisce Gold Medal Award recipients and an emotional response from President Michael D Higgins , who had the difficult act of following her purposeful speech and rallying-call to action. On that day in Áras an Uachtaráin, in the pages of her award-winning memoir, Poor, and through her innovative work with Stem Passport for Inclusion, Katriona has consistently called on us to consider how we use our privilege to effect change in the world around us, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In telling her own childhood story about addictions, abuse, neglect and homelessness, Katriona has reminded us of the importance of creating equal opportunities through education and the importance of caring adults (often teachers) to influence critical milestones and meaningful opportunities. Her story of persistence and resilience inspired a speech to the United Nations (UN) Commission for Social Development in New York last month [February] where she emphasised the importance of free, local and timely support for children and young people. She is a courageous truth-teller. She is a modern-day change agent. And in her own words, the lecturer, researcher, activist, mother, friend and intellect is now on a mission to “change the world”.

• Áine Kerr is an entrepreneur, women’s advocate and broadcaster

KATIE TAYLOR by Katriona O’Sullivan

‘she has changed female sport forever’.

Yesterday I got an email from a 48-year-old woman who just got accepted for a degree course in an Irish university. She is a lone parent and comes from working-class roots – she never believed she could do it, until now. It is women like this who inspire me. Ordinary women who are working hard to live their best lives – despite facing struggles or hardship. If I had to choose one inspiring woman who is famous and Irish, it would have to be Katie Taylor . She is a trailblazer. She has changed female sport forever. She is a role model to young girls, not just because of her achievements, but because she is a kind and decent human being. She is a woman who lives by her values and I love that about her.

• Katriona O’Sullivan is digital skills lecturer at Maynooth University and author of the award-winning book Poor

MARY ROBINSON by Phillipa Ryder

‘she serves as an example to us all’.

Ireland changed for the better in 1990 with the election of Mary Robinson as the first female president of Ireland. She brought a new vision and a more inclusive and diverse idea of what Ireland could be as a modern European country. Her passion for the human rights of all was evident in her being the first world leader to make visits to Rwanda and Somalia following civil wars, genocide and famine.

She continued this work when she became UN high commissioner for human rights, then a member of The Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela and where she is now chairwoman. She continues to work for gender equality and for women’s participation in peace-building, human dignity and climate change .

She inspired me to become involved with the campaigns around improving rights for the LGBTQ community in the late 1990s, initially for transgender rights, then the referendums on marriage equality and Repeal the Eighth, feminist issues and more recently to work on the most urgent crisis facing our planet, climate change. Robinson’s qualities of compassion, inclusion, acceptance of diversity and concern for the planet serve as an example to us all as to how to live a better life.

• Phillipa Ryder is an LGBTQ+ and feminist activist and author of My Name is Philippa

SONIA O’SULLIVAN by Olivia O’Toole

‘i thought, if she can do it, i can do it’.

It was the 1990s. I was at home. Sonia O’Sullivan was on the television and I was in awe of her. I followed her from the Olympics on. Every race she ran, I was running with her. I’d be screaming at the television, making sure that she got the support. It was about the sense of pride that she gave me as well. A girl from Ireland having the passion to go it alone and go to the Olympics. It was unbelievable. She was an inspiration. I was around 24 or 25, and I was playing international football at that age. I was playing for Ireland and, for me to be in that league of football at that time, I thought: if she can do it, I can do it. She has contributed so much to Ireland’s athletics. Rhasidat Adeleke , Sarah Healy, Sarah Lavin : all those girls got their inspiration from Sonia and that is what her legacy is about. Athletics in Ireland is thriving. Years ago, they hadn’t the facilities. When I would see her on the podium, I got goosebumps. She inspired me as a footballer to be the best that I could be.

• Olivia O’Toole is a former footballer, who played for Ireland for 18 years and is the top goal scorer of all time in Ireland’s women’s league

NIAMH NÍ CHONCHUBHAIR by Mairéad Folan

‘she gave me the tools to remove the limitations i put on myself’.

Niamh Ní Chonchubhair immediately pops into my head when I think of brilliant woman. Many will recognise her as the powerhouse at the helm of Axis: Ballymun , known as a community centre with an arts centre at its heart. This definition also sums up Niamh – an ally to many unheard voices, with theatre as her passion. I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without her support. She has enriched my artistic development over the years by giving me the tools to expand and deepen my skill set while gradually removing the limitations that I had put on myself. What makes Niamh a great person to have in your corner is her willingness to listen. No question is too small, regardless if you are a theatre-maker or a Ballymun teenager. She also has the ability to create an inclusive space where a collaborative sense of creation is key. It’s this kind of environment where strong connections are made that hidden voices have the ability to be brought to the forefront. An example of this is In My Own Words, a cross-Border writing project between axis Ballymun and Prime Cut Productions that brought together stories from women on the margins. I will be performing these pieces as part of the upcoming Disrupt Disability Arts Festival. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what makes Niamh a legend. Go raibh maith agat Niamh as chuile rud a dhéanann tú dom!

• Mairéad Folan is artistic director of NoRopes Theatre Company. She will perform at the Disrupt Disability Arts Festival on March 8th: projectartscentre.ie

BREEGE O’DONOGHUE by Aimee Connolly

‘she has a sharpness that is unique’.

I had the pleasure of being on a round-table with Breege – the award-winning business woman who helped Penneys grow into the global Primark brand – as part of Going for Growth, which supports female entrepreneurs growing their careers. She is an amazing businesswoman with a more-than-impressive CV, who really showed me the importance of a brand. She has a sharpness that is unique in the detail she sees, and she really has done such brilliant things within the Primark expansion, with women in business and in her championing of new indie brands. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with her and she’s someone I’ll always thank for the advice garnered.

• Aimee Connolly is an entrepreneur and founder of the Sculpted By Aimee make-up brand

IN THIS SECTION

Stonemason eóin madigan - 'the benefit of physical work is second to none', an irish stonemason: ‘i want to upskill homeowners to carry out some of the work themselves’, i’m all for ai as long as i can have a robot to do all the housework, contrary to popular opinion, it’s all go in leitrim all the time, brianna parkins: taylor swift isn’t the first to monetise her heartbreak. here are five of the best examples, six arrested after gardaí ‘attacked’ at site earmarked for asylum seekers in wicklow, td’s daughter not allowed make savings investment because of family relationship to him, greta price-martin ‘will live in the hearts and minds of her many family and friends’. tributes for cyclist killed in dún laoghaire crash, ‘i’m alone pretty much all the time. the older i become, the less hopeful i am this will change’, joe duffy’s snap judgment on simon harris’s stardust apology somehow captures the wider mood, latest stories, tara mines: voting begins on deal following meeting with ‘a lot of anger’.

Baby Reindeer and dangerous amateur sleuthing: should Netflix have seen it coming?

McEntee defends gardaí after clashes with protesters at Wicklow site earmarked for asylum seekers

Anglo American rejects ‘highly unattractive’ BHP offer

Your top stories on Friday: Gardaí ‘attacked’ at Wicklow asylum seeker site; tributes to young cyclist killed in Dublin

Spain’s Bankinter to enter Irish banking market

Person released after questioning about death of woman suspected to have been moved into driver’s seat after crash

NatWest first-quarter profit slumps 27% as savings, mortgage competition bite

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Information
• Cookie Settings
• Community Standards

Essay on Women Empowerment for Students and Children

500+ words essay on women empowerment.

Women empowerment refers to making women powerful to make them capable of deciding for themselves. Women have suffered a lot through the years at the hands of men. In earlier centuries, they were treated as almost non-existent. As if all the rights belonged to men even something as basic as voting. As the times evolved, women realized their power. There on began the revolution for women empowerment.

As women were not allowed to make decisions for them, women empowerment came in like a breath of fresh air. It made them aware of their rights and how they must make their own place in society rather than depending on a man. It recognized the fact that things cannot simply work in someone’s favor because of their gender. However, we still have a long way to go when we talk about the reasons why we need it.

Need for Women Empowerment

Almost every country, no matter how progressive has a history of ill-treating women. In other words, women from all over the world have been rebellious to reach the status they have today. While the western countries are still making progress, third world countries like India still lack behind in Women Empowerment.

Moreover, the education and freedom scenario is very regressive here. Women are not allowed to pursue higher education, they are married off early. The men are still dominating women in some regions like it’s the woman’s duty to work for him endlessly. They do not let them go out or have freedom of any kind.

In addition, domestic violence is a major problem in India. The men beat up their wife and abuse them as they think women are their property. More so, because women are afraid to speak up. Similarly, the women who do actually work get paid less than their male counterparts. It is downright unfair and sexist to pay someone less for the same work because of their gender. Thus, we see how women empowerment is the need of the hour. We need to empower these women to speak up for themselves and never be a victim of injustice .

How to Empower Women?

There are various ways in how one can empower women. The individuals and government must both come together to make it happen. Education for girls must be made compulsory so that women can become illiterate to make a life for themselves.

Women must be given equal opportunities in every field, irrespective of gender. Moreover, they must also be given equal pay. We can empower women by abolishing child marriage. Various programs must be held where they can be taught skills to fend for themselves in case they face financial crisis .

Most importantly, the shame of divorce and abuse must be thrown out of the window. Many women stay in abusive relationships because of the fear of society. Parents must teach their daughters it is okay to come home divorced rather than in a coffin.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Speech: “Together we will unleash girls’ power in all its dimensions”

Date: Thursday, 12 October 2017

Dear colleagues, distinguished participants and dear friends,

Good morning and happy International Day of the Girl.

Thank you for all of your commitment, enthusiasm and determination to make a difference for girls and thank you to all the girls who are here and beyond listening to us and working with us.

Thank you especially to UNICEF for once again hosting today’s event to commemorate the International Day of the Girl, which UN Women is pleased to co-sponsor.

Let me say that too often adolescent girls face intersecting disadvantages because of their age, gender, ethnic background, sexual identity, religion affiliation, income, disability among other compounded factors. We have seen pictures, evoked images of girls in different situations that live with disadvantage, even without crisis. The perception and reality of vulnerability arising out of these multiple intersectionalities really creates that context of discrimination and differentiated impact of crisis.

During conflict or humanitarian situations, natural disasters or climate change, these factors exacerbate and disproportionately and differentially affect young women and girls due to neglect of their human rights and the intersecting forms gender-inequality and discrimination that they endure. So this is how we shine the light on this particular situation of girls in emergencies. As was mentioned, it is often forgotten that women and girls are not only helpless victims, they are sources of power, power to cope, power to prevent, power to reduce risk, power for resilience and transformation and to build back better after crisis. That is the power that we want to invoke and tap into.

We must be outraged about the disadvantages that girls still experience. But here has been some progress. Humanitarian actors and governments are much more aware today about addressing crises and resilience building with a gender lens and with a girls lens. But, we still have miles to go.

• Imagine that to date, women and children account for more than 75 per cent of the refugees and displaced persons at risk from war, famine, persecution and natural disasters.
• Every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, an adolescent girl dies because of violence.
• Up to one-third of adolescent girls report their first sexual experience as being forced and they are victims of sexual violence. Currently at least 133 million girls and women have experienced female genital mutilation.
• Imagine, that more than 700 million women alive today were married below the age of 18 – and more than one in three (some 250 million) were married before 15. And we saw that in crisis, all of this is worse.
• Child marriage is four times higher among Syrian refugees than before the crisis. Evidence shows that 2,400 interviewed married refugee Syrian women in Lebanon, aged 20 to 24 years old, 47 per cent were child brides.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provided us with 17 development goals, but also SDG 5, which is about “Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls”, in all circumstances, including in crisis and humanitarian situations. This is a big win and a commitment of the international community and we must all work to see that it is realized, most of all in crisis situations. 

The 2030 Agenda has pledged to leave no one behind. This means that in our development efforts, girls must be a priority. The world should ensure girls are granted all the opportunities they deserve as they mature into adulthood. I would also like to mention something that has not been touched upon, which also plays out in crisis. The whole culture of ‘boy preference’ and ‘girl aversion’ has to be changed, where an equal valuing of girls is something that we must inculcate in all contexts.

Enabling girls to avoid child marriage and unwanted pregnancy, protect them against HIV transmission, and acquiring the education and skills they need to realize their potential, is a key priority toward 2030 and also a priority in crisis. Sometimes we forget that these are essential elements to be taken forward in crisis situations. 

Gender equality and empowering all women and girls is something that we seek to advance and if we fail to address girls’ differentiated needs and aspirations too, a generation will be lost and with it, our hope for sustainable development, prosperity, peace and security.

It is therefore critical to EmPOWER Girls: Before, during and after emergencies

One thing all emergencies have in common is that they create a new set of circumstances, which girls have to learn to navigate, but we, as adults around them, have to be in the forefront of prioritizing their needs and helping them navigate:

From one day to the next they may face the loss of their homes, friends and family members. They may suddenly be living in a shelter or have no shelter at all. They may not have access to basic services and amenities or be sure where their next meal is coming from. They may be fleeing the only place they have ever called home.

Furthermore, from the 1991 cyclone in Bangladesh in which 90 per cent of the 140,000 people who lost their lives were women; to the 276 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria in 2014, to the women representing the single-highest adversely affected group by the earthquake in Nepal, we know that resilience building and recovery have a girl’s face. Not only they because they are the most in need of urgent help and in higher risk of violence in the aftermath of the crisis situations, but also because of the critical role young women and girls play in preventing, preparing for, and recovering from natural and human made hazards.

So how do we reach these girls? How can we protect them? How can we inspire them? And how can we ensure they are not left behind?

From today’s presentations we learned that resilience building and planning cannot be sustainable if we do not involve girls’ voices in the planning itself. We cannot be successful unless girls are empowered to actively participate in the solutions; girl-driven solutions. Let them decide how best to address their most urgent and future needs. Let their voices be heard.

Not only can girls inspire innovative and creative solutions, but they can guide and contribute to future policies, research, programming and media campaigns.

During this year’s 16 Days of Activism, we will be working with UNICEF and we will be launching U-Report’s Ending Violence Against Girls Information Centre, which will connect young users directly to the information and tools they want, to be advocates for change in their own communities.

We also need to create safe spaces in which these girls can feel empowered . UN Women has the Safe Cities Programme. UN Women’s Safe Haven centres, for example, provide a space to women and girls to express themselves without fear of judgment and harm.

Empowering girls must also form the core of any protection and humanitarian service provision and resilience building . That is why UN Women is combining what we call the LEAP that is Leadership, Empowerment, Access and Protection, which is about gender-responsive humanitarian response. And our LEAPS strategy, which is about empowering young women–their leadership and economic empowerment. So, we have three flagship programmes to support women and girls in the context of humanitarian crisis.

While education is key to the future of adolescent girls, in conflict and humanitarian zones girls are 90 per cent more likely to be out of school when compared to girls in other, conflict-humanitarian free, countries.

We know that an extra year of primary school for girls increases their eventual wages by 10 to 20 per cent, and that an extra year of secondary school increases them by 15 to 25 per cent.

Universal secondary education would cut child mortality in half. In Sub-Saharan Africa, maternal mortality could fall by 70 per cent.

We know also that when a girl sees herself as a leader or a mentor, it creates a positive force for change in her life.

As we end this morning’s commemoration, I have the pleasure of introducing the #FreedomForGirls film, which is currently available on Google’s homepage in over 50 countries. I invite everyone to share this powerful and inspiring film far and wide, to use the #FreedomForGirls hashtag to tell us what freedom really means to you, and to think about creative solutions for empowering girls in crisis settings, so that we can create a better future for us all.

Dear young people, leaders and champions,

In good times and in crisis—but specially in crisis and emergencies, all stakeholders and actors have a duty to care to make humanitarian response and resilience building work for, include and empower girls and young women.

On this International day of the Girl which zooms in on their rights before, during and after emergencies and crisis, let us take the following pledge:

Together we will protect girls' human rights in all circumstances;

Together we will foster girls’ capabilities in every field at all times;

Together we will make girl's voices heard in decision making;

Together we will promote and harness girl's leadership;

Together we will unleash girls’ power in all its dimensions;

Together we will ensure that girls’ full potential is realized, generation after generation.

Planet 5050 by 2030, there is where we all want to go. The SDGs are our today but it is also about our collective tomorrow and gender equality is our destination.

I thank you!

• ‘One Woman’ – The UN Women song
• UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous
• Kirsi Madi, Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships
• Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination and Programme Results
• Guiding documents
• Report wrongdoing
• Programme implementation
• Career opportunities
• Application and recruitment process
• Meet our people
• Internship programme
• Procurement principles
• Gender-responsive procurement
• Doing business with UN Women
• How to become a UN Women vendor
• Contract templates and general conditions of contract
• Vendor protest procedure
• Facts and Figures
• Global norms and standards
• Women’s movements
• Parliaments and local governance
• Constitutions and legal reform
• Preguntas frecuentes
• Global Norms and Standards
• Macroeconomic policies and social protection
• Sustainable Development and Climate Change
• Rural women
• Employment and migration
• Facts and figures
• Creating safe public spaces
• Spotlight Initiative
• Essential services
• Focusing on prevention
• Research and data
• Other areas of work
• UNiTE campaign
• Conflict prevention and resolution
• Building and sustaining peace
• Young women in peace and security
• Rule of law: Justice and security
• Women, peace, and security in the work of the UN Security Council
• Preventing violent extremism and countering terrorism
• Planning and monitoring
• Humanitarian coordination
• Crisis response and recovery
• Disaster risk reduction
• Inclusive National Planning
• Public Sector Reform
• Tracking Investments
• Strengthening young women's leadership
• Economic empowerment and skills development for young women
• Action on ending violence against young women and girls
• Engaging boys and young men in gender equality
• Sustainable development agenda
• Leadership and Participation
• National Planning
• Violence against Women
• Access to Justice
• Regional and country offices
• Regional and Country Offices
• Liaison offices
• UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change
• Commission on the Status of Women
• Economic and Social Council
• General Assembly
• Security Council
• High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
• Human Rights Council
• Climate change and the environment
• Other Intergovernmental Processes
• World Conferences on Women
• Global Coordination
• Regional and country coordination
• Promoting UN accountability
• Gender Mainstreaming
• Coordination resources
• System-wide strategy
• Focal Point for Women and Gender Focal Points
• Entity-specific implementation plans on gender parity
• Laws and policies
• Strategies and tools
• Reports and monitoring
• Training Centre services
• Publications
• Government partners
• National mechanisms
• Civil Society Advisory Groups
• Benefits of partnering with UN Women
• Business and philanthropic partners
• Goodwill Ambassadors
• National Committees
• UN Women Media Compact
• UN Women Alumni Association
• Editorial series
• Media contacts
• Annual report
• Progress of the world’s women
• SDG monitoring report
• World survey on the role of women in development
• Reprint permissions
• Secretariat
• 2023 sessions and other meetings
• 2022 sessions and other meetings
• 2021 sessions and other meetings
• 2020 sessions and other meetings
• 2019 sessions and other meetings
• 2018 sessions and other meetings
• 2017 sessions and other meetings
• 2016 sessions and other meetings
• 2015 sessions and other meetings
• Compendiums of decisions
• Reports of sessions
• Key Documents
• Brief history
• CSW snapshot
• Preparations
• Official Documents
• Official Meetings
• Side Events
• Session Outcomes
• CSW65 (2021)
• CSW64 / Beijing+25 (2020)
• CSW63 (2019)
• CSW62 (2018)
• CSW61 (2017)
• Member States
• Eligibility
• Registration
• Opportunities for NGOs to address the Commission
• Communications procedure
• Grant making
• Accompaniment and growth
• Results and impact
• Knowledge and learning
• Social innovation
• UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women
• About Generation Equality
• Generation Equality Forum
• Action packs

30 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Story Analysis

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

What ideals of femininity and womanhood does the mother in Kincaid’s “Girl” impart to her daughter? Given the representation of the mother figure, how do you think Kincaid wants us as readers to view this perspective?

What effect do the intermittent Caribbean terms thrown into the text have on readers? What intended effect may Kincaid have been going for in using them?

What effect does the syntax used in the text have on the reader’s experience? How does the syntax affect the text’s message or meaning?

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now

Related Titles

By Jamaica Kincaid

Jamaica Kincaid

A Small Place

At the Bottom of the River

The Autobiography of My Mother

Featured Collections

Afro-Caribbean Literature

View Collection

Books that Feature the Theme of...

Colonialism & Postcolonialism

Colonialism Unit

Coming-of-Age Journeys

Required Reading Lists

Essay on Inspiration

Students are often asked to write an essay on Inspiration in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Inspiration

What is inspiration.

Inspiration is a powerful feeling that motivates us to take action. It can come from various sources like people, nature, books, or even a simple thought.

Importance of Inspiration

Inspiration is important as it drives us to achieve our goals. It encourages creativity, boosts confidence, and helps in overcoming challenges.

Sources of Inspiration

Inspiration can be found everywhere. It could be a successful person, a beautiful sunset, an interesting book, or even a small act of kindness.

In conclusion, inspiration is a driving force that helps us to strive for success and make our dreams come true.

250 Words Essay on Inspiration

The essence of inspiration.

Inspiration, an intangible yet profoundly impactful force, has the power to awaken our minds and stimulate creativity. It is the catalyst that drives us towards the realization of our dreams and aspirations.

The Sources of Inspiration

Inspiration can be derived from a multitude of sources. It may emanate from a powerful speech, an awe-inspiring piece of art, or even from the silent beauty of nature. Personal experiences, both triumphant and tragic, can also serve as profound sources of inspiration.

The Role of Inspiration in Personal Growth

Inspiration is instrumental in personal growth. It fuels our passion, motivates us to strive for excellence, and encourages us to challenge our limits. It helps us to perceive things from a fresh perspective, fostering innovation and originality.

Inspiration and Society

On a societal level, inspiration has the potential to instigate change. It can influence individuals to work towards the betterment of society, thereby fostering a culture of altruism and empathy.

To conclude, inspiration is not just an emotional response; it is a driving force that can lead us to achieve the unimaginable. It is a catalyst for creativity, a tool for personal growth, and a vehicle for societal change. Hence, it is essential to remain open to inspiration from all sources and harness its power to enrich our lives and the world around us.

500 Words Essay on Inspiration

Introduction to inspiration.

Inspiration is a complex yet fascinating phenomenon that plays a crucial role in human creativity and innovation. It is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. This invisible force is the catalyst that propels individuals to transcend ordinary experiences and limitations, leading to the realization of unique, inventive, and sometimes revolutionary ideas.

The Source of Inspiration

Inspiration is not a one-size-fits-all concept; it is highly individualistic and can be derived from a multitude of sources. For some, it could be the beauty of nature, while for others, it might be a profound piece of literature, an awe-inspiring piece of art, or even a personal life event. It can also be found in the resilience of those who overcome adversity or the achievements of those who push the boundaries of what is considered possible.

Psychology of Inspiration

From a psychological perspective, inspiration involves two main processes: being inspired by and being inspired to. ‘Being inspired by’ refers to the encounter with an external trigger (be it a person, idea, or event) that instigates a sense of possibility and admiration. ‘Being inspired to’ is the motivational component of inspiration that propels the individual to transform the inspired thought into action.

Inspiration and Creativity

Inspiration is intrinsically linked with creativity. It is the spark that ignites the creative process, leading to the generation of novel and valuable ideas. It is a conduit through which we can access our deepest resources of creativity and problem-solving abilities. The more open we are to inspiration, the more creative we become.

Inspiration in Everyday Life

Inspiration is not confined to grand projects or groundbreaking ideas; it is also present in everyday life. It can be found in small, seemingly insignificant moments that bring joy, provoke thought, or incite change. It can be a catalyst for personal growth, a source of strength during challenging times, and a beacon of hope for a better future.

In conclusion, inspiration is a powerful force that fuels creativity, innovation, and personal growth. It is a transformative process that begins with an external stimulus and culminates in the creation of something new and meaningful. By remaining open to inspiration in all its forms, we can harness this powerful force to enrich our lives, contribute to our communities, and help shape a better world.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Industrialization
• Essay on Industrial Safety
• Essay on Industrial Design

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

27 Outstanding College Essay Examples From Top Universities 2024

One of the best ways to write a successful college essay for your college application is by learning from real college essay examples that worked . I've compiled a few of my favorite essay examples here that cover a variety of college essay topics.

Need help writing your college essay? Click here for my ultimate guide .

Or, check out my complete guide for answering the most popular college essay prompts on the Common App.

Some essay samples below are by students who chose to write about a challenge, while other examples may be helpful if you’re looking to write about yourself more generally. And yes, a few of these essays did help these students get accepted into the Ivy League, (I’m not telling you which!) though these are all great essays regardless of where (or if) students were admitted to their top choice school.

Looking for more college admissions essay examples about yourself? Check out more personal statements here .

Behold, some of the best college essays of 2024 (in my humble opinion).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Personal Statement Examples         Burying Grandma         Laptop Stickers         Punk Rock Philosopher         Grandma's Kimchi         Travel and Language         Dead Bird         I Shot My Brother         Porcelain God

UC Essay Examples

• Supplemental Essay Examples         UChicago Supplemental Essay Examples         Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road         Rock, Paper, Scissors         U of Michigan Supplemental Essay Example         East Meets West

Common App Essay Prompts

According to the 2024/2025 Common Application , the common app essays topics are as follows:

Background Essay: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Challenge Essay: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Belief Essay: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Gratitude Essay: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Accomplishment Essay: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Topic Essay: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Create-Your-Own Essay: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

What Makes a Great College Essay?

These application essays show many sides of a person.

The key to many of these essays is that they describe a story or an aspect of the student’s life in a way that is dynamic: It reflects many of their values, strengths, interests, volunteer work, and life experiences. 

Many of these essays also demonstrate vulnerability. College admissions officers reading your college application will want to know how your values, qualities, and skills will flourish in college— and how good your writing skills are . 

Whether it’s a supplemental essay , personal statement , Common App essay , or diversity essay , the essays below can help you better understand what can result from following a college essay format or applying tips for how to write a college essay to help you get into your dream school. 

College Essay Tips

We asked dozens of experts on essay writing and test scores for their take on what makes a great college essay. Check out five of our favorite college essay tips below. 

1. Imagine how the person reading your essay will feel.

No one's idea of a good time is writing a college essay, I know. But if sitting down to write your essay feels like a chore, and you're bored by what you're saying, you can imagine how the person reading your essay will feel. On the other hand, if you're writing about something you love, something that excites you, something that you've thought deeply about, chances are I'm going to set down your application feeling excited, too—and feeling like I've gotten to know you.

This college essay tip is by Abigail McFee, Admissions Counselor for Tufts University and Tufts ‘17 graduate.

2. Write like a journalist.

"Don't bury the lede!" The first few sentences must capture the reader's attention, provide a gist of the story, and give a sense of where the essay is heading. Think about any article you've read—how do you decide to read it? You read the first few sentences and then decide. The same goes for college essays. A strong lede (journalist parlance for "lead") will place your reader in the "accept" mindset from the beginning of the essay. A weak lede will have your reader thinking "reject"—a mindset from which it's nearly impossible to recover.

This college essay tip is by Brad Schiller, MIT graduate and CEO of Prompt, which provides individualized feedback on thousands of students’ essays each year.

3. Don't read the Common Application prompts.

If you already have, erase them from memory and write the story you want colleges to hear. The truth is, admission reviewers rarely know—or care—which prompt you are responding to. They are curious to discover what you choose to show them about who you are, what you value , and why. Even the most fluid writers are often stifled by fitting their narrative neatly into a category and the essay quickly loses authentic voice. Write freely and choose a prompt later. Spoiler alert...one prompt is "Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. " So have at it.

This college essay tip is by Brennan Barnard, director of college counseling at the Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H. and contributor to the NYT, HuffPost, and Forbes on intentionally approaching college admissions.

4. Show your emotions.

Adding feelings to your essays can be much more powerful than just listing your achievements. It allows reviewers to connect with you and understand your personality and what drives you. In particular, be open to showing vulnerability. Nobody expects you to be perfect and acknowledging times in which you have felt nervous or scared shows maturity and self-awareness.

This college essay tip is by Charles Maynard, Oxford and Stanford University Graduate and founder of Going Merry, which is a one-stop shop for applying to college scholarships

5. Revise often and early. 

Your admissions essay should go through several stages of revision . And by revisions, we don’t mean quick proofreads. Ask your parents, teachers, high school counselors or friends for their eyes and edits. It should be people who know you best and want you to succeed. Take their constructive criticism in the spirit for which they intend—your benefit.

This college essay tip is by Dhivya Arumugham, Kaplan Test Prep's director of SAT and ACT programs.

Personal Statement Examples

The "burying grandma" example college essay.

Written for the Common App college application essays "Tell us your story" prompt. This essay could work for prompts 1 and 7 for the Common App.

They covered the precious mahogany coffin with a brown amalgam of rocks, decomposed organisms, and weeds. It was my turn to take the shovel, but I felt too ashamed to dutifully send her off when I had not properly said goodbye. I refused to throw dirt on her. I refused to let go of my grandmother, to accept a death I had not seen coming, to believe that an illness could not only interrupt, but steal a beloved life.

When my parents finally revealed to me that my grandmother had been battling liver cancer, I was twelve and I was angry--mostly with myself. They had wanted to protect me--only six years old at the time--from the complex and morose concept of death. However, when the end inevitably arrived, I wasn’t trying to comprehend what dying was; I was trying to understand how I had been able to abandon my sick grandmother in favor of playing with friends and watching TV. Hurt that my parents had deceived me and resentful of my own oblivion, I committed myself to preventing such blindness from resurfacing.

I became desperately devoted to my education because I saw knowledge as the key to freeing myself from the chains of ignorance. While learning about cancer in school I promised myself that I would memorize every fact and absorb every detail in textbooks and online medical journals. And as I began to consider my future, I realized that what I learned in school would allow me to silence that which had silenced my grandmother. However, I was focused not with learning itself, but with good grades and high test scores. I started to believe that academic perfection would be the only way to redeem myself in her eyes--to make up for what I had not done as a granddaughter.  

However, a simple walk on a hiking trail behind my house made me open my own eyes to the truth. Over the years, everything--even honoring my grandmother--had become second to school and grades. As my shoes humbly tapped against the Earth, the towering trees blackened by the forest fire a few years ago, the faintly colorful pebbles embedded in the sidewalk, and the wispy white clouds hanging in the sky reminded me of my small though nonetheless significant part in a larger whole that is humankind and this Earth. Before I could resolve my guilt, I had to broaden my perspective of the world as well as my responsibilities to my fellow humans.   

Volunteering at a cancer treatment center has helped me discover my path. When I see patients trapped in not only the hospital but also a moment in time by their diseases, I talk to them. For six hours a day, three times a week, Ivana is surrounded by IV stands, empty walls, and busy nurses that quietly yet constantly remind her of her breast cancer. Her face is pale and tired, yet kind--not unlike my grandmother’s. I need only to smile and say hello to see her brighten up as life returns to her face. Upon our first meeting, she opened up about her two sons, her hometown, and her knitting group--no mention of her disease. Without even standing up, the three of us—Ivana, me, and my grandmother--had taken a walk together.

Cancer, as powerful and invincible as it may seem, is a mere fraction of a person’s life. It’s easy to forget when one’s mind and body are so weak and vulnerable. I want to be there as an oncologist to remind them to take a walk once in a while, to remember that there’s so much more to life than a disease. While I physically treat their cancer, I want to lend patients emotional support and mental strength to escape the interruption and continue living. Through my work, I can accept the shovel without burying my grandmother’s memory.

Tips + Analysis:

Make (Narrative) structure work for you. This essay uses what we call Narrative Structure, which focuses (in roughly equal word count) on a challenge + effects you’ve faced, what you did about it, and what you learned. Quick tip: one common and easy mistake is to spend most of the essay focused on the challenges + effects, but try to keep that to about a third—what your reader is generally more interested in is what you did about that challenge and what you learned/how you’ve grown. For a more complete guide to using Narrative Structure to shape your personal statement, check out that link.

Show insight and growth. This essay does so in a few different ways. One is by recognizing that they were wrong about something / had “done it wrong” (e.g. ...understand how I had been able to abandon my sick grandmother in favor of playing with friends and watching TV or However, I was focused not with learning itself, but with good grades and high test scores. ). We’re pointing this out because, fairly frequently, students are worried that acknowledging they were wrong in some way will be looked down upon by readers. Put those worries to rest—showing that you’re capable of reflecting, acknowledging your failings or where you were wrong, and growing through your new understanding is a sign of maturity that colleges value. (For more on insight/reflection , check out that link, which is focused on the UC PIQs but its content also applies to personal statements.)

Bring us into your world. You can do so through things like imagery (e.g., the towering trees blackened by the forest fire a few years ago, the faintly colorful pebbles embedded in the sidewalk, and the wispy white clouds hanging in the sky ) and through illustrating (or sometimes directly naming) your values and how your experiences have shaped them (e.g., I had to broaden my perspective of the world as well as my responsibilities to my fellow humans ). A personal statement isn’t simply a list of accomplishments (let your Activities List and Additional Info section do that lifting for you). Instead, it’s about helping a college understand who you are through the values, interests, insights, skills, and qualities you bring to their campus and community.

THE "Laptop Stickers" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

My laptop is like a passport. It is plastered with stickers all over the outside, inside, and bottom. Each sticker is a stamp, representing a place I've been, a passion I've pursued, or community I've belonged to. These stickers make for an untraditional first impression at a meeting or presentation, but it's one I'm proud of. Let me take you on a quick tour:

" We < 3 Design ," bottom left corner. Art has been a constant for me for as long as I can remember. Today my primary engagement with art is through design. I've spent entire weekends designing websites and social media graphics for my companies. Design means more to me than just branding and marketing; it gives me the opportunity to experiment with texture, perspective, and contrast, helping me refine my professional style.

" Common Threads ," bottom right corner. A rectangular black and red sticker displaying the theme of the 2017 TEDxYouth@Austin event. For years I've been interested in the street artists and musicians in downtown Austin who are so unapologetically themselves. As a result, I've become more open-minded and appreciative of unconventional lifestyles. TED gives me the opportunity to help other youth understand new perspectives, by exposing them to the diversity of Austin where culture is created, not just consumed.

Poop emoji , middle right. My 13-year-old brother often sends his messages with the poop emoji 'echo effect,' so whenever I open a new message from him, hundreds of poops elegantly cascade across my screen. He brings out my goofy side, but also helps me think rationally when I am overwhelmed. We don't have the typical "I hate you, don't talk to me" siblinghood (although occasionally it would be nice to get away from him); we're each other's best friends. Or at least he's mine.

" Lol ur not Harry Styles ," upper left corner. Bought in seventh grade and transferred from my old laptop, this sticker is torn but persevering with layers of tape. Despite conveying my fangirl-y infatuation with Harry Styles' boyband, One Direction, for me Styles embodies an artist-activist who uses his privilege for the betterment of society. As a $42K donor to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, a hair donor to the Little Princess Trust, and promoter of LGBTQ+ equality, he has motivated me to be a more public activist instead of internalizing my beliefs.

" Catapult ," middle right. This is the logo of a startup incubator where I launched my first company, Threading Twine. I learned that business can provide others access to fundamental human needs, such as economic empowerment of minorities and education. In my career, I hope to be a corporate advocate for the empowerment of women, creating large-scale impact and deconstructing institutional boundaries that obstruct women from working in high-level positions. Working as a women's rights activist will allow me to engage in creating lasting movements for equality, rather than contributing to a cycle that elevates the stances of wealthy individuals.

" Thank God it's Monday ," sneakily nestled in the upper right corner. Although I attempt to love all my stickers equally (haha), this is one of my favorites. I always want my association with work to be positive.

And there are many others, including the horizontal, yellow stripes of the  Human Rights Campaign ; " The Team ," a sticker from the Model G20 Economics Summit where I collaborated with youth from around the globe; and stickers from " Kode with Klossy ," a community of girls working to promote women's involvement in underrepresented fields.

When my computer dies (hopefully not for another few years), it will be like my passport expiring. It'll be difficult leaving these moments and memories behind, but I probably won't want these stickers in my 20s anyways (except Harry Styles, that's never leaving). My next set of stickers will reveal my next set of aspirations. They hold the key to future paths I will navigate, knowledge I will gain, and connections I will make.

Make (Montage) structure work for you. This essay uses what we call Montage Structure, which uses a “thematic thread” (in this case, laptop stickers ) to connect different, perhaps otherwise seemingly disconnected sides of who a student is. One strength (among many) of this structural approach is that it can allow a student to demonstrate a broad range of values and experiences that have shaped them, which in turn helps a college understand who you are through the values, interests, insights, skills, and qualities you bring to their campus and community. For a more complete guide to using Montage Structure to shape your personal statement, check out that link.

Show (and probably also tell a little). “Show don’t tell” is generally solid writing advice, but for college essays, we’d recommend leaning a bit more toward the “Mostly show but than maybe also tell a little, just to be sure your reader gets it” approach (Though that’s clearly not as catchy a phrase).  So show us your experiences and values through specific moments and details, but also include some language that more directly states those values and what they mean to you, like Working as a women's rights activist will allow me to engage in creating lasting movements for equality, rather than contributing to a cycle that elevates the stances of wealthy individuals .

Get a little vulnerable. Being vulnerable in writing is a great way to help a reader feel closer to you. And it’s useful to keep in mind that there’s actually a pretty great variety of ways to be vulnerable. One nice moment of vulnerability in this essay comes with …in we're each other's best friends. Or at least he's mine —it’s a nice, soft moment in which the author offers up something that could feel a little tender, or maybe scary to share (because hey, acknowledging that you might care about someone more than they care about you can feel that way). 

Learn how to write your college essay

The "punk rock philosopher" college essay example.

This was written for the Common App college application essays, and works for prompts 1 and 7 (or none of them, because the author is that cool):

I am on Oxford Academy’s Speech and Debate Team, in both the Parliamentary Debate division and the Lincoln-Douglass debate division. I write screenplays, short stories, and opinionated blogs and am a regular contributor to my school literary magazine, The Gluestick. I have accumulated over 300 community service hours that includes work at homeless shelters, libraries, and special education youth camps. I have been evaluated by the College Board and have placed within the top percentile.

But I am not any of these things. I am not a test score, nor a debater, nor a writer. I am an anti-nihilist punk rockphilosopher. And I became so when I realized three things:

1) That the world is ruled by underwear. There is a variety of underwear for a variety of people. You have your ironed briefs for your businessmen, your soft cottons for the average, and hemp-based underwear for your environmental romantics. But underwear do not only tell us about who we are, they also influence our daily interactions in ways most of us don't even understand. For example, I have a specific pair of underwear that is holey, worn out but surprisingly comfortable. And despite how trivial underwear might be, when I am wearing my favorite pair, I feel as if I am on top of the world. In any case, these articles of clothing affect our being and are the unsung heroes of comfort.

2) When I realized I cannot understand the world. I recently debated at the Orange County Speech League Tournament, within the Parliamentary Division. This specific branch of debate is an hour long, and consists of two parties debating either side of a current political issue. In one particular debate, I was assigned the topic: “Should Nation States eliminate nuclear arms?” It so happened that I was on the negative side and it was my job to convince the judges that countries should continue manufacturing nuclear weapons. During the debate, something strange happened: I realized that we are a special breed of species, that so much effort and resources are invested to ensure mutual destruction. And I felt that this debate in a small college classroom had elucidated something much more profound about the scale of human existence. In any case, I won 1st place at the tournament, but as the crowd cheered when my name was called to stand before an audience of hundreds of other debaters, and I flashed a victorious smile at the cameras, I couldn’t help but imagine that somewhere at that moment a nuclear bomb was being manufactured, adding to an ever-growing stockpile of doom. And that's when I realized that the world was something I will never understand.

3) When I realized I was a punk rocker philosopher. One summer night, my friend took me to an underground hardcore punk rock show. It was inside a small abandoned church. After the show, I met and became a part of this small community. Many were lost and on a constant soul-search, and to my surprise, many, like myself, did not have a blue Mohawk or a nose piercing. Many were just ordinary people discussing Nietzsche, string theory, and governmental ideologies. Many were also artists creating promotional posters and inventive slogans for stickers. They were all people my age who could not afford to be part of a record label and did something extraordinary by playing in these abandoned churches, making their own CDs and making thousands of promotional buttons by hand. I realized then that punk rock is not about music nor is it a guy with a blue Mohawk screaming protests. Punk rock is an attitude, a mindset, and very much a culture. It is an antagonist to the conventional. It means making the best with what you have to contribute to a community. This was when I realized that I was a punk rock philosopher.

The world I come from consists of underwear, nuclear bombs, and punk rockers. And I love this world. My world is inherently complex, mysterious, and anti-nihilist. I am David Phan, somebody who spends his weekends debating in a three piece suit, other days immersed within the punk rock culture, and some days writing opinionated blogs about underwear.

But why college? I want a higher education. I want more than just the textbook fed classrooms in high school. A community which prizes revolutionary ideals, a sharing of multi-dynamical perspectives, an environment that ultimately acts as a medium for movement, similar to the punk rock community. I do not see college as a mere stepping stone for a stable career or a prosperous life, but as a supplement for knowledge and self-empowerment; it is a social engine that will jettison us to our next paradigm shift.

ARE YOU A HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME STUDENT LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES to receive COLLEGE ESSAY & Application guidance?

The matchlighters scholarship might be for you— apply today..

The "Grandma's Kimchi" College Essay Example

This essay could work for prompts 1 and 7 for the Common App.

Every Saturday morning, I’d awaken to the smell of crushed garlic and piquant pepper. I would stumble into the kitchen to find my grandma squatting over a large silver bowl, mixing fat lips of fresh cabbages with garlic, salt, and red pepper. That was how the delectable Korean dish, kimchi, was born every weekend at my home.

My grandma’s specialty always dominated the dinner table as kimchi filled every plate. And like my grandma who had always been living with us, it seemed as though the luscious smell of garlic would never leave our home. But even the prided recipe was defenseless against the ravages of Alzheimer’s that inflicted my grandma’s mind.

Dementia slowly fed on her memories until she became as blank as a brand-new notebook. The ritualistic rigor of Saturday mornings came to a pause, and during dinner, the artificial taste of vacuum-packaged factory kimchi only emphasized the absence of the family tradition. I would look at her and ask, “Grandma, what’s my name?” But she would stare back at me with a clueless expression. Within a year of diagnosis, she lived with us like a total stranger.

One day, my mom brought home fresh cabbages and red pepper sauce. She brought out the old silver bowl and poured out the cabbages, smothering them with garlic and salt and pepper. The familiar tangy smell tingled my nose. Gingerly, my grandma stood up from the couch in the living room, and as if lured by the smell, sat by the silver bowl and dug her hands into the spiced cabbages. As her bony hands shredded the green lips, a look of determination grew on her face. Though her withered hands no longer displayed the swiftness and precision they once did, her face showed the aged rigor of a professional. For the first time in years, the smell of garlic filled the air and the rattling of the silver bowl resonated throughout the house.

That night, we ate kimchi. It wasn’t perfect; the cabbages were clumsily cut and the garlic was a little too strong. But kimchi had never tasted better. I still remember my grandma putting a piece in my mouth and saying, “Here, Dong Jin. Try it, my boy.”

Seeing grandma again this summer, that moment of clarity seemed ephemeral. Her disheveled hair and expressionless face told of the aggressive development of her illness.

But holding her hands, looking into her eyes, I could still smell that garlic. The moments of Saturday mornings remain ingrained in my mind. Grandma was an artist who painted the cabbages with strokes of red pepper. Like the sweet taste of kimchi, I hope to capture those memories in my keystrokes as I type away these words.

A piece of writing is more than just a piece of writing. It evokes. It inspires. It captures what time takes away.

My grandma used to say: “Tigers leave furs when they die, humans leave their names.” Her legacy was the smell of garlic that lingered around my house. Mine will be these words.

The "Travel and Language" College Essay Example

When I was very little, I caught the travel bug. It started after my grandparents first brought me to their home in France and I have now been to twenty-nine different countries. Each has given me a unique learning experience.

At five, I marveled at the Eiffel Tower in the City of Lights. When I was eight, I stood in the heart of Piazza San Marco feeding hordes of pigeons, then glided down Venetian waterways on sleek gondolas. At thirteen, I saw the ancient, megalithic structure of Stonehenge and walked along the Great Wall of China, amazed that the thousand-year-old stones were still in place.

It was through exploring cultures around the world that I first became interested in language.

It began with French, which taught me the importance of pronunciation. I remember once asking a store owner in Paris where Rue des Pyramides was. But when I pronounced it PYR–a–mides instead of pyr–A–mides, with more accent on the A, she looked at me bewildered.

In the eighth grade, I became fascinated with Spanish and aware of its similarities with English through cognates. Baseball in Spanish, for example, is béisbol, which looks different but sounds nearly the same. This was incredible to me as it made speech and comprehension more fluid, and even today I find that cognates come to the rescue when I forget how to say something in Spanish.

Then, in high school, I developed an enthusiasm for Chinese. As I studied Chinese at my school, I marveled how if just one stroke was missing from a character, the meaning is lost. I loved how long words were formed by combining simpler characters, so Huǒ (火) meaning fire and Shān (山) meaning mountain can be joined to create Huǒshān (火山), which means volcano. I love spending hours at a time practicing the characters and I can feel the beauty and rhythm as I form them.

Interestingly, after studying foreign languages, I was further intrigued by my native tongue. Through my love of books and fascination with developing a sesquipedalian lexicon (learning big words), I began to expand my English vocabulary. Studying the definitions prompted me to inquire about their origins, and suddenly I wanted to know all about etymology, the history of words. My freshman year I took a world history class and my love for history grew exponentially. To me, history is like a great novel, and it is especially fascinating because it took place in my own world.

But the best dimension that language brought to my life is interpersonal connection. When I speak with people in their native language, I find I can connect with them on a more intimate level. I’ve connected with people in the most unlikely places, finding a Bulgarian painter to use my few Bulgarian words with in the streets of Paris, striking up a conversation in Spanish with an Indian woman who used to work at the Argentinian embassy in Mumbai, and surprising a library worker by asking her a question in her native Mandarin.

I want to study foreign language and linguistics in college because, in short, it is something that I know I will use and develop for the rest of my life. I will never stop traveling, so attaining fluency in foreign languages will only benefit me. In the future, I hope to use these skills as the foundation of my work, whether it is in international business, foreign diplomacy, or translation.

I think of my journey as best expressed through a Chinese proverb that my teacher taught me, “I am like a chicken eating at a mountain of rice.” Each grain is another word for me to learn as I strive to satisfy my unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Today, I still  have the travel bug, and now, it seems, I am addicted to language too.

Click here  for this student's amazing Instagram photos.

The "Dead Bird" Example College Essay Example

This was written for a Common App college application essay prompt that no longer exists, which read: Evaluate a significant experience, risk, achievement, ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

 Smeared blood, shredded feathers. Clearly, the bird was dead. But wait, the slight fluctuation of its chest, the slow blinking of its shiny black eyes. No, it was alive.

I had been typing an English essay when I heard my cat's loud meows and the flutter of wings. I had turned slightly at the noise and had found the barely breathing bird in front of me.

The shock came first. Mind racing, heart beating faster, blood draining from my face. I instinctively reached out my hand to hold it, like a long-lost keepsake from my youth. But then I remembered that birds had life, flesh, blood.

Death. Dare I say it out loud? Here, in my own home?

Within seconds, my reflexes kicked in. Get over the shock. Gloves, napkins, towels. Band-aid? How does one heal a bird? I rummaged through the house, keeping a wary eye on my cat. Donning yellow rubber gloves, I tentatively picked up the bird. Never mind the cat's hissing and protesting scratches, you need to save the bird. You need to ease its pain.

But my mind was blank. I stroked the bird with a paper towel to clear away the blood, see the wound. The wings were crumpled, the feet mangled. A large gash extended close to its jugular rendering its breathing shallow, unsteady. The rising and falling of its small breast slowed. Was the bird dying? No, please, not yet. 

Why was this feeling so familiar, so tangible?

Oh. Yes. The long drive, the green hills, the white church, the funeral. The Chinese mass, the resounding amens, the flower arrangements. Me, crying silently, huddled in the corner. The Hsieh family huddled around the casket. Apologies. So many apologies. Finally, the body  lowered to rest. The body. Kari Hsieh. Still familiar, still tangible.

Hugging Mrs. Hsieh, I was a ghost, a statue. My brain and my body competed. Emotion wrestled with fact. Kari Hsieh, aged 17, my friend of four years, had died in the Chatsworth Metrolink Crash on Sep. 12, 2008. Kari was dead, I thought. Dead.

But I could still save the bird.

My frantic actions heightened my senses, mobilized my spirit. Cupping the bird, I ran outside, hoping the cool air outdoors would suture every wound, cause the bird to miraculously fly away. Yet there lay the bird in my hands, still gasping, still dying. Bird, human, human, bird. What was the difference? Both were the same. Mortal.

But couldn't I do something? Hold the bird longer, de-claw the cat? I wanted to go to my bedroom, confine myself to tears, replay my memories, never come out. 

The bird's warmth faded away. Its heartbeat slowed along with its breath. For a long time, I stared thoughtlessly at it, so still in my hands.

Slowly, I dug a small hole in the black earth. As it disappeared under handfuls of dirt, my own heart grew stronger, my own breath more steady.

The wind, the sky, the dampness of the soil on my hands whispered to me, “The bird is dead. Kari has passed. But you are alive.” My breath, my heartbeat, my sweat sighed back, “I am alive. I am alive. I am alive.”

The "I Shot My Brother" College Essay Example

This essay could work for prompts 1, 2 and 7 for the Common App.

From page 54 of the maroon notebook sitting on my mahogany desk:

“Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me.” - Genesis 4:13

Here is a secret that no one in my family knows: I shot my brother when I was six. Luckily, it was a BB gun. But to this day, my older brother Jonathan does not know who shot him. And I have finally promised myself to confess this eleven year old secret to him after I write this essay.

The truth is, I was always jealous of my brother. Our grandparents, with whom we lived as children in Daegu, a rural city in South Korea, showered my brother with endless accolades: he was bright, athletic, and charismatic.

“Why can’t you be more like Jon?” my grandmother used to nag, pointing at me with a carrot stick. To me, Jon was just cocky. He would scoff at me when he would beat me in basketball, and when he brought home his painting of Bambi with the teacher’s sticker “Awesome!” on top, he would make several copies of it and showcase them on the refrigerator door. But I retreated to my desk where a pile of “Please draw this again and bring it to me tomorrow” papers lay, desperate for immediate treatment. Later, I even refused to attend the same elementary school and wouldn’t even eat meals with him.

Deep down I knew I had to get the chip off my shoulder. But I didn’t know how.

That is, until March 11th, 2001.

That day around six o’clock, juvenile combatants appeared in Kyung Mountain for their weekly battle, with cheeks smeared in mud and empty BB guns in their hands. The Korean War game was simple: to kill your opponent you had to shout “pow!” before he did. Once we situated ourselves, our captain blew the pinkie whistle and the war began. My friend Min-young and I hid behind a willow tree, eagerly awaiting our orders.

Beside us, our comrades were dying, each falling to the ground crying in “agony,” their hands clasping their “wounds.” Suddenly a wish for heroism surged within me: I grabbed Min-young’s arms and rushed towards the enemies’ headquarters, disobeying our orders to remain sentry duty. To tip the tide of the war, I had to kill their captain. We infiltrated the enemy lines, narrowly dodging each attack. We then cleared the pillars of asparagus ferns until the Captain’s lair came into view. I quickly pulled my clueless friend back into the bush.

Hearing us, the alarmed captain turned around: It was my brother.

He saw Min-young’s right arm sticking out from the bush and hurled a “grenade,” (a rock), bruising his arm.

“That’s not fair!” I roared in the loudest and most unrecognizable voice I could manage.

Startled, the Captain and his generals abandoned their post. Vengeance replaced my wish for heroism and I took off after the fleeing perpetrator. Streams of sweat ran down my face and I pursued him for several minutes until suddenly I was arrested by a small, yellow sign that read in Korean: DO NOT TRESPASS: Boar Traps Ahead. (Two summers ago, my five year old cousin, who insisted on joining the ranks, had wandered off-course during the battle; we found him at the bottom of a 20 ft deep pit with a deep gash in his forehead and shirt soaked in blood) “Hey, stop!” I shouted, heart pounding. “STOP!” My mind froze. My eyes just gazed at the fleeing object; what should I do?

I looked on as my shivering hand reached for the canister of BBs. The next second, I heard two shots followed by a cry. I opened my eyes just enough to see two village men carrying my brother away from the warning sign. I turned around, hurled my BB gun into the nearby Kyung Creek and ran home as fast as I could.

Days passed. My brother and I did not talk about the incident.

‘Maybe he knew it was me,’ I thought in fear as I tried to eavesdrop on his conversation with grandpa one day. When the door suddenly opened, I blurted, “Is anything wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said pushing past me, “Just a rough sleep.”

But in the next few weeks, something was happening inside me.

All the jealousy and anger I’d once felt had been replaced by a new feeling: guilt.

That night when my brother was gone I went to a local store and bought a piece of chocolate taffy, his favorite. I returned home and placed it on my brother’s bed with a note attached: “Love, Grandma.”

Several days later, I secretly went into his room and folded his unkempt pajamas.

Then, other things began to change. We began sharing clothes (something we had never done), started watching Pokémon episodes together, and then, on his ninth birthday, I did something with Jon that I hadn’t done in six years: I ate dinner with him. I even ate fishcakes, which he loved but I hated. And I didn’t complain.

Today, my brother is one of my closest friends. Every week I accompany him to Carlson Hospital where he receives treatment for his obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. While in the waiting room, we play a noisy game of Zenga, comment on the Lakers’ performance or listen to the radio on the registrar’s desk.

Then, the door to the doctor’s office opens.

“Jonathan Lee, please come in.”

I tap his shoulder and whisper, “Rock it, bro.”

After he leaves, I take out my notebook and begin writing where I left off.

Beside me, the receptionist’s fingers hover over the radio in search of a new station, eventually settling on one. I hear LeAnn Rimes singing “Amazing Grace.” Her voice slowly rises over the noise of the bustling room.

“’Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved...”

Smiling, I open Jon’s Jansport backpack and neatly place this essay inside and a chocolate taffy with a note attached.

Twenty minutes have passed when the door abruptly opens.

“Guess what the doctor just said?” my brother cries, unable to hide his exhilaration.

I look up and I smile too.

For analysis of what makes this essay amazing , go here.

The "Porcelain God" College Essay Example

Essay written for the "topic of your choice" prompt for the 2012 Common Application college application essays.

Bowing down to the porcelain god, I emptied the contents of my stomach. Foaming at the mouth, I was ready to pass out. My body couldn’t stop shaking as I gasped for air, and the room started spinning.

Ten minutes prior, I had been eating dinner with my family at a Chinese restaurant, drinking chicken-feet soup. My mom had specifically asked the waitress if there were peanuts in it, because when I was two we found out that I am deathly allergic to them. When the waitress replied no, I went for it. Suddenly I started scratching my neck, feeling the hives that had started to form. I rushed to the restroom to throw up because my throat was itchy and I felt a weight on my chest. I was experiencing anaphylactic shock, which prevented me from taking anything but shallow breaths. I was fighting the one thing that is meant to protect me and keep me alive – my own body.

At five years old, I couldn’t comprehend what had happened. All I knew was that I felt sick, and I was waiting for my mom to give me something to make it better. I thought my parents were superheroes; surely they would be able to make well again. But I became scared when I heard the fear in their voices as they rushed me to the ER.

After that incident, I began to fear. I became scared of death, eating, and even my own body. As I grew older, I became paranoid about checking food labels and I avoided eating if I didn’t know what was in the food. I knew what could happen if I ate one wrong thing, and I wasn’t willing to risk it for a snack. Ultimately, that fear turned into resentment; I resented my body for making me an outsider.

In the years that followed, this experience and my regular visits to my allergy specialist inspired me to become an allergy specialist. Even though I was probably only ten at the time, I wanted to find a way to help kids like me. I wanted to find a solution so that nobody would have to feel the way I did; nobody deserved to feel that pain, fear, and resentment. As I learned more about the medical world, I became more fascinated with the body’s immune responses, specifically, how a body reacts to allergens. This past summer, I took a month-long course on human immunology at Stanford University. I learned about the different mechanisms and cells that our bodies use in order to fight off pathogens. My desire to major in biology in college has been stimulated by my fascination with the human body, its processes, and the desire to find a way to help people with allergies. I hope that one day I can find a way to stop allergic reactions or at least lessen the symptoms, so that children and adults don’t have to feel the same fear and bitterness that I felt.

To find out if your essay passes the Great College Essay Test like this one did, go here .

The "Five Families" College Essay Example

This essay could work for prompts 1, 2, 5 and 7 for the Common App.

When I was 16, I lived with the Watkins family in Wichita, Kansas. Mrs. Watkins was the coordinator of the foreign exchange student program I was enrolled in. She had a nine year old son named Cody. I would babysit Cody every day after school for at least two to three hours. We would play Scrabble or he would read to me from Charlotte’s Web or The Ugly Duckling. He would talk a lot about his friends and school life, and I would listen to him and ask him the meanings of certain words. He was my first friend in the New World.

My second family was the Martinez family, who were friends of the Watkins’s. The host dad Michael was a high school English teacher and the host mom Jennifer (who had me call her “Jen”) taught elementary school. She had recently delivered a baby, so she was still in the hospital when I moved into their house. The Martinez family did almost everything together. We made pizza together, watched Shrek on their cozy couch together, and went fishing on Sunday together. On rainy days, Michael, Jen and I would sit on the porch and listen to the rain, talking about our dreams and thoughts. Within two months I was calling them mom and dad.

After I finished the exchange student program, I had the option of returning to Korea but I decided to stay in America. I wanted to see new places and meet different people. Since I wasn’t an exchange student anymore, I had the freedom--and burden--of finding a new school and host family on my own. After a few days of thorough investigation, I found the Struiksma family in California. They were a unique group.

The host mom Shellie was a single mom who had two of her own sons and two Russian daughters that she had adopted. The kids always had something warm to eat, and were always on their best behavior at home and in school. It would be fair to say that this was all due to Shellie’s upbringing. My room was on the first floor, right in front of Shellie’s hair salon, a small business that she ran out of her home. In the living room were six or seven huge amplifiers and a gigantic chandelier hung from the high ceiling. The kitchen had a bar. At first, the non-stop visits from strangers made me nervous, but soon I got used to them. I remember one night, a couple barged into my room while I was sleeping. It was awkward.

After a few months I realized we weren’t the best fit. In the nicest way possible, I told them I had to leave. They understood.

The Ortiz family was my fourth family. Kimberly, the host mom, treated me the same way she treated her own son. She made me do chores: I fixed dinner, fed their two dogs Sassy and Lady, and once a week I cleaned the bathroom. I also had to follow some rules: No food in my room, no using the family computer, no lights on after midnight, and no ride unless it was an emergency. The first couple of months were really hard to get used to, but eventually I adjusted.

I lived with the Ortiz family for seven months like a monk in the deep forest. However, the host dad Greg’s asthma got worse after winter, so he wanted to move to the countryside. It was unexpected and I only had a week to find a new host family. I asked my friend Danielle if I could live with her until I found a new home. That’s how I met the Dirksen family, my fifth family.

The Dirksen family had three kids. They were all different. Danielle liked bitter black coffee, Christian liked energy drinks, and Becca liked sweet lemon tea. Dawn, the host mom didn’t like winter, and Mark, the host dad, didn’t like summer. After dinner, we would all play Wii Sports together. I was the king of bowling, and Dawn was the queen of tennis. I don’t remember a single time that they argued about the games. Afterward, we would gather in the living room and Danielle would play the piano while the rest of us sang hymns.

Of course, those 28 months were too short to fully understand all five families, but I learned from and was shaped by each of them. By teaching me English, nine year-old Cody taught me the importance of being able to learn from anyone; the Martinez family showed me the value of spending time together as a family; the Struiksma family taught me to reserve judgment about divorced women and adopted children; Mrs. Ortiz taught me the value of discipline and the Dirksen family taught me the importance of appreciating one another’s different qualities.

Getting along with other people is necessary for anyone and living with five families has made me more sensitive to others’ needs: I have learned how to recognize when someone needs to talk, when I should give advice and when to simply listen, and when someone needs to be left alone; in the process, I have become much more adaptable. I’m ready to change, learn, and be shaped by my future families.

ANALYSIS OF THE "FIVE FAMILIES" ESSAY

Remember that movie “The Sixth Sense”?

I won't ruin it for you, but I will tell you that there’s a moment toward the end when a crucial piece of information is revealed that triggers in the mind of the audience a series of realizations that have been leading up to this Big Revelation.

That’s kind of what this writer does: he buries a series of hints (one in each paragraph) that he “explodes” in the final paragraph. In short:

He buries a series of essence images in his first paragraphs (one per family).

He doesn’t tell us what they mean until the end of the essay, when he writes “I learned and was shaped by each of them.” Note that each essence image is actually a lesson--something he learned from each family.

When he reveals each lesson at the end, one after the other, we sense how all these seemingly random events are connected. We realize this writer has been carefully constructing this piece all along; we see the underlying structure. And it’s a pretty neat one.

Each of the first five paragraphs works to SHOW . (He waits to TELL us what they mean ‘til that second to last paragraph.)

See how distinct each family is? He does this through specific images and objects.

The second to last paragraph answers the “So what?” question. (Q: Why did he just show us all these details? A: To demonstrate what each family has taught him.)

He also goes one step further. He answers the “So what?” question once more in the final paragraph. (Q: So what am I going to do with all these lessons? A: I’m going to use them to adapt to my next family--in college.)

The beauty of this is that he’s demonstrating (showing not telling) that he has an extremely valuable quality that will be useful for doing well at any college: adaptability.

TIP: And that’s one more way to write your essay . Identify your single greatest strength (in this case, it was his ability to adapt to whatever life gave him). Ask: how did I learn this? How can I SHOW that I’m good at this?

Here are all the “Show” and “Tell” moments clearly marked:

When I was 16, I lived with the Watkins family in Wichita, Kansas. Mrs. Watkins was the coordinator of the foreign exchange student program I was enrolled in. She had a nine year old son named Cody. I would babysit Cody every day after school for at least two to three hours. We would play Scrabble or he would read to me from Charlotte’s Web or The Ugly Duckling. He would talk a lot about his friends and school life, and I would listen to him and ask him the meanings of certain words.  He was my first friend in the New World.

Show 1: "By teaching me English, nine year-old Cody taught me the importance of being able to learn from anyone."

My second family was the Martinez family, who were friends of the Watkins’s. The host dad Michael was a high school English teacher and the host mom Jennifer (who had me call her “Jen”) taught elementary school. She had recently delivered a baby, so she was still in the hospital when I moved into their house. The Martinez family did almost everything together. We made pizza together, watched Shrek on their cozy couch together, and went fishing on Sunday together.  On rainy days, Michael, Jen and I would sit on the porch and listen to the rain, talking about our dreams and thoughts. Within two months I was calling them mom and dad.

Show 2: "the Martinez family showed me the value of spending time together as a family" (implication: he doesn't have this with his own family)

The host mom Shellie was a single mom who had two of her own sons and two Russian daughters that she had adopted.  The kids always had something warm to eat, and were always on their best behavior at home and in school. It would be fair to say that this was all due to Shellie’s upbringing. My room was on the first floor,  right in front of Shellie’s hair salon, a small business that she ran out of her home. In the living room were six or seven huge amplifiers and a gigantic chandelier hung from the high ceiling. The kitchen had a bar. At first, the non-stop visits from strangers made me nervous, but soon I got used to them. I remember one night, a couple barged into my room while I was sleeping. It was awkward.

Show 3: "the Struiksma family taught me to reserve judgment about divorced women and adopted children."

The Ortiz family was my fourth family. Kimberly, the host mom, treated me the same way she treated her own son.  She made me do chores: I fixed dinner, fed their two dogs Sassy and Lady, and once a week I cleaned the bathroom. I also had to follow some rules: No food in my room, no using the family computer, no lights on after midnight, and no ride unless it was an emergency.  The first couple of months were really hard to get used to, but eventually I adjusted.

I lived with the Ortiz family for seven months like a monk in the deep forest.  However, the host dad Greg’s asthma got worse after winter, so he wanted to move to the countryside. It was unexpected and I only had a week to find a new host family. I asked my friend Danielle if I could live with her until I found a new home. That’s how I met the Dirksen family, my fifth family.

Show 4: "Mrs. Ortiz taught me the value of discipline."

The Dirksen family had three kids.  They were all different. Danielle liked bitter black coffee, Christian liked energy drinks, and Becca liked sweet lemon tea. Dawn, the host mom didn’t like winter, and Mark, the host dad, didn’t like summer. After dinner, we would all play Wii Sports together. I was the king of bowling, and Dawn was the queen of tennis. I don’t remember a single time that they argued about the games.  Afterward, we would gather in the living room and Danielle would play the piano while the rest of us sang hymns.

Show 5: "and the Dirksen family taught me the importance of appreciating one another’s different qualities."

Of course, those 28 months were too short to fully understand all five families, but I learned from and was shaped by each of them.  By teaching me English, nine year-old Cody taught me the importance of being able to learn from anyone; the Martinez family showed me the value of spending time together as a family; the Struiksma family taught me to reserve judgment about divorced women and adopted children; Mrs. Ortiz taught me the value of discipline and the Dirksen family taught me the importance of appreciating one another’s different qualities.

The "Tell" / "So What":

THE "FOOD" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage Essay, “I Love/I Know” Type

I’ve spent most of my life as an anti-vegetable carboholic.  For years, processed snack foods ruled the kitchen kingdom of my household and animal products outnumbered plant-based offerings. 

My transformation began with my mom’s cancer diagnosis. My mom went on a 100% whole food plant-based diet. I fully embraced this new eating philosophy to show my support. Eager to figure out the whole “vegan” thing, the two of us started binge-watching health documentaries such as “What the Health” and “Forks Over Knives”. We read all the books by the featured doctors like “The China Study” and “How Not To Die”. I became entranced by the world of nutritional science and how certain foods could help prevent cancer or boost metabolism. 

Each new food I discovered gave me an education on the role diet plays on health. I learned that, by eating sweet potatoes and brown rice, you could cure acne and heart disease. I discovered eating leafy greens with citrus fruits could boost iron absorption rates. I loved pairing my foods to create the perfect macronutrient balance. Did you know beans and rice make a complete protein? 

Food has also turned me into a sustainability nut. Living plant-based also saves the planet from the impact of animal agriculture. For the same amount of land space, a farmer can produce 200 kilograms of soybeans versus 16 kilograms of beef. I do my part to have as small of an ecological footprint as I can. I stopped using plastic snack bags and instead turned to reusable beeswax wraps. My favorite reusable appliance is my foldable straw. If I am going to nourish my body, shouldn’t I also want to nourish the earth? 

My journey toward healthy living led me to becoming co-leader of the Northern Nevada PlantPure Pod, “Biggest Little Plant Pod”, a group dedicated to spreading the message about the whole food plant-based lifestyle. We are currently working on a restaurant campaign to encourage local eateries to create a plant-based, oil-free menu option and become PlantPure certified. After discovering how many restaurants use oil in their cooking, I decided I needed to open a plant-based oil free cafe to make up for this gap. My dream is to open up my very own affordable oatmeal cafe based on my Instagram page, morning_mOATivations. And I know that oatmeal isn’t the sexiest superfood out there, so here’s my sales pitch: I’m going to make oatmeal the Beyonce of the breakfast world- sweet, sassy, and power packed. This allows me to educate people about nutritional science through the stomach. 

Finally, I am a strong proponent of hands-on experience for learning what good food looks and tastes like, so cooking is one of my favorite ways to teach the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. Using my taste buds as my textbook to learn which flavors work together and which ones don’t helps me educate, as I’ve found that information tends to stick in a person’s mind once they’ve experienced healthy, delicious foods with their own senses. Our society has taught us that delicious food has to make us feel guilty, when that is simply not the case. The best feeling in the world is falling in love with a dish and then learning all the health benefits that it provides the body.

While my classmates complain about being tired, I have more energy because my body is finally getting the right macros, vitamins, and minerals it needs. This has allowed me to push myself harder physically, excelling in running and earning my high school Cross Country team’s Most Improved award. I’m still a picky eater. But the foods I am particular about have changed. Rather than a carboholic, I choose to call myself a vegeholic.

THE "HAPPINESS SPREADSHEET" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage Essay, “Essence Object” Type

Meditation over a flaxen sunset with a friend and parmesan-topped spaghetti for dinner — “14.” Assignments piling up on my desk as a high fever keeps me sick at home — “3.” Taking a photo excursion through downtown Seattle for a Spanish project — “15.” For the past 700 days and counting, the Happiness Spreadsheet has been my digital collection for documenting numerical, descriptive, and graphical representations of my happiness. Its instructions are simple: Open the Google Sheet, enter a number between 1 and 20 that best represents my level of happiness, and write a short comment describing the day. But the practical aspect of the spreadsheet is only a piece of what it has represented in my life.

A “14” etched on November 15, 2018, marked the first Lakeside Cooking on the Stove Club meeting. What had started as a farcical proposition of mine transformed into a playground where high school classmates and I convene every two weeks to prepare a savory afternoon snack for ourselves. A few months later, a “16” scribbled on February 27, 2019, marked the completion of a fence my Spanish class and I constructed for the dusty soccer field at a small Colombian village. Hard-fought days of mixing cement and transporting supplies had paid off for the affectionate community we had immediately come to love. The Happiness Spreadsheet doesn’t only reflect my own thoughts and emotions; it is an illustration of the fulfillment I get from gifting happiness to others.

If happiness paves the roads of my life, my family is the city intertwined by those roads — each member a distinct neighborhood, a distinct story. In times of stress, whether it be studying for an upcoming derivatives test or presenting my research at an international conference, I dash to my father for help. Coming from the dusty, people-packed backstreets of Thiruvananthapuram, India, he guides me in looking past the chaos and noticing the hidden accomplishments that lie in the corners. When in need of confidence, I find my mother, who taps her experiences living in her tranquil and sturdy tatami-covered home in Hiroshima, Japan, helping me prepare for my first high school dance or my final match in a tennis tournament. Whenever my Happiness Spreadsheet numbers touch lows, my family is always there to level me out to “10.”

The Happiness Spreadsheet is also a battery monitor for enthusiasm. On occasion, it is on full charge, like when I touched the last chord on the piano for my composition's winner recital or when, one frosty Friday morning, I convinced a teacher to play over the school speakers a holiday medley I’d recorded with a friend. Other times, the battery is depleted, and I am frustrated by writer's block, when not a single melody, chord, or musical construct crosses my mind. The Happiness Spreadsheet can be a hall of fame, but it can likewise be a catalog of mistakes, burdens, and grueling challenges.

The spreadsheet began on a typical school day when I left my physics class following the most confusing test I’d taken. The idea was born spontaneously at lunch, and I asked two of my friends if they were interested in pursuing this exercise with me. We thought the practice would last only a couple of weeks or months at most, but after reaching 700 days, we now wonder if we’ll ever stop. To this day, I ponder its full importance in my life. With every new number I enter, I recognize that each entry is not what defines me; rather, it is the ever-growing line connecting all the data points that reflects who I am today. With every valley, I force myself onward and with every mountain's peak, I recognize the valleys I’ve crossed to reach the summit. Where will the Happiness Spreadsheet take me next?

THE "TRANSLATING" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage Essay, “Skill/Superpower” Type

".miK ijniM" This is how I wrote my name until I was seven . I was a left-handed kid who wrote from right to left, which made my writing comprehensible only to myself. Only after years of practice did I become an ambidextrous writer who could translate my incomprehensible writing. As I look back on my life, I realized that this was my first act of translation. 

Translation means reinterpreting my Calculus teacher’s description of L’hospital’s rule into a useful tool for solving the limits . As I deciphered complex codes into comprehensible languages like rate of change and speed of an object, I gained the ability to solve even more complicated and fascinating problems. My Calculus teacher often told me, “It’s not until you can teach math concepts to somebody that you understand them completely.” Before I discovered the joy of teaching, I often explained difficult math concepts to my friends as a tool for reviewing what I’d learned. Now, I volunteer to tutor others: as a Korean tutor for friends who love Korean culture and a golf tutor for new team members. Tutoring is how I integrate and strengthen new concepts for myself.  

My talent for translating also applies to my role as a “therapist” for my family and friends . I’m able to identify their real feelings beneath superficial words by translating hand-gestures, facial expressions, and tones. I often put myself into their situation and ask, "What emotional support would I want or need if I was in this situation?" Through these acts of translation, I’ve grown into a more reliable and perceptive friend, daughter, and sister. 

However, my translation can't accurately account for the experiences I have yet to go through . After realizing the limitations of my experience, I created a bucket list full of activities out of my comfort zone, which includes traveling abroad by myself, publishing my own book, and giving a lecture in front of a crowd. Although it is a mere list written on the front page of my diary, I found myself vividly planning and picturing myself accomplishing those moments. By widening my experiences, I’ll be a therapist who can empathize fully and give meaningful advice based on rich experiences.

My knack for translating has led me to become a real-life Korean language translator . As an English to Korean letter translator in a non-profit organization, Compassion , I serve as a communication bridge between benefactors and children in developing countries, who communicate through monthly letters. I’ve translated hundreds of letters by researching each country to provide context that considers both cultural aspects and nuances of the language. This experience has motivated me to learn languages like Spanish and Mandarin. I’ve realized that learning various languages has been a journey of self-discovery: the way I talk and interact with people changed depending on the language I used. As I get to know more about myself through different languages, I grew more confident to meet new people and build new friendships.

While translating has been a huge part of my life, a professional translator is not my dream job . I want to be an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist who manages the medication of patients with chronic diseases. In fact, translating is a huge part of the job of a clinical pharmacist. I should substitute myself into patients’ situations to respond to their needs effectively, which requires my translating skill as a “therapist.” Moreover, as a clinical pharmacist, I’ll be the patients’ private tutor who not only guides them through the right use of medication but also gives them emotional support. As my qualities as a “therapist” and a “tutor” shaped me into a great translator, I will continue to develop my future as a clinical pharmacist by enhancing and discovering my qualities. In one form or another, I've always been and will be a translator.

THE "WHY BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage Essay, “Career” Type

I sit, cradled by the two largest branches of the Newton Pippin Tree, watching the ether. The Green Mountains of Vermont stretch out indefinitely, and from my elevated vantage point, I feel as though we are peers, motionless in solidarity. I’ve lost my corporeal form and instead, while watching invisible currents drive white leviathans across the sky, have drifted up into the epistemological stream; completely alone with my questions, diving for answers. But a few months ago, I would have considered this an utter waste of time. 

Prior to attending Mountain School, my paradigm was substantially limited; opinions, prejudices, and ideas shaped by the testosterone-rich environment of Landon School. I was herded by result-oriented, fast-paced, technologically-reliant parameters towards psychology and neuroscience (the NIH, a mere 2.11 mile run from my school, is like a beacon on a hill). I was taught that one’s paramount accomplishment should be specialization. 

Subconsciously I knew this was not who I wanted to be and seized the chance to apply to the Mountain School. Upon my arrival, though, I immediately felt I did not belong. I found the general atmosphere of hunky-dory acceptance foreign and incredibly unnerving. 

So, rather than engage, I retreated to what was most comfortable: sports and work. In the second week, the perfect aggregate of the two, a Broomball tournament, was set to occur. Though I had never played before, I had a distinct vision for it, so decided to organize it.

That night, the glow-in-the-dark ball skittered across the ice. My opponent and I, brooms in hand, charged forward. We collided and I banana-peeled, my head taking the brunt of the impact. Stubborn as I was, even with a concussion, I wanted to remain in class and do everything my peers did, but my healing brain protested. My teachers didn’t quite know what to do with me, so, no longer confined to a classroom if I didn’t want to be, I was in limbo. I began wandering around campus with no company except my thoughts. Occasionally, Zora, my English teacher’s dog, would tag along and we’d walk for miles in each other's silent company. Other times, I found myself pruning the orchard, feeding the school’s wood furnaces, or my new favorite activity, splitting wood. Throughout those days, I created a new-found sense of home in my head.

However, thinking on my own wasn’t enough; I needed more perspectives. I organized raucous late-night discussions about everything from medieval war machines to political theory and  randomly challenged my friends to “say something outrageous and defend it.” And whether we achieve profundity or not, I find myself enjoying the act of discourse itself. As Thoreau writes, “Let the daily tide leave some deposit on these pages, as it leaves, the waves may cast up pearls.” I have always loved ideas, but now understand what it means to ride their waves, to let them breathe and become something other than just answers to immediate problems. 

I am most enamored by ideas that cultivate ingenious and practical enrichments for humanity. I enjoy picking some conundrum, large or small, and puzzling out a solution. Returning from a cross country meet recently, my friend and I, serendipitously, designed a socially responsible disposable water bottle completely on accident. Now we hope to create it.

I am still interested in psychology and neuroscience, but also desire to incorporate contemplative thought into this work, analyzing enigmas from many different perspectives. My internships at the NIH and the National Hospital for Neuroscience and Neurosurgery in London have offered me valuable exposure to research and medicine. But I have come to realize that neither of my previous intended professions allow me to expand consciousness in the way I would prefer. 

After much soul-searching, I have landed on behavioral economics as the perfect synergy of the fields I love. All it took was a knock on the head.

THE "5 FAMILY IDENTITIES" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage, “Identity” Type

“Chris, what would you like to have for Christmas Dinner? ”

Suddenly, a miniature gathering of the European Commission glares straight at me. I feel the pressure of picking one option over the other.

 What do I choose? The Roast Duck of Denmark, the Five Fish of Italy, the Turkey of Great Britain, or the Ham of the U.S.? Like the various nations of the European Union, the individual proponents of these culinary varieties are lobbying their interests to me, a miniature Jean-Claude Junker.

Now, you may be asking yourselves: why would I be so pensive over a meal choice?

See, I have been blessed to be a part of what my mother calls the “melting pot of Europe.”  While I was born in England, my brothers were born in Denmark and New York. I have a Swedish sister-in-law, Italian Aunts, an English Uncle, Romanian cousins and an Italo-Danish immigrant father. Every year, that same family gathers together in New York City to celebrate Christmas. While this wonderful kaleidoscope of cultures has caused me to be the ‘peacekeeper’ during meal arbitrations, it has fundamentally impacted my life.  

Our family’s ethnic diversity has meant that virtually each person adheres to a different position on the political spectrum. This has naturally triggered many discussions, ranging from the merits of European single-payer healthcare to those of America’s gun laws, that have often animated our meals. These exact conversations drove me to learn more about what my parents, grandparents, and other relatives were debating with a polite and considerate passion. This ongoing discourse on current events not only initiated my interests in politics and history, but also prepared me greatly for my time as a state-champion debater for Regis’s Public Forum team. In turn, participating in debate has expanded my knowledge regarding matters ranging from civil rights reparations to American redeployment in Iraq, while enriching my capacities to thoughtfully express my views on those and other issues, both during P.F. rounds and at the dinner table.

Just as I’ve learned to understand and bridge the divides between a rich tapestry of cultures in order to develop my familial relations, society’s leadership must also do the same on a grander scale. This awareness incited a passion for statecraft within me – the very art of balancing different perspectives - and therefore a desire to actively engage in government. With my experiences in mind, I felt there was no better place to start than my own neighborhood of Bay Ridge. Young hipsters, a high concentration of seniors, Italian & Irish middle class families, and a growing population of Middle-Eastern Americans help to comprise a district that I have begun serving as the first teenaged member of my local Community Board.  Within my public service capacity, I am committed to making policy judgments (for example, regarding hookah bars, zoning regulations, and park renovation expenses) that are both wise and respectful of my community’s diversity. 

Most importantly, my family has taught me an integral life lesson. As our Christmas Dinner squabbles suggest, seemingly insurmountable impasses can be resolved through respect and dialogue, even producing delicious results! On a grander scale, it has elucidated that truly inclusive discourse and toleration of diverse perspectives render tribalism, sectarianism, and the  divisive aspects of identity politics powerless over our cohesion. I fundamentally value cultural, political, and theological variety; my own microcosm reflecting our global society at large has inspired me to strive to solve the many conflicts of bitterness and sectionalism in our world today. This vocation may come in the form of political leadership that truly respects all perspectives and philosophies, or perhaps as diplomacy facilitating unity between the various nations of the world. The problems I would need to help remedy are numerous and daunting, but our annual Christmas feasts will forever remind me that they can be overcome, and that humanity’s diversity is not a weakness, but a definitive strength.

THE "Coffeeshops + Coffee" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage Essay, “Home” Type

Before I came to America, I drank Puer Tea with my father every morning in my bedroom, sitting cross-legged on Suzhou-silk mats beside a view of the Lakeside reservoir. Beside a dark end table, we picked up teacups as the mild aroma greeted our noses. As we faced the French window, my father would share the news he read in China Daily : the Syrian civil war, climate change, and gender equality in Hollywood. Most of the time, I only listened. With each piece of news, my curiosity piqued. Secretly, I made a decision that I wanted to be the one to discuss the news with him from my perspective. So, I decided to study in America to learn more about the world.   

After one year’s extensive research and hours of interviews, I came to America for 9th grade and moved in with a host family. But, my new room lacked stories and cups of tea. Fortunately, I found Blue House Cafe on my walk home from church, and started studying there. With white walls, comfortable sofas, and high stools, Blue House is spacious and bright. Hearing people’s stories and looking at their warm smiles when they taste various pastries as I sat by the window, I watched as a production designer scouted locations for his film, or a painter took notes while brainstorming for his freehand brushwork of Blue House. With a cup of coffee, I dig into differential and parametric equations for my upcoming AP Calculus test, learn the nuances of public speaking by watching Michael Sandel’s Justice lectures on my laptop, and plan fundraising events for my non-profit. 

I’ve also learned by watching leaders host meetings at the rectangle conference table at the back of the cafe and I learn from the leaders of meetings, watching as they hold the edge of the table and express their ideas. Similarly, as president of the International Students Club, I invited my teammates to have meetings with me at the cafe. Coordinating the schedule with other members in Blue House has become a frequent event. Consuming several cups of coffee, my team and I have planned Lunar New Year events, field trip to the Golden Gate Bridge, and Chinese lunch in school to help international students feel more at home. Straightening my back and bracing my shoulders, I stood up behind the conference table and expressed my creative ideas passionately. After each meeting, we shared buttermilk coffee-cake.

In my spot next to the window, I also witnessed different kinds of people. I viewed visitors dragging their luggage, women carrying shopping bags, and people wandering in tattered clothes --the diversity of San Francisco. Two years ago I saw volunteers wearing City Impact shirts offering sandwiches and hot chocolate to homeless people outside of the cafe. I investigated more about City Impact and eventually signed up to volunteer. No longer was I a bystander. At holiday outreach events, I prepared and delivered food to homeless people. While sharing my coffee, I listened to a story from an older Chinese man who told me, in Mandarin, how he had been abandoned by his children and felt lonely.

Last summer, I returned to Xiamen, China, and taught my father how to drink coffee. Now, a Chemex and teapot are both on the end table. Instead of simply listening, I shared my experiences as a club president, a community leader, and a volunteer. I showed him my business plan and prototypes. My father raised his cup of coffee and made a toast to me, “Good girl! I am so proud of you.” Then, he patted my head as before. Together, we emptied our cups while the smell of coffee lingered.

THE "KOMBUCHA CLUB" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage Essay, “Uncommon Extracurricular Activity” Type

I add the critically measured sugary tea mixture to the gallon jar containing the slimy, white, disc-shaped layers of the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

Now to wait.  

After exactly seven days, I pour the liquid into a fermentation-grade glass bottle with a ratio of 20% pomegranate juice and 80% fermented tea. I place it on my kitchen counter, periodically checking it to relieve the built-up CO2.

Finally, after an additional seventy-two hours, the time comes to try it. I crack the seal on the bottle, leaning over to smell what I assume will be a tangy, fruity, delicious pomegranate solution. and it smells like rotten eggs. The insufferable stench fills my nostrils and crushes my confidence. I'm momentarily taken aback, unable to understand how I went wrong when I followed the recipe perfectly. 

My issue wasn't misreading the recipe or failing to follow a rule, it was bypassing my creative instincts and forgetting the unpredictable nature of fermentation. I needed to trust the creative side of kombucha— the side that takes people's perfectionist energy and explodes it into a puddle of rotten egg smelling 'booch (my preferred name for the drink- not "fermented, effervescent liquid from a symbiotic culture of acetic acid bacteria and yeast"). I was too caught up in the side that requires extreme preciseness to notice when the balance between perfectionism and imperfectionism was being thrown off. The key, I have learned, is knowing when to prioritize following the recipe and when to let myself be creative. Sure, there are scientific variables such as proximity to heat sources and how many grams of sugar to add. But, there's also person-dependent variables like how long I decide to ferment it, what fruits I decide will be a fun combination, and which friend I got my first SCOBY from (taking "symbiotic" to a new level).

I often find myself feeling pressured to choose one side or the other, one extreme over the alternative. I've been told that I can either be a meticulous scientist or a messy artist, but to be both is an unacceptable contradiction. However, I choose a grey area; a place where I can channel my creativity into the sciences, as well as channel my precision into my photography.

I still have the first photo I ever took on the first camera I ever had. Or rather, the first camera I ever made. Making that pinhole camera was truly a painstaking process: take a cardboard box, tap it shut, and poke a hole in it. Okay, maybe it wasn't that hard. But learning the exact process of taking and developing a photo in its simplest form, the science of it, is what drove me to pursue photography. I remember being so unhappy with the photo I took; it was faded, underexposed, and imperfect. For years, I felt incredibly pressured to try and perfect my photography. It wasn't until I was defeated, staring at a puddle of kombucha, that I realized that there doesn't always have to be a standard of perfection in my art, and that excited me. 

So, am I a perfectionist? Or do I crave pure spontaneity and creativity? Can I be both?

Perfectionism leaves little to be missed. With a keen eye, I can quickly identify my mistakes and transform them into something with purpose and definitude. On the other hand, imperfection is the basis for change and for growth. My resistance against perfectionism is what has allowed me to learn to move forward by seeing the big picture; it has opened me to new experiences, like bacteria cross-culturing to create something new, something different, something better. I am not afraid of change or adversity, though perhaps I am afraid of conformity. To fit the mold of perfection would compromise my creativity, and I am not willing to make that sacrifice.

THE "MOMENTS WHERE THE SECONDS STAND STILL" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Montage Essay, “Other/Advanced” type

I hold onto my time as dearly as my Scottish granny holds onto her money. I’m careful about how I spend it and fearful of wasting it. Precious minutes can show someone I care and can mean the difference between accomplishing a goal or being too late to even start and my life depends on carefully budgeting my time for studying, practicing with my show choir, and hanging out with my friends. However, there are moments where the seconds stand still.

It is already dark when I park in my driveway after a long day at school and rehearsals. I can’t help but smile when I see my dog Kona bounce with excitement, then slide across the tile floor to welcome me as I open the door. I run with him into my parent’s bedroom, where my mom, dad, and sister are waiting for me. We pile onto my parents’ bed to talk about what’s going on in our lives, plan our next trip to the beach, tell jokes, and “spill tea.” They help me see challenges with a realistic perspective, grounding me in what matters. Not paying attention to the clock, I allow myself to relax for a brief moment in my busy life.

Laughter fills the show choir room as my teammates and I pass the time by telling bad jokes and breaking out in random bursts of movement. Overtired, we don’t even realize we’re entering the fourth hour of rehearsal. This same sense of camaraderie follows us onstage, where we become so invested in the story we are portraying we lose track of time. My show choir is my second family. I realize I choreograph not for recognition, but to help sixty of my best friends find their footing. At the same time, they help me find my voice.

The heavy scuba gear jerks me under the icy water, and exhilaration washes over me. Lost in the meditative rolling effect of the tide and the hum of the vast ocean, I feel present. I dive deeper to inspect a vibrant community of creatures, and we float together, carefree and synchronized. My fascination with marine life led me to volunteer as an exhibit interpreter for the Aquarium of the Pacific, where I share my love for the ocean. Most of my time is spent rescuing animals from small children and, in turn, keeping small children from drowning in the tanks. I’ll never forget the time when a visiting family and I were so involved in discussing ocean conservation that, before I knew it, an hour had passed. Finding this mutual connection over the love of marine life and the desire to conserve the ocean environment keeps me returning each summer. 

“Why don’t we have any medical supplies?” The thought screams through my mind as I carry a sobbing girl on my back across campus in search of an ice pack and ankle wrap. She had just fallen while performing, and I could relate to the pain and fear in her eyes. The chaos of the show becomes distant, and I devote my time to bringing her relief, no matter how long it may take. I find what I need to treat her injury in the sports medicine training room. I didn’t realize she would be the first of many patients I would tend to in this training room. Since then, I’ve launched a sports medicine program to provide care to the 500-person choir program.  

Saturday morning bagels with my family. Singing backup for Barry Manilow with my choir. Swimming with sea turtles in the Pacific. Making my teammate smile even though he’s in pain. These are the moments I hold onto, the ones that define who I am, and who I want to be. For me, time isn’t just seconds ticking by on a clock, it’s how I measure what matters.

THE "IDENTIFYING AS TRANS" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Narrative Essay, “Challenges” Type

“Mommy I can’t see myself.”  

I was six when I first refused/rejected girl’s clothing, eight when I only wore boy’s clothing, and fifteen when I realized why. When gifted dresses I was told to “smile and say thank you” while Spiderman shirts took no prompting from me, I’d throw my arms around the giver and thank them. My whole life has been others invading my gender with their questions, tears signed by my body, and a war against my closet. Fifteen years and I finally realized why, this was a girl’s body, and I am a boy. 

Soon after this, I came out to my mom. I explained how lost I felt, how confused I was, how “I think I’m Transgender.” It was like all those years of being out of place had led to that moment, my truth, the realization of who I was. My mom cried and said she loved me. 

The most important factor in my transition was my mom’s support. She scheduled me an appointment with a gender therapist, let me donate my female clothes, and helped build a masculine wardrobe. With her help, I went on hormones five months after coming out and got surgery a year later. I finally found myself, and my mom fought for me, her love was endless. Even though I had friends, writing, and therapy, my strongest support was my mother.

On August 30th, 2018 my mom passed away unexpectedly. My favorite person, the one who helped me become the man I am today, ripped away from me, leaving a giant hole in my heart and in my life.

Life got dull. Learning how to wake up without my mom every morning became routine. Nothing felt right, a constant numbness to everything, and fog brain was my kryptonite. I paid attention in class, I did the work, but nothing stuck. I felt so stupid, I knew I was capable, I could solve a Rubik’s cube in 25 seconds and write poetry, but I felt broken. I was lost, I couldn’t see myself, so stuck on my mother that I fell into an ‘It will never get better’ mindset.

It took over a year to get out of my slump. 25 therapy sessions, over 40 poems, not a single one didn’t mention my mom. I shared my writing at open mics, with friends, and I cried every time. I embraced the pain, the hurt, and eventually, it became the norm. I grew used to not having my mom around.

My mom always wanted to change the world, to fix the broken parts of society. She didn’t get to. Now that I’m in a good place, mentally and physically, I’m going to make that impact. Not just for her, but for me, and all the people who need a support branch as strong as the one my mom gave me.

I’m starting with whats impacted me most of my life, what’s still in front of me, being Transgender in the school system. For my senior project, I am using my story and experience as a young Transgender man to inform local schools, specifically the staff, about the do’s and dont’s of dealing with a Transgender student. I am determined to make sure no one feels as alone as I did. I want to be able to reach people, and use motivational speaking as the platform. 

After experiencing many twists and turns in my life, I’m finally at a good spot. I know what I want to do with my life, and I know how I’m going to get there. 

Mom, I can see myself now. Thank you.

If you’d like to see more sample essays + a guide to “ Should I come out in my personal statement (and if so, how?) ” please check out that link.

THE "iTaylor" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Narrative Essay, Undefined Type

Are you tired of seeing an iPhone everywhere? Samsung glitchy? It’s time for a change. I present to you, the iTaylor. I am the iTaylor. On the outside, I look like any smart phone, but when you open my settings and explore my abilities, you will find I have many unique features.

The iTaylor’s best feature is its built-in optimism. Thanks to my positivity, I was chosen to give the morning announcements freshman year. Now, I am the alarm clock for the 1,428 students of Fox Lane High School. For the past three years, I have been starting everyone’s morning with a bubbly, “Good morning, foxes!” and ending with “Have a marvelous Monday,” “Terrific Tuesday” or “Phenomenal Friday!”  My adjective-a-day keeps people listening, gives me conversation starters with faculty, and solicits fun suggestions from my friends.

Next up, language settings. I’ve worked hard to be bilingual so the iTaylor can be set to either English or Spanish. Fun fact: In middle school, I set my phone to Spanish so that messages like “ Alexis te envió un mensaje en Instagram ,” would increase my fluency. I learned nuances of the language by watching Spanish sitcoms like Siete Vidas and Spanish movies like Como Agua Para Chocolate . I appreciate the emphasis Spanish culture places on relationships, the way siblings take care of each other, and how grandparents’ wisdom is valued. Inspired, I began creating family events and even making efforts to grow closer to my second cousins.

At eight years old, I was diagnosed with what some might call a glitch: epilepsy. Fortunately, a new IOS software update cured my condition by the age of 15, but through epilepsy, I gained a love of exploration. Whereas at 10, I couldn’t bathe without supervision, I now enjoy snorkeling in unknown waters. While at 11, I couldn’t be left alone with my friends, I now explore the subways, crowded streets, and Broadway shows of New York City. Overcoming epilepsy taught me to take risks and explore new places.

This brings us to the iTaylor location settings. Two summers ago, I travelled to Ecuador to live with a friend’s family and teach Spanish theater to third graders. The experience implanted a “cookie” in me, filling me with a desire to learn about different cultures. I brought this desire home to a volunteer position at a local program for immigrant children. I helped the kids make presentations about their places of origin, including Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Also, as resident tour guide and ambassador for exchange students at my school, I’ve discovered North African fusion music from Selima, learned German slang from Henrike, and helped Saidimar prepare his Mr.Sulu campaign, a regional pageant in the Philippines. It became clear that the English language, one I took for granted, is the central feature that brings groups together.

This past summer, I brought my talents to Scotland, playing the dual role of  Artistic Director and leading character for Geek the Musical . I worked to promote the show in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival against 53,232 shows, reinventing ways to motivate the cast and connect with strangers from all over the world. We learned the more we connected, the more our audience grew. I applied these skills to my leadership positions at home, including my High School Theater Group, Players. I’m now better at creating a marketing strategy that includes door-to-door sales, print advertising, and identifying broader target audiences to fill seats.

The rollout plan for the iTaylor is to introduce it to the theater market. My goal is to use performance and storytelling to expose audiences to different cultures, religions, and points of view. Perhaps if we all learned more about each other's lifestyles, the world would be more empathetic and integrated. 

So what do you think? Would you like an iTaylor of your own? The iTaylor College Edition is now available for pre-order. It delivers next fall.

THE "FIGURING OUT WHAT REALLY MATTERED CHALLENGE" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Narrative Essay

"Perfect as the wing of a bird may be, it will never enable the bird to fly if unsupported by the air." --Ivan Pavlov 

Upon graduation, I will be able to analyze medieval Spanish poems using literary terms and cultural context, describe the electronegativity trends on the periodic table, and identify when to use logarithmic differentiation to simplify a derivative problem. Despite knowing how to execute these very particular tasks, I currently fail to understand how to change a tire, how to do my taxes efficiently, or how to obtain a good insurance policy. A factory-model school system that has been left essentially unchanged for nearly a century has been the driving force in my educational development.

I have been conditioned to complete tasks quickly, efficiently, and with an advanced understanding. I measured my self-worth as my ability to outdo my peers academically, thinking my scores were the only aspect that defined me; and they were. I was getting everything right. Then, I ran for Student Government and failed. Rejection. I didn’t even make it past the first round of cuts. How could that be? I was statistically a smart kid with a good head on my shoulders, right? Surely someone had to have made a mistake. Little did I know, this was my first exposure to meaning beyond numbers.

As I was rejected from StuGo for the second year in a row, I discovered I had been wrongfully measuring my life through numbers--my football statistics, my test scores, my age, my height (I’m short). I had the epiphany that oh wait, maybe it was my fault that I had never prioritized communication skills, or open-mindedness (qualities my fellow candidates possessed). Maybe it was me. That must be why I always had to be the one to approach people during my volunteer hours at the public library to offer help--no one ever asked me for it. I resolved to alter my mindset, taking a new approach to the way I lived. From now on I would emphasize qualitative experiences over quantitative skills. 

I had never been more uncomfortable. I forced myself to learn to be vulnerable by asking questions even if I was terrified of being wrong. My proficiency in using data evidence could not teach me how to communicate with young children at church, nor could my test scores show me how to be more open to criticism. The key to all of these skills, I was to discover, happened to be learning from those around me. Turns out, I couldn’t do everything by myself.

The process of achieving this new mindset came through the cultivation of relationships. I became fascinated by the new perspectives each person in my life could offer if I really took the time to connect. Not only did I improve my listening skills, but I began to consider the big-picture consequences my engagements could have. People interpret situations differently due to their own cultural contexts, so I had to learn to pay more attention to detail to understand every point of view. I took on the state of what I like to call collaborative independence, and to my delight, I was elected to StuGo after my third year of trying.

Not long ago, I would have fallen apart at the presence of any uncertainty. As I further accept and advance new life skills, the more I realize how much remains uncertain in the world. After all, it is quite possible my future job doesn’t exist yet, and that’s okay. I can’t conceivably plan out my entire life at the age of 17, but what I can do is prepare myself to take on the unknown, doing my best to accompany others. Hopefully, my wings continue enabling me to fly, but it is going to take more than just me and my wings; I have to continue putting my faith in the air around me.

THE "PARENTS' RELATIONSHIP" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

Narrative Essay, “Challenge” Type

My mom opened Kanishka’s Gastropub in 2013. I was ecstatic. We would become the first Mother-Son Indian duo on Food Network peeling potatoes, skinning chicken, and grinding spices, sharing our Bengali recipes with the world. 

However, the restaurant tore apart my parent’s relationship. Two years after opening, my dad started coming home late most nights, plastered from “happy hour with work colleagues.” My mom, trying to balance her day job at Kaiser and owning a restaurant, poured her stress on me,“What the hell is wrong with you! Always watching YouTube and never talking!” 

The worst time came when my parents tried to fix their relationship. Repeated date nights induced more arguments. Enduring the stress of her restaurant, my father, and her mistakes, my mom attempted to end her life. Fortunately, I found her just in time.  

Over the next two years, things were at times still hard, but gradually improved. My parents decided to start anew, took some time apart, then got back together. My mom started to pick me up from activities on time and my dad and I bonded more, watching Warriors and 49ers games. 

But at times I still had to emotionally support my mom to avoid sudden India trips, or put my siblings to bed if my parents weren’t home at night. Over time, I found it difficult being my family’s glue. I wanted back the family I had before the restaurant--the one that ate Luchi Mongsho together every Sunday night.

So I looked for comfort in creation. I began spending more time in our garage , carefully constructing planes from sheets of foam. I found purpose balancing the fuselage or leveling the ailerons to precisely 90 degrees. I loved cutting new parts and assembling them perfectly. Here , I could fix all the mistakes. 

In high school, I slowly began to forge a community of creators with my peers. Sophomore year, I started an engineering club and found that I had a talent for  managing people and encouraging them to create an idea even if it failed. I also learned how to take feedback and become more resilient. Here, I could nerd-out about warp drives and the possibility of anti-matter without being ignored. I would give a weekly report on new technology and we would have hour-long conversations about the various uses a blacker material could have. 

While building a community at school rebuilt my confidence, I still found I enjoyed being alone at times. While driving in my car, I’d let my mind wander to movies like Big Hero Six and contemplate if a zero-friction bike really was possible. I’d create ideas like an AI highway system that tells drivers exactly when to switch lanes based on timing and calculus to prevent braking from nearby cars. Or I’d blueprint a new classroom with interactive desks, allowing students to dive deep into historical events like a VR game. I found outlining complex ideas like these sometimes provide insights into something I’m researching or could one day materialize into future projects. 

Looking back (and perhaps inadvertently), the conflicts from the restaurant days have taught me valuable lessons. Helping my mom through her relationship taught me to watch out for those in emotional distress. Spending nights alone made me more independent--after all, it was then that I signed up for advanced math and programming courses and decided to apply for software internships. Most of all, seeing my mom start her restaurant from no food-industry experience inspired me to found two clubs and a Hydrogen Car Team. 

Even though we eat Luchi Monsho on a monthly basis now, I know my family will never be the way it was. My mom and I won’t become a Food Network mother-son duo. I can’t fix all the mistakes. But I can use them to improve the present.

THE "THREATENED BY ISIS" COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE

In 8th grade while doing a school project I Googled my dad's name and it came up in US military documents posted on the Snowden/NSA documents on WikiLeaks. I stayed up all night reading through documents related to Army support contracts in Iraq and Kuwait in 2003. I asked my dad about it the next day and he said, "It was a mistake I made that has been resolved." Turns out it hadn't been.

Saudi Arabia in the 2000s wasn’t the most ideal place to grow up. I was always scared of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda. My school was part of the US Consulate in Dhahran, and when I was in the 8th grade it was threatened by ISIS. Violence has always surrounded me and haunted me. 

After 14 years of living in a region destroyed by violence, I was sent away to boarding school in a region known for peace, Switzerland. That year my father was found guilty and imprisoned for the charges related to his Army support contract. I felt as if I was Edgar in Shakespeare’s King Lear and this could not get worse, but yet it did.

My parents got divorced and my childhood home was bulldozed to the ground by the Saudi government after my father was sent to prison. My mom had always been a hub of stability, but she was too overwhelmed to support me. I started eating to cope with my anxiety and gained 100 pounds in a year and a half. As I gained weight, my health started to deteriorate, and my grades started to drop. 

Things began to change at the beginning of my sophomore year, however, when I met my new roommate, Nico. He had grown up with someone whose father was also in prison, and was able to help me better understand the issues I was facing. Through my friendship with Nico, I learned how to open up and get support from my friends. 

I started to make new friends with more people at my school and was surprised to find out that 90% of their parents were divorced. Because we faced similar issues, we were able to support one and other, share tactics, and give advice. One of my friends, John, gave me advice on how to help my mother emotionally by showing her love, something I hadn’t been able to do before. My friends gave me a family and a home, when my own family was overwhelmed and my home was gone.

Slowly, I put my life back on track. I started playing basketball, began working on a CubeSAT, learned to program, changed my diet, and lost all the weight I had gained. 

 Now my friends in Switzerland come to me asking me for advice and help, and I feel as if I am a vital member of our community. My close friend Akshay recently started stressing about whether his parents were going to get divorced. With John’s advice, I started checking in on Akshay, spending more time with him, and coaching him before and after he talked to his parents. 

Leaving home in the beginning of my adolescence, I was sent out on a path of my own. While for some, high school is the best time of their lives, for me, high school has represented some of the best and, hopefully, worst times. Even with the struggles I’ve faced with my family, I am grateful for this path. It has brought me to a place that I only thought was fictional. In this new place I feel like a real person, with real emotions. This place is somewhere where I can express myself freely and be who I want to be. I am a much stronger, healthier, and more resilient person than I was two years ago. While it hasn’t been easy, I am glad to be where I am today.

For a ton of UC Essay Examples, head to my blog post here.

Supplemental essay examples, uchicago: the "why did the chicken cross the road" essay.

This essay was written for the U of Chicago "Create your own prompt" essay. The author included the following explanatory note:

I plan to double major in biochemistry and English and my main essay explains my passion for the former; here is a writing sample that illustrates my enthusiasm for the latter.

In my AP Literature class, my teacher posed a question to which students had to write a creative response. My response is framed around the ideas of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.”

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: A manicured green field of grass blades cut to perfectly matched lengths; a blue expanse ornamented with puffy cotton clouds; an immaculately painted red barn centered exactly at the top of a hill--the chicken gazes contentedly at his picturesque world. Within an area surrounded by a shiny silver fence, he looks around at his friends: roosters pecking at a feast of grains and hens lounging on luxurious cushions of hay. As the nice man in a plaid shirt and blue jeans collects the hens’ eggs, the chicken feels an overwhelming sense of indebtedness to him for providing this idyllic lifestyle.

On a day as pristine as all the others, the chicken is happily eating his lunchtime meal as the nice man carefully gathers the smooth white eggs when it notices that the man has left one behind. Strangely located at the empty end of the metal enclosure, highlighted by the bright yellow sun, the white egg appears to the chicken different from the rest. The chicken moves towards the light to tacitly inform the man of his mistake. But then the chicken notices a jagged gray line on the otherwise flawless egg. Hypnotized and appalled, the chicken watches as the line turns into a crack and a small beak attached to a fuzzy yellow head pokes out. Suddenly a shadow descends over the chicken and the nice man snatches the egg--the baby chick--and stomps off.

The chicken--confused, betrayed, disturbed--slowly lifts its eyes from the now empty ground. For the first time, it looks past the silver fence of the cage and notices an unkempt sweep of colossal brown and green grasses opposite its impeccably crafted surroundings. Cautiously, it inches closer to the barrier, farther from the unbelievable perfection of the farm, and discovers a wide sea of black gravel.  Stained with gray stones and marked with yellow lines, it separates the chicken from the opposite field.

The curious chicken quickly shuffles to Mother Hen, who has just settled on to her throne of hay and is closing her eyes. He is sure that the always composed and compassionate chicken will help him make sense of what he’s just seen.

“Mother Hen, Mother Hen! I-I just saw one of those eggs, cracking, and there was a small yellow bird inside. It was a baby. Are those eggs that the nice man takes away babies? And that black ground! What is it?” the chicken blurts out.

Her eyes flick open. “BOK BOK! Don’t you ever dare speak of what you have seen again,” Mother Hen snaps in a low and violent whisper, “or all of this will be taken away.” Closing her eyes again, she dismisses the chicken.

Frozen in disbelief, the chicken tries to make sense of her harsh words. It replays the incident in its head. “All the food, the nice soft hay, the flawless red barn--maybe all of this isn’t worth giving up. Maybe Mother Hen is right. She just wants to protect me from losing it all.” The chicken replays the incident again. “But it was a baby. What if it was hers? She still wouldn’t care. She’s being selfish; all she cares about is this perfect life.” A final replay, and the chicken realizes and accepts that Mother Hen knows, has known, that the man is doing something wrong; yet she has yielded to the cruelty for her own comfort. A fissure in the chicken’s unawareness, a plan begins to hatch. The chicken knows it must escape; it has to get to the other side.

“That man in the plaid shirt is stealing the eggs from their mothers again,” the chicken thinks the next day as he unlocks the cage. Then the man reaches into the wooden coop, his back to the entrance. “Now!” At its own cue, the chicken scurries towards the opening and exits unseen. With a backwards glance at his friends, the chicken feels a profound sadness and pity for their ignorance. It wants to urge them to open their eyes, to see what they are sacrificing for materialistic pleasures, but he knows they will not surrender the false reality. Alone, the chicken dashes away.

The chicken stands at the line between green grass and black gravel. As it prepares to take its first step into the unknown, a monstrous vehicle with 18 wheels made of metal whizzes by, leaving behind a trail of gray exhaust. Once it regains its breath, it moves a few inches onto the asphalt. Three more speeding trucks stop its chicken heart.

“I can’t do this,” it says to itself. “These monsters are a sign. They’re telling me to go back. Besides, a few lost chicks aren’t so bad. The man’s not that evil. He gives us food, and a home.”

But the chicken dismisses the cowardly voice in its head, reminding itself of the injustice back in the deceptively charming prison. Over the next several hours, it learns to strategically position itself so that it is in line with the empty space between the tires of passing trucks. It reaches the yellow dashes. A black blanket gradually pushes away the glowing sun and replaces it with diamond stars and a glowing crescent. It reaches the untouched field.

With a deep breath, the chicken steps into the swathe, a world of tall beige grass made brown by the darkness. Unsure of what it may discover, it determines to simply walk straight through the brush, out on to the other side. For what seems like forever, it continues forward, as the black sky turns to purple, then blue, then pink. Just as the chicken begins to regret its journey, the grass gives way to a vast landscape of trees, bushes, flowers--heterogeneous and variable, but nonetheless perfect. In a nearby tree, the chicken spots two adult birds tending to a nest of babies--a natural dynamic of individuals unaltered by corrupt influence.

And then it dawns on him. It has escaped from a contrived and perverted domain as well as its own unawareness; it has arrived in a place where the pure order of the world reigns.

“I know the truth now,” it thinks to himself as the sun rises. “But here, in Nature, it is of no use. Back home, I need to try to foster awareness among my friends, share this understanding with them. Otherwise, I am as cruel as the man in the plaid shirt, taking away the opportunity to overcome ignorance.”

“I must return now; I have to get to the other side.”

For more, here’s a guide to the U Chicago supplemental essays , and an in-depth guide to U Chicago’s extended essay .

We also analyze why we think this essay works in The Complete Guide , Session 6.

The "Rock, Paper, Scissors" UChicago Supplemental Essay Example

Essay written for the University of Chicago prompt, which gives you the option to create your own prompt..

Prompt: Dear Christian, the admissions staff at the University of Chicago would like to inform you that your application has been “put on the line.” We have one spot left and can’t decide if we should admit you or another equally qualified applicant. To resolve the matter, please choose one of the following:

Rock, paper, or scissors.

You will be notified of our decision shortly.

Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock.  Wait... paper beats rock? Since when has a sheet of loose leaf paper ever defeated a solid block of granite? Do we assume that the paper wraps around the rock, smothering the rock into submission? When exposed to paper, is rock somehow immobilized, unable to fulfill its primary function of smashing scissors?  What constitutes defeat between two inanimate objects?

Maybe it’s all a metaphor for larger ideals. Perhaps paper is rooted in the symbolism of diplomacy while rock suggests coercion. But does compromise necessarily trump brute force? And where do scissors lie in this chain of symbolism?

I guess the reasoning behind this game has a lot to do with context. If we are to rationalize the logic behind this game, we have to assume some kind of narrative, an instance in which paper might beat rock. Unfortunately, I can’t argue for a convincing one.

As with rock-paper-scissors, we often cut our narratives short to make the games we play easier, ignoring the intricate assumptions that keep the game running smoothly. Like rock-paper-scissors, we tend to accept something not because it’s true, but because it’s the convenient route to getting things accomplished. We accept incomplete narratives when they serve us well, overlooking their logical gaps. Other times, we exaggerate even the smallest defects and uncertainties in narratives we don’t want to deal with. In a world where we know very little about the nature of “Truth,” it’s very easy—and tempting—to construct stories around truth claims that unfairly legitimize or delegitimize the games we play.

Or maybe I’m just making a big deal out of nothing...

Fine. I’ll stop with the semantics and play your game.

But who actually wants to play a game of rock-paper-scissors?  After all, isn’t it just a game of random luck, requiring zero skill and talent? That’s no way to admit someone!

Studies have shown that there are winning strategies to rock-paper-scissors by making critical assumptions about those we play against before the round has even started. Douglas Walker, host of the Rock-Paper-Scissors World Championships (didn’t know that existed either), conducted research indicating that males will use rock as their opening move 50% of the time, a gesture Walker believes is due to rock’s symbolic association with strength and force. In this sense, the seemingly innocuous game of rock-paper-scissors has revealed something quite discomforting about gender-related dispositions in our society. Why did so many males think that brute strength was the best option? If social standards have subliminally influenced the way males and females play rock-paper-scissors, than what is to prevent such biases from skewing more important decisions? Should your decision to go to war or to feed the hungry depend on your gender, race, creed, etc?

Perhaps the narratives I spoke of earlier, the stories I mistakenly labeled as “semantics,” carry real weight in our everyday decisions. In the case of Walker’s study, men unconsciously created an irrational narrative around an abstract rock. We all tell slightly different narratives when we independently consider notions ranging from rocks to war to existence. It is ultimately the unconscious gaps in these narratives that are responsible for many of the man-made problems this world faces. In order for the “life of the mind” to be a worthwhile endeavor, we must challenge the unconscious narratives we attach to the larger games we play—the truths we tell (or don’t tell), the lessons we learn (or haven’t really learned), the people we meet (or haven’t truly met).

But even after all of this, we still don’t completely understand the narrative behind rock-paper-scissors.  

I guess it all comes down to who actually made this silly game in the first place... I’d like to think it was some snotty 3rd grader, but then again, that’s just another incomplete narrative.

U of Michigan Supplemental Essay Example

The "east meets west" example essay.

This was written for the U. of Michigan supplemental "community" essay prompt, then adapted for a (no longer existent) essay for Brown. The Michigan prompt reads:

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

Here's the essay:

I look around my room, dimly lit by an orange light. On a desk in the left corner, a framed picture of an Asian family is beaming their smiles, buried among US history textbooks and The Great Gatsby. A Korean ballad streams from a pair of tiny computer speakers. Pamphlets of American colleges are scattered about on the floor. A cold December wind wafts a strange infusion of ramen and leftover pizza. On the wall in the far back, a Korean flag hangs besides a Led Zeppelin poster.

Do I consider myself Korean or American?

A few years back, I would have replied: “Neither.” The frustrating moments of miscommunication, the stifling homesickness, and the impossible dilemma of deciding between the Korean or American table in the dining hall, all fueled my identity crisis.

Standing in the “Foreign Passports” section at JFK, I have always felt out of place. Sure, I held a Korean passport in my hands, and I loved kimchi and Yuna Kim and knew the Korean Anthem by heart. But I also loved macaroni and cheese and LeBron and knew all the Red Hot Chili Peppers songs by heart. Deep inside, I feared that I would simply be labeled as what I am categorized at airport customs: a foreigner in all places.

This ambiguity of existence, however, has granted me the opportunity to absorb the best of both worlds. Take a look at my dorm room. This mélange of cultures in my East-meets-West room embodies the diversity that characterizes my international student life.

I have learned to accept my “ambiguity” as “diversity,” as a third-culture student embracing both identities in this diverse community that I am blessed to be a part of.

Now, I can proudly answer: “Both.”

Want help on your college essays?

The CEG mission is to bring more ease, purpose, and joy to the college application process via our library of free resources (much like this blog post).

CEG also offers one-on-one essay help to students who need a little extra support. Learn more about our comprehensive one-on-one essay coaching right here . And we’re proud to be a one-for-one company, which means that for every student who pays, we provide free support to a low-income student. If you identify as low-income, click here .

• Entertainment

Saraciea Fennell: "The Black Girl Survives in This One" Is the Representation I Didn't See in Horror Books

Published on 4/22/2024 at 9:29 AM

I've always been obsessed with horror. From childhood, when I bunked with my siblings and primas, we told each other spooky stories in the middle of the night to rock ourselves to sleep. Every evening we would take turns telling stories, and the stories seemed to get scarier and scarier. When it was my night to tell a story to the group, I knew I had to bring the best jump scares. I'd find myself spinning stories until my sisters' and primas' bodies would tense up in fear. I knew then that horror stories were something I could weave. There's something about having fear knotted up in your belly; it's like riding a roller coaster and waiting for the thrill of the drop.

Horror has always been a part of my life, so it felt natural for me to work on a book like " The Black Girl Survives in This One ." My two brothers were obsessed with the genre and I was one of the youngest siblings, so it mostly fell on them to babysit me. As with most older siblings, my brothers lived to tease me. Everything was a joke or a moment to terrify. So it was natural for them to invite me to movie nights where we would watch films like "Candyman" (1992) featuring Tony Todd; "Child's Play" (1988), where a white man uses voodoo to transfer his soul to a doll to escape the police; "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), directed by Bronx native George A. Romero; and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984). While these movies scared the crap out of me, I found myself facing my fears head-on, to not only prove to my brothers that I could handle whatever they threw at me but to prove to myself that I could stare in the face of danger and survive.

Once I overcame my fears, I instantly started to love the gore — the jump scares were my favorite too. I became obsessed with how the actors, the movie scores, and everything played into the fear of everything. Horror is a genre where we can explore the things that freak us out, that don't make sense, and that play on our fears. I've always found courage in watching these movies, and when I discovered slashers and the "final girl," I longed to be one.

"The Black Girl Survives in This One" is an anthology collection of short horror stories, from ghost stories to zombie stories, from writers like Monica Brashears, Vincent Tirado, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Maika and Maritza Moulite, and others. It also includes a foreword written by the horror luminary Tananarive Due. There's something for everyone in this book, and at the end, the main character — a Black girl — survives the horrors of the day. The bigger message we wanted to convey to readers, especially Black girls, is that despite the serious obstacles you may face in this life, you are strong enough to endure, survive, and still come out on top. We are not our fears, no matter how society might try to tell us otherwise.

While I love the horror genre, it has not been kind or inclusionary for Black, Indigenous, Latine, and other people of color. So I was inspired to write myself into the genre, to pen a story that featured a Black Latina who is fierce and equally loves the horror genre. In my short story, "Cemetery Dance Party," I pay homage to all of the folks who sparked my love for horror, from Michael Jackson's famous hit song and music video "Thriller" to Romero's "Night of the Living Dead." It was the first movie where I saw a Black person survive the horror of the undead, only to be shot by a white person at the end. That scene stayed with me. It's haunting to believe that as a Black person, you could escape zombies, but you can't escape white supremacy.

My first book, " Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed ," was a nonfiction anthology that examined diverse aspects of Latine identity, subverting myths and stereotypes about our cultures, and a dialogue on addiction, racism, and anti-Blackness within our community. It featured essays from bestselling and award-winning writers like Elizabeth Acevedo , Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Naima Coster, Natasha Diaz, Janel Martinez, and others. I was eager to continue the identity conversation and amplify Black voices across the diaspora. So it was an easy decision for me to want to tackle horror next, which has been so exclusionary for Black folks and people of color. After having a Zoom conversation with my coeditor of the anthology, Desiree S. Evans, we decided to center Black girls and have them be the "final girl" trope we've always wanted to see more of in cinema and books.

The process was pretty similar to my experience with "Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed," but this time, we thought it was important to host an open call to discover new voices in horror. It was amazing to receive so many submissions; there are a lot of talented writers out there just waiting for the publishing industry to give them the opportunity to tell our stories.

Writing and editing "The Black Girl Survives in This One" was healing for my inner teen self, who went through so much in high school; at times it felt like I wouldn't survive the pressure of making new friends, balancing schoolwork, and prepping for college courses. Writing my short story "Cemetery Dance Party" was very nostalgic because I got to write myself into a horror comedy story I always wanted to see. The story follows Alle, an Afro Latina from the Bronx who loves track but was recently injured and is healing so she can get back on the team and bring home the win for her squad. She's also class president and tasked with hosting the senior class party. She decides to host it at the famous Woodlawn Cemetery, and well, it's the perfect setting for chaos to ensue among teenagers with raging hormones and alcohol. Alle and her friends go through the gauntlet during the night, but she survives at the end, and that's all that matters.

This is such an important read for Black women — including Latina readers — because we never get to see ourselves in genres like this. Just look at how all of the best shows that represented us were canceled, from "Lovecraft Country" to " The Horrors of Dolores Roach ." Even though those shows were badass, networks still decided that nobody could relate to Leti in "Lovecraft" and Dolores, but the twist is we did, and we wanted more. I want readers to know that they matter; they belong in horror, and "The Black Girl Survives in This One" is only the beginning of us inserting ourselves in the genre to come out on top as the heroes we deserve to be and see ourselves as!

Saraciea J. Fennell is a Black Brooklyn-born Honduran American writer from the Bronx. She is the editor and author of the anthologies "Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed" and "The Black Girl Survives in This One." Her work centers on Black and Latine identity and has appeared on PS, Remezcla, Culturess, Refinery29, and Mitú.

• Personal Essay

Opinion: Earth Day essays praised for being inspirational and insightful

A high school sophomore and a veteran local activist offered powerful messages of what we can achieve if we work together

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Re “We can all do more to preserve the environment” ( April 19 ): Thank you to Faith Barton for a thoughtful and thought-provoking opinion piece. It is encouraging to read the words of a high school sophomore that ring so true today.

Back in the early 1970s, there was a public service announcement that featured a Native American shedding a tear at the amount of litter in his environment. Now, more than 50 years later, we are still dealing with the same problem, and in some places it is considerably worse. Until all of us take personal responsibility in caring for the planet upon which we all live, I fear that we will still be talking about this problem 50 years from now.

Faith has given us a path to travel in making this planet, our planet, a cleaner place to live. Let’s all get behind her.

— John Silcox, Serra Mesa

Re “Does local energy and local control translate into lower rates?” ( April 19 ): Carolyn Chase’s op-ed is wonderful! We must return to Earth Day’s roots if we are to survive and flourish in the climate change crisis.

Let’s listen to a longtime, deeply experienced leader who has the wisdom to recognize we have all the energy we need right here in San Diego and the technology to make it work. If they were used locally, rooftop solar and parking lot solar would cut down on expensive transmission lines. Local employees and administrators would care about their own community as opposed to Sempra’s stockholders, who do not live here.

The current system doesn’t work for San Diego. Let’s put in something that will work!

— Joan L. Raphael, Mira Mesa

Get Essential San Diego, weekday mornings

Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

More from this Author

Readers React

Opinion: Want to find money in city’s budget for flood fixes? Here’s where to start

April 25, 2024

Opinion: Guns are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. Where’s the outrage?

April 24, 2024

Opinion: Cutting library funding will haunt the city of San Diego by hurting children

April 23, 2024

Opinion: Abuse victim’s powerful message must resonate with San Diego community

Opinion: Fixed electricity fee is not ‘progressive’ — it’s a gift to the state’s utilities

April 22, 2024

Opinion: ‘Empty warehouse’ eyed for huge homeless shelter actually a classic Modernist building

More in this section.

Opinion: Google should follow precedent set by cable TV and pay for content

Local TV stations carried on cable systems drew more viewers than ESPN or CNN. Congress allowed them to seek payment from cable companies.

Opinion: SANDAG dupes public, then asks taxpayers to pay more even more? Unbelievable.

The SANDAG board didn’t do a good job of vetting the CEO who left recently under a cloud

April 19, 2024

Opinion: Does mayor’s math add up on costly homeless initiative?

Re “San Diego’s dubious real estate track record slows down mayor’s proposed new 1,000-bed shelter” (April 14): Mayor Todd Gloria’s latest initiative to provide 1,000 beds in a potential homeless shelter Downtown is cause for great concern.

Opinion: ‘Triage’ approach and common sense needed to make progress on homelessness

Addressing symptoms of a problem won’t make the problem go away

Opinion: CEO of museum challenges claims about its legal obligations

Officials are honoring their 2004 agreement with the city of San Diego on the use of the site

April 18, 2024

Opinion: Senior pleads for help after home insurance bill nearly triples

Are homeowners paying more to bail out insurers struggling with wildfire costs?

April 17, 2024

Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club receives donation from Genesis Inspiration Foundation

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Children at the Frank Callen Boys and Girls club now have more resources to learn about art and science thanks to a generous gift from Hyundai.

A check presentation was made Thursday at the boys and girls club in Savannah.

The Genesis Inspiration Foundation, in partnership with the Hyundai metaplant in Bryan County, presented $50,000 to the club for their arts programs as well as donating $15,000 for STEM programs.

Company leaders say the donation is an investment in the future of our community.

{Brandon Ramirez/Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Genesis Motor America}

“At Genesis, we develop world class vehicles and their performance they have design and so what we do is we want to invest in the community to provide STEAM programming STEM as well as art programming so that way this next generation can maybe one day work in our Hyundai metaplant in Bryan County,” said Brandon Ramirez, the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Genesis Motor America.

The $65,000 given at the event came from vehicle sales which helps to provide art programming in Savannah.

Copyright 2024 WTOC. All rights reserved.

Tennessee murder suspect arrested in Liberty County

‘It’s possible that they’re involved in human trafficking’ : 13 men say they were forced to work without pay

Heavy police presence on Montgomery St. connected to Thursday morning shooting

3rd Infantry Division welcomed home from deployment

Babies named Johnny Cash and June Carter born at same hospital on same day

Latest news.

First person in Coastal Empire to receive new cancer treatment

Georgia Southern responds after LGBTQIA+ resources get removed from campus

Woman on the spectrum shares story about getting a chance in the workforce

Vidalia Onion Festival kicks off Thursday night