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Edited on Mon Jan-30-06 08:47 PM by WindRavenX
He's applying to UCONN, and I think he has a great shot.
This is his essay on how he is a unique individual and how it will better the UCONN community:
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” – Henry David Thoreau
A couple years ago I realized something I should have known my whole life: I am different from everybody else. I can’t remember the precise moment I became enlightened, for once I was conscious of it, I felt like I had known it my entire life, which in retrospect, I’m sure I did to a degree. Now, however, it was out there in the open for everybody to see, including myself, and for once I was truly happy with who I was.
Growing up in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, I was constantly pressured to accept the Mormon religion; it didn’t matter where I was – home, school, hanging out with friends – there was always the pressure to conform. For most of my adolescence I gave into this pressure. I convinced myself that I too believed what they believed, that I thought like they thought, and that I would act like they acted.
Just before I started high school, however, I started to have doubts about the LDS church. If there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s that I always want to look at things objectively so I can learn the truth. So when I realized that African American Mormons had been refused the same rights as Caucasian Mormons until the 1970’s, I wanted to know why. What I discovered was that they had been refused the same rights as Caucasians due to the story of Adam and Eve’s son Cain. This didn’t make sense to me as the 2nd Article of Faith, written by the founder of the LDS church Joseph Smith, said, “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” If the LDS church claims to be the only true church while also claiming men cannot be punished for what other’s have done, how could they punish African Americans for an act committed thousands of years before they were even born? Once I became aware of this, I started to notice other forms of bigotry such as homophobia and sexism.
When I first realized the hypocrisies of the LDS church I kept it to myself. I knew that my parents and some of my closest friends would be disappointed, and I didn’t want to cause any problems. By the time I was 17, however, it was well known by those close to me that I didn’t share the same beliefs as them. Thankfully, they handled it much better than I had thought they would; they were disappointed, but for the most part they respected my beliefs just as I respected theirs.
Last July, however, my life, especially my family life, was changed forever: I got a job offer in New York City. My family knew I would move to the east coast someday, but nobody, including me, had ever thought it would be so soon. My family pleaded, threatened, and bribed me with everything from a car to college tuition to keep me from moving. They told me of the challenges I would have living on my own without them nearby to help. I listened, weighed all the pros and cons of moving, and still decided I had to take this opportunity. Moving to New York had been my dream since I was a little kid, and I knew that if I didn’t take this opportunity I would regret it my entire life.
On July 17th I moved to New York. Only a couple months later I realized that no matter how much I thought I knew of all the difficulties on living on my own, I really didn’t have a clue: I lost my wallet and all identification, had money problems, homesickness, and few friends. For a while I thought of giving up and moving back to Utah, but I knew it was vital that I learn how to overcome these problems if I ever wanted to be successful and happy in life. It worked. I overcame my troubles and learned something immensely valuable in the process: never be afraid of failure if you can learn from it.
I know I’ll be a good addition to the community of the University of Connecticut because I think for myself, look at everything objectively, willingly admit my mistakes, am always respectful of others’ beliefs no matter how different from mine they may be, and am not afraid to take action no matter how difficult it is. I want to push myself to my full potential; I want to accumulate as much knowledge as I can, so not only will I be able to fulfill my goals in life, but so I can help others do so as well; I’m not afraid of failure because I learn from my mistakes and am better because of it; I’m not afraid of those different from me because you learn from those who don’t think like you. If I am admitted to the University of Connecticut, I believe my knowledge, unique life experiences, my passion to learn, and my respect of others around me will make me a valuable member of this community.
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