A lot of people would answer this question with the events surrounding September 11,2001 as a world event that had a profound impact on them, but I had problems during that time that I would not even wish on my worst enemy. Let me start from the beginning. When I was fifteen years old I [...]
When I was younger, my favorite day of the school year was always Career Day. Because I was able to discover five or six more careers, my occupational aspirations shifted on an annual basis. At first, I wanted to be a doctor because Gifted Hands and the doctor who presented it were inspiring. I thought [...]
“What are you going to be when you grow up?” my mom questioned five-year-old me. “I don’t know. Maybe a princess?” I answered innocently. “I think you should be a doctor. They make lots of money,” my mom hinted. “And they help lots of people too,” she added to make that suggestion seem more friendly. [...]
On the night of August 8, 2010, I was 15 and I watched my dad take his final breath. He died from a compilation of diseases and conditions which were much beyond my control. These diseases included, but were not limited to kidney failure, liver failure, and a weak heart. He was an extremely important [...]
The course of my life was changed even before I was born and left me forever wondering where an ordinary life would lead me. The year I was born, a devastating war was raging in the middle of Europe – in my home country called Bosnia. It was the year when death triumphed over life, [...]
Most epiphanies begin with a dream, an influential person, a curious story, a life-changing event, a marvelous occurrence—something quite extraordinary. My epiphany, however, began entirely differently. In fact, it started with something common, something outwardly uninspiring, something most people have experienced—something quite ordinary. Indeed, it all started with a summer job. Yes, a summer job. [...]
I had just returned home from school, I walked in ever so nonchalantly as I always did and tossed my things onto the floor. I was exhausted. I had just finished taking two final exams, and a quiz for one of my core classes and I was looking forward to a nice quiet evening at [...]
Dear Mom and Dad, When I first heard about this essay, I asked for ideas about what to write. You suggested that I write about my struggle with Brain Surgery, Chemotherapy, and Radiation. Or how I reinvented the way I live my life, and how I have been living an adventure that I never would [...]
Every morning I wake up to multiple alarms as my eyes slowly open. I drag my body around the various aspects of my daily routine. Before I eat a morsel of food, I sit cross-legged on the floor and close me eyes. To many this may seem as a nap, but for me these 30 [...]
Some of the most important people in my life are my family. We have had some money hardships growing up, but we learned to be thankful for everything we had. Before considering how to begin this essay I had to write out what twenty million dollars actually looked like. It was hard to even imagine [...]
