Essay Questions

What is your most memorable childhood experience?I would spend every other Saturday with my grandfather. We would go out for early morning hikes then grab breakfast at the local diner. Occasionally, (unbeknownst to me) he would bury arrowheads along the route so I would find them during one of our stops. It was always pure joy finding those arrowheads. I felt like I had found something lost. As I got older, I realized he himself was burying them before we went out. I still have those arrowheads and appreciate nature when I go out for hikes.
What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why?I identify mostly with my uncle. He and I tend to be creative thinkers. We don't go through the motions. We like to think about the actions we take, and always look for the best solution.
What character traits do you admire in an individual?I admire those who are direct and honest. There is little need to hide mistakes or desires. Often, we worry about what everyone else is thinking. I'd prefer not to judge and take things as they are which means being direct and honest with yourself and everyone around you regardless of their thoughts.
What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you?During my senior year in college, a group of friends and I went on a four-day hike in the Appalachian Mountains for spring break. Basically, it was an excuse to go out drinking and “be men” in the woods. Little did we know that the weather is very different to the city weather. We got caught in a huge snowstorm at about 1 PM on the second day of the hike. We obviously were not prepared with the proper clothes or gear, being poor college students. We did have a hatchet for firewood. We all stayed up through the night collecting and burning firewood to stay warm. Noone was hurt, and the next morning we all ran up to the mountain top to watch the sun rise as the storm blew over. Best time I ever had.
If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why?I would buy a plot of land in the woods. Then build a cabin on that land using as little outside assistance as possible. The cabin would be as close to self-sufficient as possible so to make as little impact on nature as possible. Once that is complete, I will work on building furniture.
When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them?The thing to pass onto them is understanding that the world has expectations and opinions of how things should be done. The truth is, there are no rules aside from laws (which we should all follow). The social normative behavior that we all engage in is not written in stone, and change is ok. It is ok to look at the social norm and say, “Yeah, I don't think I will do that.”