- My answer to the potential to contribute essay prompt on the University of California application.
In today's highly competitive high school environment, the true value of education is often overlooked in the race to be the best. In contrast, I have always seen education, and the process of learning itself, as a communal activity, one in which the well-being of all the members of the group, as opposed to a single individual, is paramount. I act on this problem by directly combating it; as a member of the University community, I will make every effort to enrich the community and maintain its communal nature.
In subjects as varied as science, English, mathematics, and technology, I have a passion for continually learning new information, absorbing it, and then sharing it with others in a manner that is straightforward, easy to understand, and yet precise. For me, the gratification that comes from learning is two-fold; first comes the satisfaction with being able to understand something new thoroughly, but just as important is the joy that comes from explaining the concept to someone else and have them appreciate it as well. As a member of the University community, I would not restrain myself from sharing my knowledge with others, so that they may become more knowledgeable and appreciative of the world around them.
As a musician who plays the piano and the saxophone, I share my love of music and my musical talents with others, performing in libraries, shopping malls, and retirement homes. Each time, I play from my heart and make people feel better after having experienced the emotions I brought forth. While playing at a retirement home in a nearby town, I could see from the listeners' faces how the music made them forget their worries and problems. When the opportunity to become a piano teacher was offered to me, I immediately took up the offer, eager to share my musical abilities in a new way, by teaching others how to love music and share their own talents. It was one more way in which I could better my local community and give back the musical community, which had brought me up. In band, as section leader, I help fellow saxophone players understand their music and play it correctly, at the same time presenting a high level of musicianship and excellence, which they strive to achieve.
This leadership is just one example of how I take charge in groups of people, while at the same time immersing myself in the group that I am leading, rather than being above it. When working with a partner in class, I make sure that both of us have a clear understanding of the work involved and who is responsible for what part of the assignment. I do not try to throw all the work on the other person, and at the same time, I do not attempt to do all the work myself, as if the grade received was the only thing that mattered.
My ability to speak three languages, English, Russian, and French, is yet another contribution that I would make to the UC community. It enables me to communicate with a larger audience in the attempt to make friends, share knowledge, and improve the community as a whole. My caring for the community transpires into something bigger - a caring for the world community as a whole. An understanding of the fragility of the Earth, and the changes that people can make in their daily lives to protect it, affects my daily behavior. As a member of the UC community, I will work to make sure that the interests of the planet, the biggest of all communities, are not forgotten.
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