College Application Personal Statement

Prompt #1

I come from a hard working and loving family. I have a mom, dad and a little brother. My parents came from a hard life, they struggled a lot to be were they are right now. They immigrated from Mexico to the US to give me and my little brother a better life. They wanted me to have the opportunity to get a better education than I would in Mexico . They knew how hard of a life I would had have in Mexico , they always saw the US as the land of opportunities.

All my life I had to do everything by my self, when I needed help while doing my homework, I had no one to turn to. It was a struggle doing my homework not having any help at all. My parents never did understand the simplest math problems I brought home. As I grew up and brought more difficult kind of math, they still did not know how to help me out.

Since my parents did not have as much of an education as they wished they could have had, all they could do was work to support me. No kind of educational help only the tools to go to school and learn. Every time I think whether to go to college or not, I think of all the sacrifices my parents made in able for me to have the education I have now. They left their hometown, their family to come to the US all alone not knowing a single word of English. Thinking of all the sacrifices my parents made for me motivates me to do well in school. Everything I do is all for my parents.

All these struggles and sacrifices my parents made for me led to one thing. It led to the future I want to have. I think every day of what I want to be when I grow up, but to tell you the truth all I really want when I grow up is to be able to support my parents. I want to pay them back for everything they have done for me. I want to give them the life they wanted me to have.

One way I can think of doing this is by going to college and become a business man. The fact that I see my parents always applying for jobs at various restaurants makes me want to be the person that owns the restaurant in the future. If it is not a restaurant ,then I want to own something that is worldwide.  

Prompt #2

One talent that I see in myself is perseverance. I am the type of person that learns from their mistakes and capitalizes on it. In the beginning of my high school years, I did not do well in terms of grades, but I still moved forward and beyond. Sophomore year was a success for me since I did not give up and I persevered to make a success out of myself. 


In my freshman year at my high school, I passed with grades like C's and D's. I was not proud of my myself, and something that helped me realize that my grades were unacceptable was an award that I had received from a previous teacher. The award was named "Diamond in the Rough". This award is handed out to the students who had a tough time with school subjects, but still persevered. This made me realize that I was capable of doing as good as my other peers. I felt as if this award was a wake up call telling me to do better in school. I became to realize how I was not going to get far with the type of work I was doing. I also started to think that it does not matter that I am going to school as the only full Mexican in it. My school is full of very intelligent people who happen to be primarily Asian. Although I was not doing as good in my grades as they were, it did not mean that I was going to be left behind while all of them moved on to a better future. I was going to be right there next to them moving on to a better future as well.


The "Diamond in the Rough" award made me think about my sophomore year at my school. Coming back to school as a sophomore, I decided to not play around and get my work done. So this year I ended up stronger, I ended the year with only B's and A's. I was proud of how well I had done, I knew that I was capable of doing this and now something that has prepared me for my junior year at my school is another award that I have won. This time the award was because I shined in class and was not struggling as much. The name of the award that I got as the "  “Award. I won this award for English class and the teacher who have me this award was Mr. Sutherland. He has now motivated me to do good during my junior year. He has gave me the will to move forward and to not give up. I think that knowing that I am capable to struggle in the beginning and come back stronger has made me realize that now for college classes I need to work even harder. Now I need to persevere twice as much as I had before. This awards that have been handed to me have really opened me up to realize of what I am capable of.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second novel to the bestselling book The Hunger Games. In this story, the main character, Katniss tells the story in which she has to go back in to the Games to once again fight. In Catching Fire, there was a celebration for the anniversary of the Hunger Games. In this event, all of the previous winners from the games were once again chosen at random to go back in to the games. Not to her surprise, Katniss was chosen again because she was the only girl winner of the games from her district. Also, their mentor Haymitch was chosen to go into the games, but instead, Peeta, the other winner from the previous games stepped in for him.

The other book that Suzanne Collins wrote and that I have read is the Hunger Games. This one compares because it is exactly the same story. It is just a follow up book that relates it exactly the same. The Hunger Games tells the same story as Catching Fire and it has mainly the same themes. Suzanne Collins expresses her ideas throughout the book and she has the most similar writing styles. I think that both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are well written novels.

The author's intended audience is mainly for the kids ages, I would say 12-18. I mainly think that this was the audience that she intended for because those are the ages in which kids and teenagers like to be entertained. The best way for them to be entertained is to tell a story with a lot of action.

The author's writing style seems to be that of a women who likes to be independent because the main character Katniss expresses all of these ideas. Throughout the Hunger Games and now in Catching Fire, Katniss shows that she is a strong girl who is not afraid to fight. This some what reveals the writing style of the author Suzanne Collins because it is some times true that the author's novel seem to be based off of their own lives and their own personal experiences. In class, I have finally finished reading the second novel by Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire. The book was okay compared to the first book, The Hunger Games.

I think that the author's purpose in writing the book is to show how the government is corrupt and how that could possibly be us one day. The government here is the main villain and the book shows you a lot about how the government works in ways such as taking control of their people without letting them even have their own thoughts without being punished for it later. I believe this because the entire book is based on how Katniss despises the Capitol, which is their form of government. She hates the government because of what they do yearly, The Hunger Games. I also think she is upset that she has to go back in to the Games after she had just gotten out of there.

The weaknesses of the book are that it is not as interesting as The Hunger Games was. I feel that because The Hunger Games was the first book, it was better because we're barely starting to get a sense of all the characters. As for Catching Fire, there was not enough action to really keep me interested like Hunger Games did. Although this would not most likely happen, something that would have made the book better was for it to be written in another person's point of view. It would have been great if instead of hearing only the thoughts of Katniss, we could have heard the story from Peeta's side.

The character that still interested me the most was Peeta because he was also brave and I guess you can say that he was still in love with Katniss no matter what. He was really brave when he decided to go back in to the games to protect Katniss. Haymitch, Katniss' and Peeta's mentor was originally chosen to be the boy who got chosen to go in to the Quarter Quell, but it turned out that Peeta had decided to step in for him.

Another character that was interesting was the main character Katniss because her main goal in the Quarter Quell Games now is to keep Peeta alive. This was her and her mentors plan.

This are some of the observations that I have made about this book. Overall I thought that this book has many great characters that help build up this story. For example like I was saying how Katniss had to really protect Peeta from dying because thanks to her Peeta did not only survive in the first book but the second book to. Also Gale and Peeta both played an important role in getting between Katnis life. It made it harder for her to choose how she wants her life to go to.  They both loved her and she loved both of them. She then had to decide who she really wants to be with. So as you can see the characters in the book Catching fire really have an impact on the

Rough Draft

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second novel to the bestselling book The Hunger Games. In this story, the main character, Katniss tells the story in which she has to go back in to the Games to once again fight. In Catching Fire, there was a celebration for the anniversary of the Hunger Games. In this event, all of the previous winners from the games were once again chosen at random to go back in to the games. Not to her surprise, Katniss was chosen again because she was the only girl winner of the games from her district. Also, their mentor Haymitch was chosen to go into the games, but instead, Peeta, the other winner from the previous games stepped in for him.

The other book that Suzanne Collins wrote and that I have read is the Hunger Games. This one compares because it is exactly the same story. It is just a follow up book that relates it exactly the same. The Hunger Games tells the same story as Catching Fire and it has mainly the same themes. Suzanne Collins expresses her ideas throughout the book and she has the most similar writing styles. I think that both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are well written novels.

The author's intended audience is mainly for the kids ages, I would say 12-18. I mainly think that this was the audience that she intended for because those are the ages in which kids and teenagers like to be entertained. The best way for them to be entertained is to tell a story with a lot of action.

The author's writing style seems to be that of a women who likes to be independent because the main character Katniss expresses all of these ideas. Throughout the Hunger Games and now in Catching Fire, Katniss shows that she is a strong girl who is not afraid to fight. This some what reveals the writing style of the author Suzanne Collins because it is some times true that the author's novel seem to be based off of their own lives and their own personal experiences. In class, I have finally finished reading the second novel by Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire. The book was okay compared to the first book, The Hunger Games.

I think that the author's purpose in writing the book is to show how the government is corrupt and how that could possibly be us one day. The government here is the main villain and the book shows you a lot about how the government works in ways such as taking control of their people without letting them even have their own thoughts without being punished for it later. I believe this because the entire book is based on how Katniss despises the Capitol, which is their form of government. She hates the government because of what they do yearly, The Hunger Games. I also think she is upset that she has to go back in to the Games after she had just gotten out of there.

The weaknesses of the book are that it is not as interesting as The Hunger Games was. I feel that because The Hunger Games was the first book, it was better because we're barely starting to get a sense of all the characters. As for Catching Fire, there was not enough action to really keep me interested like Hunger Games did. Although this would not most likely happen, something that would have made the book better was for it to be written in another person's point of view. It would have been great if instead of hearing only the thoughts of Katniss, we could have heard the story from Peeta's side.

The character that still interested me the most was Peeta because he was also brave and I guess you can say that he was still in love with Katniss no matter what. He was really brave when he decided to go back in to the games to protect Katniss. Haymitch, Katniss' and Peeta's mentor was originally chosen to be the boy who got chosen to go in to the Quarter Quell, but it turned out that Peeta had decided to step in for him.

Another character that was interesting was the main character Katniss because her main goal in the Quarter Quell Games now is to keep Peeta alive. This was her and her mentors plan.

This are some of the observations that I have made about this book. Overall I thought that this book has many great characters that help build up this story. For example like I was saying how Katniss had to really protect Peeta from dying because thanks to her Peeta did not only survive in the first book but the second book to. Also Gale and Peeta both played an important role in getting between Katnis life. It made it harder for her to choose how she wants her life to go to.  They both loved her and she loved both of them. She then had to decide who she really wants to be with. So as you can see the characters in the book Catching fire really have an impact on the book.

In conclusion the characters in Catching fire there own unique style in shaping the way the book goes. From romance to action and from death to life they all make a huge impact not only in the way the book goes but as well in the characters.

Catching Fire Last Book Review

In class, I have finally finished reading the second novel by Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire. The book was okay compared to the first book, The Hunger Games.

I think that the author's purpose in writing the book is to show how the government is corrupt and how that could possibly be us one day. The government here are the main villain and the book shows you a lot about how the government works in ways such as taking control of their people without letting them even have theri own thoughts without being punished for it later. I believe this because the entire book is based on how Katniss despises the Capitol, which is their form of government. She hates the government because of what they do yearly, The Hunger Games. I also think she is upset that she has to go back in to the Games after she had just gotten out of there.

The weaknesses of the book is that it is not as interesting as The Hunger Games was. I feel that because The Hunger Games was the first book, it was better because we're barely starting to get a sense of all  the characters. As for Catching Fire, there was not enough action to really keep me interested like Hunger Games did. Although this would not most likely happen, something that would have made the book better was for it to be written in another person's point of view. It would have been great if instead of hearing only the thoughts of Katniss, we could have heard the story from Peeta's side.

The character that still interested me the most was Peeta because he was also brave and I guess you can say that he was still in love with Katniss no matter what. He was really brave when he decided to go back in to the games to protect Katniss. Haymitch, Katniss' and Peeta's mentor was originally chosen to be the boy who got chosen to go in to the Quarter Quell, but it turned out that Peeta had decided to step in for him.

Another character that was interesting was the main character Katniss because her main goal in the Quarter Quell Games now is to keep Peeta alive.

Catching Fire pt.1

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second novel to the bestselling book The Hunger Games. In this story, the main character, Katniss tells the story in which she has to go back in to the Games to once again fight. In Catching Fire, there was a celebration for the anniversary of the Hunger Games. In this event, all of the previous winners from the games were once again chosen at random to go back in to the games. Not to her surprise, Katniss was chosen again because she was the only girl winner of the games from her district. Also, their mentor Haymitch was chosen to go into the games, but instead, Peeta, the other winner from the previous games stepped in for him.

The other book that Suzanne Collins wrote and that I have read is the Hunger Games. This one compares because it is exactly the same story. It is just a follow up book that relates it exactly the same. The Hunger Games tells the same story as Catching Fire and it has mainly the same themes. Suzanne Collins expresses her ideas throughout the book and she has the most similar writing styles. I think that both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are well written novels.

The author's intended audience is mainly for the kids ages , I would say 12-18. I mainly think that this was the audience that she intended for because those are the ages in which kids and teenagers like to be entertained. The best way for them to be entertained is to tell a story with a lot of action.

The author's writing style seems to be that of a women who likes to be independent because the main character Katniss expresses all of these ideas. Throughout the Hunger Games and now in Catching Fire, Katniss shows that she is a strong girl who is not afraid to fight. This some what reveals the writing style of the author Suzanne Collins because it is some times true that the author's novel seem to be based off of their own lives and their own personal experiences.

My Son's storry

  In our family stories i have seen a pattern between our families. Me, Camal, and Max all talk a little about how our parents left their hometown to come here to the U.S. They all left their hometown to try and live a better life in America. 

For example in Camal's family story he talks about how his dad wanted to leave Yemen to give Camal and hi siblings a better future, and to give them a better opportunity to succeed in life. His dad knew how in America his kids would be more motivated to do good in school, he came to America because he was thinking about his kids future.

.Camal: My dad eventually left Yemen and traveled to Dubai to work as a police officer for a couple of years before making the trip to America. His hard journey to America was to help me and my siblings avoid the difficulty he had as a child and so we can live life to the fullest, which drives my motivation to achieve the best that I can in getting a good education. 

As you can see here Camal says how his dad had to Move to America and leave his hometown Yemen because he was thinking about his kids future.Thanks to his dad Camal is now at A.S.T.I and trying his best to succeed in life. Camal was giving the chance that his dad was not.

Another person who wrote about how their parents came to America was Max. Max's dad came to America for a whole different reason than Camal's dad, Max's dad came to America to come and settle down with Max's mom. 

Max: Leaving the states for the first time was a big step for him, he had never been so far away from home and family before. So he said his goodbyes and ventured to America. As he arrived he was already bewildered by the things he saw.

So as you can see both Camal and Max wrote about how their parents came to America. Both of their parents came to America as well as me parents did to. We share this similarities about our parents leaving their country to come to America.

Cyclical Stories

In the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, there is a wave of cyclical stories throughout the entire book.The main cycle that goes on within the mothers and daughters of the Joy Luck Club was marrying what people consider bad men.

In the Red Candle chapter of the book, we see that one of the mothers, Lindo Jong had to get married to a boy when she was 12 years old. She married him not out of love and not because she wanted to, but her family forced her after their house had been destroyed in China. He automatically was a bad husband and form then on, she knew she had entered an unwanted bad marriage. Not only that, but the husband's mother also did not like Lindo Jong so she too wanted to make her life as miserable as possible.

“I knew what kind of husband he would be, because he made special efforts to make me cry. He complained the soup was not hot enough and then spiller the bowl as if it were an accident. He waited until I had sat down to eat and then would demand another bowl of rice,” (pg. 55).

Lindo Jong had to live out part of her life attending to her horrible husband to please her family. It was unfair that it had to happen to her and that she was being treated so badly.

 The trend of bad marriages also followed the daughters throughout their lifetime. Most of all the four daughters also had married bad men or were about to enter a bad marriage. For example, in Rice Husband, Lena St Clair felt as if she did not marry the right man and that he was too fair with her.

"Why do you have to be so goddamn fair!" I shouted,” (pg 164)

Lena had started an argument over nothing that apparently set off  fight between her and her husband. This was also not a good marriage of they couldn't settle their differences.

Another example is that one of the daughters, Rose Jordan Hsu had mentioned that she would be getting divorced with her husband because it just was not a good marriage.

Throughout the entire Joy Luck Club, we can see that marriages are not often chosen wisely and end up being horrible, and if we think about it closely, the mistakes that mothers made will be the same mistakes their daughters can make in their future.