1. Pretend that you are talking to a blind man and have to describe for him what "red" is. You should use narrative and descriptive writing techniques, and try to appeal to his other senses!

If I was trying to explain the color red to a blind man I would first ask how severe his blindness is. Then I would tell him to imagine himself in place of a hot, steemy, room - he is sweating - he then touches the electric stove, which is on, and burns himself. He would be hot and sweaty and his emotion would be angry, that is the color red. If he imagines himself on a winter day inside the house with the heater on drinking a cup of warm coffee, the warm feeling is red. The smell and taste of fresh strawberries, cherries, and berries are red. When he has ever been embarassed and he can feel his cheeks blush, the feeling is red.

2. How does competition function in our society? To what extent is it healthy/unhealthy? Offer some real world examples taken from your life, community, culture, state, nation, or world.

Competition is only healthy when its mild, if it's extreme it can drive people into making wrong decisions in order to win. In our society there's competition everywhere but it's mild, except when events such as sales occur. On Black Friday the malls and stores are crowded and indeed dangerous. People are driven to do things they normally wouldn't, such as shoving and being rude in order to win products in the competition of sales. Competition makes things harder but it also makes people work harder which is not always a bad thing, for example, when enrolling for a college thousands of other students are competing with you to win a spot there, making you work harder to get better grades. It also helps me when playing sports because playing against other teams makes me try harder and play better and that's a priority to myself and many others. However, when businesses are competing against the other businesses, it becomes a problem. The whole society becomes puppets of these comapanies because they control us. They lower and higher the prices to essentials we need as they please in order for them to keep power. The price for a water bottle could be $30 and we would still have to buy it because we can't survive without it. Competition in our society is extremely alike to Darwins' theory, survival of the fittest. Another negative effect competition for money has on people is that they become consumed my wealth and devote their lives to it. We weren't put on this world to become rich with money.

3. How have you taken something that you have learned in the classroom and integrated it into your nonacademic life?

The only subjects I have integrated into my nonacademic life are english, history, and french. English is much more than just grammar, I have learned to analyze essays but taken it much further and analyzed peoples' ways, emotions, and motives. In history I learned about historic events, what caused them, and how the government works. It applies to my life because I will soon begin to live in moments that will become history and I need backround information on the government to assume what will happen in the future. French is just a hobbie I include in my life sometimes but also an oppurtunity to learn a whole new culture. But what all these classes have taught me about lifes big picture is that the education i receive now during these years, is the only education I'm going to have to survive. The importance of it has now been tripled along with my desire to have it. Life can be seen differently with knowledge and it's an advantage because knowledge is power.

4. If you could go back in time and be someone in history, who would you choose to be? Why?

If I could go back in time and be someone in history I would be an activist, Mother Jones, Mary Harris Jones. She was an American labor and community organizer who coordinated strikes and formed a union to ameliorate her community. Mother Jones made an immense impact on history which I admire. She was a couragous lady who fought for what she knew was right and greatly helped the factory workers and miners until the conditions were fixed. I hope to leave an impact on this world or to atleast the needy before I leave this world and hopefully be as brave as Mother Jones. Her aid can't be emphasized enough but ofcourse she had help of other organizers. I wish to create non-profit organizations or charitys when I'm older to help the needy countries or atleast spread the word about them and educate people. Society needs to comprehend that we have the power to help easily and they will only come to realize that through the fights of people like Mother Jones.

5. If you had the responsibility to decide where $1 million should be spent to improve conditions somewhere in the world, what project(s) would you choose? Why?

If I could decide where $1 million should be spent it would be difficult to choose but I woud send the money to Haiti and choose the Clean the World charity. Haiti is the poorest city in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and a simple donation such as soap will save their lives. Every year about five million people, the majority being children five years and younger, die from acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease due to the one unobtainable yet essential thing, soap. Studies show that simple things like hand washing reduce the spread of these diseases but sadly, soap is unavailable to these impoverished people. $1 million would truly make a difference in their lives because it would save them. The essential would be provided for almost everyone in need with just $1. If the money were spent on something other than the needy, the help would only be sufficient for a few people. Haiti needs it more than anyone.

6. How have you tried to effect change in relation to an issue of personal, local, or national significance?

The biggest I have done so far is donate money and clothes to the needy and to the invisible children movement. But the day I found out about the movement, which was yesterday, was the day I realized what I need to do to help the children being abducted and forced to fight. I am determined to create my own fundraiser to support the invisible children movement. I plan on doing this by inviting friends and family to join me, creating a club at school, and spreading the word about it. My club will have bake sales, car washes, flyers, and posters and will then send all the donations to the invisible children movement. I feel very passionate about this because I feel it's our humanitys including my responsibility to help the chidren being terrorized in Africa.

7. If you could introduce one new idea or material thing to a primitive culture, what would it be?

If I could introduce an idea to a primitive culture I definately wouldn't show them technology because they would probably become carried away like our society and some people would even lose focus of the true meaning of life which is not found in materials. I would introduce this culture to the idea of natural rights and being free because these people might be prone to being dictated by an unfair person. With rights and freedom this culture would be on the path that leads to happiness and maybe even finding the meaning of life itself. They wouldn't be consumed by greed and since they wouldn't be exposed to technology they're not stained by the distractions technology brings. Their culture would begin to flourish and continue ameliorating throughout the years.

8. If you were to describe yourself using a quotation, what would that quotation be? After you have chosen a quote, then write a bit about how it relates to you and reveals what kind of person you are.

"Be the change you want to see in the world."
This quote relates to me because I think of it in many of my situations for example, when choosing a career.
Special-ed children and teenagers should be treated with more consideration and patience than the rest of the students because despite how old they look, their brain is that of a childs. Many teachers I have come across don't have the patience necessary meaning they are providing a scary and sometimes dismal experience for the special-ed students. The only way this will ameliorate with a 100% garantee is if I go into the career myself. I feel that I understand these kids more than some teachers now and I have a cousin that suffers from mental retardation disorder and syndromic mental retardation. This refers to the quote I cited because I would be the change I want to see in the world and taking into consideration a special-ed teacher career shows how passionate I am about wanting the change.

9. Given the authority to establish a holiday, what would you choose to commemorate? Why? What would the celebration look like?

If I could choose to establish a holiday, I would commemorate July 2nd, the day that segregation in America ended in the workplace and public accomodations, into a holiday. It's such a huge and significant day in the timeline of historic dates that I can't underscore it enough! It completely changed the future in America for the best. It illustrates morals and it conveys the message that all of us on the world are equal. We are here to help one another not insult and certainly not enslave. America now has to set that example with our countrys' power. If this could be a holiday it would be celebrated with free bus rides for everyone and the act of kindness to one another. A free bus ride would illuminate the harsh years when african-american people had to sit at the back of buses or even give their seat up for pure cruelty. On this holiday it would also be expected of people to have consideration towards our society and ponder over segregations' miserable works. This holiday would lead to people joining the imaginary revolution against racism which still exists to this day due to insufficient of our humanity not comprehending the reality that we are all equal.

10. What is the best adivce you've ever received? Explain.

Teenagers often complain about all the life lessons parents stress. In this case, its the antithesis! My mom constantly stops to give me a side note of advice relevant to what our conversations are about. She always said not to fall for the pressure other ignorant people might give me because they don't know what's wrong and right but I do. I have the power to make my own decisions and the knowledge to make smart ones that will get me on the right path. I learned that the people who have to pressure someone into doing something is because they feel alone, subconsiously or not. If someone is proud in what they do then they can stand up for it by themselves. Thanks to her advice, it doesn't affect me when people try to pressure me because it doesn't work, I'm not influenced easily by negative ideas. I will continue to spread this valuable advice to my friends, people who need it, and family.

11. Ask and answer the one important question that a university won't ask you, but you wish they would.

How hard did you work to get here?
If colleges knew how hard some people worked to get to there and if they had any personal struggles interferring with their journey and still overcame them, I'm sure the acceptance rate would double. No one knows how hard some people work. Luckily, many become stronger along the way and so does their determination making the situation to be a "win-win". I obtained horrible grades my freshmen year of highschool that I'm ashamed of but quickly learned to put conflicts irrelevant to school out of the way. But I still struggled to get homework done due to lack of time and switching homes every other week. Being in sports year round cuts your free time especially if you practice on weekends because sports is also one of your priorities. It's easier when practice is right after school so when it's over you just go home and start your homework, but I've had practice at 5 pm even 7pm on some seasons and sometimes I can't go home because i live too far and don't have transportation. My next reason has been tremendously vexatious but did teach me responsibility, often when I switched parents' houses (they're divorced) I would forget my materials needed to do my homework. I have 2 binders, 4 notebooks, 1 portfolio, and 1 textbook needed every week so they're hard to keep track of. I wish colleges and universities did ask how hard I worked because then I would tell them all I've wrote and I would add that I still learned to keep all of my priorities balanced, such as school, family, friends, and sports even with family problems, distractions, sports practice, and personal struggles. Because who said being a teenager was easy?

12. Your life is a movie. Describe the first 15 minutes.

The scene starts out on the first day of highschool, that's when my life begun. A slender, nervous, girl walks up to the crowded wall of posters with the name and first period on it. She gets shoved several times and almost drops her books, you can tell she's not used to that many people. Her friend is spotted in the distance and Margaret power walks to her, excited to see her. Their friendship is like puppy love, not entirely real. The conversations are insipid and they slowly start to seperate, each going to different sides of the school just like their friendship. At first Margaret has a dismally sentimental attitude towards losing her best friend but throughout the highschool years she makes new friends. Junior year you see her struggling with grades because of slacking off during freshmen year but you also see her with the beloved best friends she's ever had. This is shown during the first fifteen minutes of her movie and is the backround information. The story proceeds to display all the adventures, conflicts, and friendships Margaret has during the rest of highschool and college and what they teach her about life.

13. Write a letter to your future college roommate introducing yourself and your background.

Dear future roommate,
my name is Margaret, I'm 16, and I'm from here in San Diego.  I know it sounds a bit odd to be living on campus if my home is not far away but it's a great oppurtunity to experience life by myself. I know my parents aren't always going to be abe to help me when I'm in trouble so I hope to learn how to fend for myself. My parents are both from Mexico, but different cities, and they met when they moved here to the United States. I'm both grateful and relieved that I was born and raised here because of the oppurtunities I've been given and will take. For example, my education is a huge gift from the U.S and I won't throw that away. You'll probaby find me stressing and worrying sometimes over my grades but I won't always be that way so don't worry. I like to free myself and clear my mind by playing sports and other doing other activities you might enjoy. I hope you and i share similar hobbies. I like to play volleyball, basketball, soccer, and even football. I also like watching sports, it's so entertaining and suspenful and you probably like it too so we'll have bunches of fun during the years. I'm really looking forward to meeting you,
-Margaret Atwood

14. Please describe your reactions/ideas to the following quote: "He does not possess wealth, it possesses him."

My reaction to the quote is that it's amazingly precise and my ideas are that when peope acquire money, especially in large amounts, they become carried away with it and lose meaning of anything other than materials. Their life begins to revolve around only materials and what it takes to get them, losing control. Wealth manipulates the person to extreme limits to gain money and material things and often the people lose themselves. They are no longer able to control themselves because, "it possesses him". Greed consumes them along with their life leading to one of the worlds' biggest flaws, corruption. This quote illustrates how harmful wealth can be to human kind. Thousands of people lose sight of morals and actual happiness but the worst part is most of these people are the ones that we rely on to be unbiased and make the correct choices in order to flourish as countries. Unfortunately, we have lost most of our people to wealth.

15. What is the most valuable contribution you could make to a college campus? Explain

The most valuable contribution anyone could make to a college would essentially be promoting the school with an outstandingly positive reputation. Earning excellent grades and test scores would definately benefit their reputation and profit them. More students would want to attend the campus which would result in higher probabilities for athletes and appreciated students to enroll. If the school had a significant greater amount of these individuals to represent the school, it would ameliorate quickly in sports and percentages of graduates. Also, the income would increase because of all the attendance due to the splendid reputation.

17. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

The largest running conflict on the contient is an invisible war taking place in Africa. Joseph kony is terrozing three coutnries while building the Lord Resistansce Army in which children abducted are forced to fight.There's a movement called invisible children to protect those most prone to the Lord Resistance Army , rebuild war-torn schools, provide education and jobs, and most importantly rehabilitate former child soldiers. I'm so passionate about this movement because it's hospitaity is so incredibly valuable. I feel that it's our responsibility to help our humanity. We have to realize that the only people who hold the power to help those in need is us. These children being captured and forced to fight desperately need our aid. Joseph Kony and his Lord Resistance Army has provoked a massive genocide, including 970 civilian deaths and 1820 abductions since December 2009. In order to understand the urge of help and the agonizing and dismal emotions citizens in Africa feel, one must need to experience it or imagine a similar experience. Let us be merely children being torn apart from our family and all we know in life, let us be terrified in a disturbing war, or let us be the mother having to bear the loss of your own child and knowing they aren't going to a better place, knowing they're headed towards their death in such a frightful and heart breaking way. But we must not show despondency, we must have hope and do everything in our power to help the urge need for the wars to stop. Personally, I don't understand how such extreme measures can occur within our own world, we're basically killing ourselves. Does our humanity comprehend that these kids invloved in this war are basically losing their oppurtunities for happiness in life as well as their life?

18. If you could choose two things to change about our high school campus, what would they be and why?

Everyone would concord approximately 3 hours of multimedia class is perpetual. My high school schedule has a tutoring program where one normal 2 hour and 40 minutes class is chosen to add on an additional hour. Personally, I can't handle being in a classroom that long so my brain starts to shut down and i begin to day dream. It's a waste of time and opportunity to learn when the lesson is not being taught appropriately when both the students and teacher are fatigued. If i could change two things about my high school one of them would be my schedule and another would be to improve the condition many of our classrooms are in. Reparations of the ceilings and new desks would be essential to the remodeling. Sometimes the rain leaks through the ceiling in one of my classrooms causing a distraction. The goal of both my changes keep my peers' and my learning in first priority and merely desire to ameliorate it.

19. Should school attendance be mandatory? In your answer, be sure to explore what the function of education is, and what our nation would look like if the masses were less educated.

I definitely admonish school attendance continue being mandatory because most of the young people in high school aren't mature and don't know whats best for them resulting in dropping out if it's not mandatory. What most students don't realize is the education they take until college, is the only knowledge they're going to acquire and survive on.

20. If you had the ability to talk to one species of animal, wimal would you choose to communicate with? Why?

If I had the ability to communicate with any species of animal I would choose fish beneficial, one reason is, they could swim deep into the ocean and notify the world when a natural disaster would occur since they could see the ground plates and water shifting or just admonish me to run away when i see them struggling because they've washed up on shore. Another immensely important reason I would want to communicate with a sea creature is that I would ask about the oceans' pollution. I want to know if humans hurt their home, like when the oil spilled happened, and how each animals' population is doing. If any animals'  species was in danger I could then notify scientists and marine biologists and the species would receieve help. We would also have more time to aid them because we would know right away about their endangered animals instead of waiting for a significant sign. For the pollution inicident, I would communicate with the turtles and find out if they've had less deaths or an increased amount of trash, such as plastic, that they choke with. An apology would definatley be on my list of things to say to the oceans' creatures. They are ignored by much of our humanity and there needs to be a rise in the awareness of their lives. Just because they don't have a voice doesn't mean they don't matter.