Scholarship Essays for College Admissions

As I approach adulthood, the scene and images still remain in my memory. Five years ago, I traveled to China to visit my relatives. There is no doubt that traveling to China is the most exciting vacation I have ever taken. Flying to a foreign country on the other side of the world was quite an experience.

Excitement rushed through me when I stepped out of the plane and entered into a new and different society. I remembered the lights and sounds that filled Hong Kong and the booms and bangs of the Dragon Dance in Beijing. How I would like to relive those dreams again. What is more difficult to think about is my visit behind the walls of China. Before I encountered this place, I thought the real world was a paradise where money fell from the sky, and there were no parents to watch out for with parties every night. My entry into the adult world came to me when I came upon an orphan home. My dream of a perfect world of nirvana soon vanished. As I walked along the streets, I came upon an orphan no older than two years of age on the street alone. I tried to help her and asked her where she lived. As soon as I pulled out some money from my pocket, I saw street full of beggars and orphans in serious need coming closer. One by one, they crowded up to me, begging for money. I was astonished and frightened. There were so many of them. What could I do? I could not simply say “no.”

Whenever I think about that pathetic moment, I think differently about myself. As the memory floats in my mind every now and then, it means very much to me as a person. I remember there were signs everywhere in the school and in the community about achievements, life, and charity. Those signs meant nothing to me. That was because everyone in my community was well off. Now, I truly understand those posters and what they mean. My experience woke me up and made me realize the reality as a real issue. People struggle and suffer in the real world.

What makes me the person that I am? I realize how fortunate I am and what separates me from the orphans: love and care and a large amount of luck. I found that I receive tremendous amount of love and attention from my parents, whom I am very lucky to have. The reality of the scene made my experience have a deeper meaning then ever before. Finally getting through to me was the nature of what they have given me, more than just a simple warm shelter, but the base of my life. I had always been a very naive child who listened with one ear, but the message always flew out the other. After my eye-opening experience in China, I view the world differently. I saw everything from the wealth to the poor of the city. I realize there is much more to life than the comforts of my home. There is darkness and need behind those great lights of the cities like those I encountered.