NARRATIVE ESSAY

It was my second day on the job. I was sitting in my seemingly gilded cubicle, overlooking Manhattan, and pinching my
right arm to make sure it was real. I landed an internship at Condé Nast Traveler. Every aspiring writer I've ever known
secretly dreamt of an Anthony Bourdain lifestyle. Travel the world and write about its most colorful pockets.
When my phone rang, and it was Mom telling me Dad had a heart attack. He didn't make it. I felt as though the perfectly
carpeted floors had dropped out from under me. Now that I've come out the other side, I realize Dad left me with a
hefty stack of teachings. Here are three ideals I know he would've liked for me to embrace.
First, you have to stand on your own two feet. As much as our parents love and support us, they can't go to our school
and confess to the principal that we stole a candy bar from Sara. We have to do that. Neither can they walk into the
Condé Nast office and nail a job interview for us. At some point, we have to put on our "big girl pants" and be brave,
even if we're not.
Also, there's a difference between love and co-dependence. Being grateful to have someone to turn to for love and
support is not the same as needing someone to turn to for love and support. With the loss of my father, I've also lost my
sounding board. All I can glean from that is it's time to look within myself and make proper assessments. If I can't make
sound decisions with the tools already in my kit, then I risk falling for anything.
Finally, memories are, perhaps, the only item that cannot be taken away from us. Will I miss my father? Every single day.
What can I do in those times? I can open up our suitcase of memories, pick out my favorite one, and dream about it, talk
about it, or write about it. Maybe I can't pick up the phone and call him anymore, but that doesn't mean he's gone.
Next week, I'm off to Istanbul to explore their art scene. As soon as I read the email from my editor, I picked up my
phone to call Dad. Then, I realized he'll never answer my calls again. I fought back the tears, got up to make a cup of
peppermint tea, and added a new note to my iPhone titled, "Istanbul Packing List."
In the end, life goes on. I'm not sure why he had to leave during the single most poignant chapter in my life. So, I won't
dwell on that. Instead, I'll hold tightly to these three ideals and write about Karaköy in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district. Dad
will be with me every step of the way.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
Our Little Store rose right up from the sidewalk; standing in a street of family houses, it alone hadn’t any yard in front,
any tree or flower bed. It was a plain frame building covered over with brick. Above the door, a little railed porch ran
across on an upstairs level and four windows with shades were looking out. But I didn’t catch on to those. Running in out
of the sun, you met what seemed total obscurity inside. There were almost tangible smells — licorice recently sucked in
a child’s cheek, dill pickle brine1 that had leaked through a paper sack in a fresh trail across the wooden floor, ammonia-
loaded ice that had been hoisted from wet croker sacks and slammed into the icebox with its sweet butter at the door,
and perhaps the smell of still untrapped mice.
-
The hinges creaked when I opened the decrepit case. I was greeted by a cascade of loose horsehair — my bow a victim
of mites, the repairman later explained. It was pure agony to twist my fingers into position. But to my astonishment and
that of my teenage children — who had never heard me play — I could still manage a sound.
“It turned out, a few days later, that there were 100 people just like me. When I showed up at a local school for
rehearsal, there they were: five decades worth of former students. There were doctors and accountants, engineers and
college professors. There were people who hadn’t played in decades, sitting alongside professionals like Mr. K.’s
daughter Melanie, now a violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There were generations of music teachers.”
 PERSUASIVE ESSAY

School uniforms and why students wear them has been a topic of concern and debate for as long as these clothes have
been around. Though people who argue that wearing uniforms in educational institutions make people appear all equal,
give a sense of community, and teach discipline, I believe there are more disadvantages to wearing uniforms than
advantages. Namely, demanding students to adorn uniforms takes away freedom, they are often uncomfortable, they
are a waste of money, they promote conformity over individuality, and children’s self-image is damaged more when
they wear uniforms at school.

Most developed countries, like the United States of America, believe in one’s right to freedom of expression. Making it
mandatory for students to give up their right to express themselves through clothing is wrong. According to
ProCon.org, “The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees that all individuals have the right to express
themselves freely. The US Supreme Court stated in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (7-2,
1969) that “it can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of
speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” In the 1970 case Richards v. Thurston (3-0), which revolved around a
boy refusing to have his hair cut shorter, the US First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that “compelled conformity to
conventional standards of appearance” does not “seem a justifiable part of the educational process”’ (“School Uniforms
– ProCon.org”). So, not only is the demand to wear uniforms in a sense unconstitutional, it also goes against rulings by
the Supreme Court. In this way, it can be said that making uniforms in schools mandatory is un-American.

On the side of practicality, uniforms are often seen as less comfortable than normal clothes. They can be tight and not
adjustable to different weather conditions. The temperatures in winter and summer can be unbearable in a standard
school uniform. Many students have expressed through surveys that they do not feel comfortable in their uniforms, and
they this type of clothing does not adjust well to varying weather conditions (“Research on School Uniforms – It’s Clear,
They Disadvantage Girls”).Another practical concern is that paying for uniforms wastes the money of parents, when
their children can simply wear the clothes they have. Also, schools could be selling uniforms for more than necessary. In
the United Kingdom, for instance, the Guardian reports that, “Parents could be spending millions of pounds more than
they need to on school uniforms because of exclusive deals between schools and suppliers, the government’s
competition watchdog has warned. Headteachers and school governing bodies were told by the Competition and
Markets Authority (CMA) on Thursday that they must let parents “shop around” for affordable uniforms for their
children, using supermarkets if they wish rather than be forced to buy more expensive items in exclusive arrangements
with suppliers” (Smithers, Rebecca). This means that not only do parents have to spend extra money on an outfit, but
also the uniforms schools are selling are overpriced.

Leaning more into the abstract, uniforms promote conformity instead of individuality. A sense of individuality is key in
democratic societies, and it should be nurtured when young. According to ProCon.org, “At a time when schools are
encouraging an appreciation of diversity, enforcing standardized dress sends a contradictory message. In schools where
uniforms are specifically gendered (girls must wear skirts and boys must wear pants), transgendered, gender-fluid, and
gender-nonconforming students can feel ostracized” (“School Uniforms – ProCon.org”). So, in order for each person to
not feel the pressure of societal conformity, it is important that schools keep a sense of diversity.

Lastly, many students feel they do not look their best in uniforms. This is due to the fact that uniforms fit the mold of
certain body types, and curvier or plus-size individuals often feel out of place and uncomfortable in uniforms. Wearing
uniforms lends itself to more comparison, and children who do not fit the mold of a “normal” student in terms of body
type are commonly ridiculed by classmates (Flam, Lisa).

Though there are some benefits to wearing uniforms in school, I believe there are more disadvantages than advantages
to using them. This is because they strip away freedom, they are uncomfortable, it is a waste of money to buy them,
they celebrate conformity over individuality, and the self-image of children is damaged more when they wear uniforms.
Let us keep our schools constitutional by allowing students to wear what they deem expresses their unique personality,
within the limits of appropriateness.