CSU - EOP questions

1. Describe any volunteer, extracurricular activities, or work experience in which you

are or have been involved in the past two years?

- During my 4 year of High School I was very active in volunteering in multiple

clubs and extracurriculars in and outside of school. These being, Red Cross, Take
Action, Ambassador School Global Elementary , N2 Church, Varsity Soccer, and
LEAD. One of the clubs that I began to volunteer in Red Cross during my
sophomore year and it was one the most interesting experiences for me. My team
and I had the chance to help out people through the blood drive events. For the
activities that I was involved in, I had many responsibilities such as attending
weekly meetings, planning out events, and recruiting as well as helping out
during the events. The last three years I volunteered at school by passing out
papers and helping out teachers and even helping out other students. I was
assigned to organize civic events and raise awareness about relevant issues to the
community. I also volunteered in my own church (N2 Church) and participated in
the Friday and Sunday praise team, as well as in the youth service. I volunteered
about 2-3 times a week after school and received approximately 2 hours of
community service each week. In addition, I joined the boys Soccer team during
my 4 years of high school. I was really active in sports and I was the main
goalkeeper and also attended weekly practices.

2. Why would you like to attend college? Discuss your career and personal goals. Are
there any particular circumstances, school experiences, or persons that influenced
your preparation or motivation to attend college (e.g., cultural/ financial
background, family,teachers, schools you attended)? Please explain.

- I would like to attend college because I know my struggles and hard work will pay of by
attending a 4 year University and I want to further pursue my career. Both of my parents
didn’t have the opportunity to go to college and I know I would make my parents proud
by attending a University. Also, I care a lot about my education and continuing my
education, I look up to my older sister who made it to a 4 year university and with that, I
admire my sister for being the first to attend college and as the younger sibling I want to
follow her paths and make my mom proud as well. My sister has always encouraged me
to work harder and to do (better than her) Everyone in my family continues to motivate
me to keep on working hard because education will only take you further in life.Knowing
 that I have support from my family encourages me to keep on persevering despite the
difficulty I may face. Additionally, I want to try and help my mom financially since she
has worked so hard to support me thus far. She has always been supporting me along the
way and her motivation keeps helping me motivated in school and maintaining my
grades. The career I plan on pursuing is Business Management because it’s a major that
will help me develop leadership skills and manage a business.
3. Briefly discuss your academic background. Did you utilize any additional support at
your high school, such as tutoring? Do your grades in high school and/ or college
reflect your academic ability or potential?

My high school experience has had its ups and downs because I started as a quiet student and I
did not communicate with my teachers regarding my grades. Additionally, I struggled with math
because it was difficult for me to understand and I lacked motivation. I started off with a D
average, and then it dropped to a F. My freshman year first semester report card left me
devastated, and as a result, I decided to attend tutoring/office hours after school. I went every
Monday and Wednesday, and my grade improved but I still didn't pass the class. To this day, I
still attend weekly tutoring sessions and I have drastically improved in math. My math grades
since my sophomore year have been getting B in my math class . By seeking tutoring/help me
improve and understand the subject. I realized that being quiet was holding me back from
getting the help I needed.

4. Briefly describe your family’s economic background. Include information about

your financial challenges.

I come from a family of three which includes my mom, my sister , and me. Due to my
step-dad’s deportation, my mom had to work in three different jobs to maintain the roofs on our
heads. Although we expected my step-dad to help us financially in El Salvador, he was unable
due to difficulties finding a job in his country. My mom’s salary was very low and it was not
enough to pay all the debt we accumulated from our expenses. This led to us getting behind with
our rent payment and we were close to being evicted. A year passed by and I started my
sophomore year, which became painfully challenging for my mom, my brother, and me. I had a
hard time keeping my grades up because I was so depressed and I would have a hard time
focusing in class. I wasn’t involved in many clubs because I was simply not motivated to do
anything beyond just staying at home; despite this, I went to school regularly and attended my
classes. Since my mom had to work in three different places she was not at home as much and I
would be in charge of doing all the chores at home. In the months of October, November, and
December, we struggled a lot because we could not afford anything for food. Thankfully, after a
few months passed by, my mom found a new job with better pay. As soon as they had accepted
her, she quit her three part-time jobs, and over time, she has been able to pay some of our
outstanding debts. Currently, she is still working as a parking attendant and everything is steadily
improving. My mother is in a lot of stress due to helping my older sister and myself pay for her
college education and expenses. I planned to work once I started college so I could help out my
mom.

5. Please tell us more about yourself. Is there any additional information you would
like EOP to consider in determining your admission to the program?
I feel nervous going to college because I feel like I am not ready to go into higher
education and I am scared that I might fail my classes. I am a hard working student who
prioritizes my education. I try my best to be responsible and patient; these traits have allowed me
to stay calm in all sorts of high-stress scenarios. For example, throughout my freshman and
junior I had a tough time taking Honors classes, and I would easily get overwhelmed when I was
tasked with many assignments. A strategy I developed to stay calm was to not procrastinate and
begin assignments immediately. This particular skill has helped me a lot throughout my high
school years. I am the kind of student who does not give up and keeps on trying to maintain my
grades. I want to attend a 4 year University and major in Business Management because I enjoy
the idea of someday having my own business. I am a hard working person and my main goal is
to make my mom proud by pursuing a long term career.