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Elizabeth Moreno

Mrs. Schenck

ERWC Online

24 March 2023

Integrity

As I approach the end of my senior year, I look back and reflect on myself and how I

became the person I am. A few years ago I purchased an Adanson’s Monstera plant from a local

plant shop. Over the course of my high school career, I have discovered that I am much more

similar to this plant than I ever thought I would be. The components of the Adanson’s Monstera

include the roots, the leaves, the stem, the pot, the sunlight, and of course, the nutrients that aid

in the growth process. Similarly to the Monstera, I am the sum of my parts.

STRUCTURE:

As the life of any plant begins, Adanson's Monstera begins to form with the roots. These

roots are the foundation to the rest of the plant. In a similar fashion, my family and friends keep

me grounded, they are the foundation to the rest of my life: my

roots. Even if we may not be as close as we once were, they were

and will always there supporting me from the beginning. Every

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decision I make is based on where I come from, where my roots are. Despite tragedy and

adversity, the plant remains stable at the base of the roots. Without the roots, the plant would

never grow strong enough to survive under harsh conditions. These harsh conditions may include

unexpected storms. These storms can cause such damage, yet the plants still stands tall as a result

of their foundation. In my own life, my unexpected storm was the

death of a close family member, my uncle, someone I was extremely

close to. My uncle was truly loved by all. After losing him, I went

through a very difficult time mentally. Despite this, my family and

friends were the structure underneath me, keeping me afloat. They

allowed me to stand tall despite being pushed by the winds and rain until I should have broken.

Although I may lose a few leaves in the battle, even an extremely strong strom could not pull out

the roots of my plant. In the end, my roots provide me stability. I know that I can depend on my

family and friends to not allow me to succumb to any harsh conditions that may come my way.

My roots will always be there to count on.

STYLE:

Every plant is unique in some way. For Adanson's Monstera, this unique appearance is

more apparent in its leaves. The leaves of the plant are relatively large for

a plant of its size. Adanson's Monstera leaves contain roughly 4 slits on

each half of the leave, which are the main source of the plant’s unique

appearance. My leaves are most evident as the components of my

personality. One of the fundamental components of my personality is my

ability to adapt. In a world full of change, adapting is integral. Near the beginning of the
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COVID-19 Pandemic, my family and I moved to Temecula. During this time, it was extremely

difficult to acquaint myself with those around me, as well as my environment. As online school

began in the fall, it was a challenge to connect with my peers. Especially as a new student,

making friends seemed impossible. One of my leaves, my ability to adapt, was able to aid my in

my difficulty. I began to find other outlets to connect with people, more specifically old friends.

Since no one was seeing each other, it was easy to not feel alone anymore through the people I

surrounded myself with virtually. When class returned to

in person, my struggle returned. I eventually found people

that I connected with and became more comfortable with

my environment. My leaf allowed me to change when I

needed to, to survive in this environment. Although my adaptability may be one of my leaves, I

have many more. Each plant’s leaves are unique and each combination makes the plant what it is.

COHESION:

The Adanson Monstera’s stem is vital to the anatomy of the plant. The stem allows the

plant to reach the sky. Without all of its parts connected through the stem, it wouldn’t be itself.

The plant would simply be a piles of leaves on the ground. My stem has always been helping

people. ​It makes me, me. Whether it is simply giving

advice to friends or helping strangers, it provides a sense

of wholeness. Subsequently, I have decided that my

future career will consist of aiding others. I plan to

become a Speech Therapist after college. Coming from a

bilingual household, I understand that language is such a significant aspect of humanity. How we
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express ourselves through speech, along with how we perceive each other through hearing, are

just as significant as language itself. As a Speech Therapist I would be able to continue to

support and aid people facing adversity. Helping others is my stem. My stem allows me to be

more than leaves on the ground. Without my stem, I would not be me.

STRENGTH:

When all else fails, the pot of the plant keeps the Monstera from growing where it should

not. My morals are my pot. They keep me in place. Without my morals I would succumb to

outside pressure. This pressure may have caused me to make poor decisions. With these

newfound morals and ideas, sometimes you need a new pot. A pot with enough room to expand

your morals, not cut them off. Having lived in many different places,

peer pressure was inevitable. In one instance, I became friends with

individuals who pushed me to do things that made me uncomfortable.

At first I fell victim to their peer pressure. It felt as if I would be hated

if I said no. I soon began to realize that I am in control of my own life.

Nothing inherently bad is going to happen if I speak up for myself. I shouldn’t be friends with

people who treat me so poorly. So, I took my chance and I spoke up for myself. In my situation,

my morals were able to help me do the right thing. My pot protected me from doing the wrong

thing, growing in the wrong place. Although, pots come and go, sometimes you need a bigger

pot the more you learn about yourself. Your morals are ever expanding and along with that

comes a larger pot.

DURABILITY:
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Like most plants, for the Adanson’s Monstera to flourish it needs sunlight. My sunlight is

self-care. Without caring for myself, I don’t have the motivation to do

anything. It is almost as if my life comes to an abrupt halt. Throughout my

life I have come to strungle with my mental health. As an anxious person,

sometimes caring for myself has become an afterthought. Over time I have

been able to see the negative affects of this. I would become irritated,

unhappy, and feel stuck. I soon realized the only way to get out of this rut

would be to take care of myself. Self-care is important for my wellbeing.

Even doing the simplest things help. As acts of self-care, I go out into

nature, write down my feelings, or be with the people I love. Through

therse acts, I am able to refocus on the things that matter and become

motivated to complete my goals. Everyone needs breaks and I’ve learned

to acknowledge that it’s true. Sunlight is the self-care of plants. Everyone needs it to survive,

especially plants, even if they don’t realize it. Sunlight is often taken for granted until its no

longer day.

DIRECTION:

To grow, Adanson's Monstera depends on a number of factors. One of these factors is

nutrients. Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, using them to become

taller and stronger. Throughout my life, change has been a constant and

pushes me to grow. From moving, to new friendships, to graduating, each

experience pushes forth growth. This newfound maturity may be small or

large, yet it still occurs. My experiences thus far have pushed me to want more for myself and
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my future. College is integral to that plan. As of now, I know that the college I will be attending

is further from home. The colleges I am torn between being UC Santa Cruz

and Fordham University. This means I will not be able to see my family as

much as I currently do. Though I know family are my roots, they will still be

there for me no matter the distance. College will bring about new experiences

and push me to grow even more. I will be making new friends, forced to use

my adaptability. In the end, I know I will become comfortable anywhere that I go and I will

mature, whether it be academically, socially, or mentally. This change will be good for me. I will

end up wherever I am destined to. For me, my nutrients are change. I thrive on change and it is

one of the factors that will allow me to grow.