Recently I was on Google Drive and saw the absolute horror of an essay I wrote to get into school. Reading it makes me realize how much I've grown and made me wonder what in the world I was thinking when writing it. Here we go:

"Looking through the lens of a camera has always captivated me. It delivers to me a deep sense of creative satisfaction. The action of viewing the world a different way, while simultaneously capturing the precious moments of life has developed into one of my strongest passions.

Getting my first real camera was an experience I will never forget. Unlike most kids who typically wanted a doll or video game, I was hoping for a camera for Christmas. Of course at the age of 7, I wanted the best of the best. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that my Christmas list would be incomplete without the Canon EOS Rebel T6. Keep in mind that a destructive 7yearsr old owning this expensive camera could be detrimental. Christmas morning when I opened my presents, you can probably imagine my disappointment when I received a disposable underwater camera. However; a month later, I was surprised with a trip to Florida. I was having the time of my life with my new camera. Once we developed the pictures, I was extremely satisfied with the results of my photos from Florida. The low quality images of rocks, the pool drain, and even some shells, despite how inexperienced I was at the time, made me realize a significant budding passion that I had. As I was a carefree, naive adolescent; the simplicity of my camera reflected my life during this period. The fact that this camera had one single button to capture a photo, and no settings to alter the image, represents how transparent and effortless life used to be when I was a kid.

Once I reached Middle School, I realized I wanted to advance to a real digital camera. Now at this point in my life, my parents left it to me to get my own camera. For me to buy the camera, I had to earn my own money. I made various posters advertising myself to be a babysitter. After dealing with about a dozen screaming children, I finally had enough money to buy a basic digital camera. As I walked into Best Buy, my smile stretched from ear to ear. My excitement to begin using my camera was overwhelming. Once school began, I signed up for my first photography class. I was fascinated by each new setting I learned, and I was constantly asking questions regarding various camera tricks that I was hoping to figure out. With complex settings, and a more advanced camera in general, I found Middle School life to be acutely similar to my experience with photography. Entering Middle School can be one of the scariest experiences there is. With new people and a new school, everything becomes more complex just as the camera did.

Fast forward; I am entering my senior year in high school. It was time to retire from the basic camera and graduate to one with more settings, and buttons. However, I can certainly say that life in all aspects has become equally as complex. Applying to colleges and navigating the ever-changing social scene is not unlike the challenges of learning the new advanced features of this higher level of photography. Continuing with photography has helped me grow as a person, and encouraged me to maintain this passion for a long time. All of this effort and curiosity to see the world through this wonderful medium resulted in one of my photos being selected for an award from the Boston Globe.

Looking back at my first photos of the pool drain, rocks, and shells taken with that disposable camera, sometimes makes me feel silly that I had taken so much pride in such basic photos. However; I now realize everyone has to start somewhere. Without that little disposable camera, I may have never realized how passionate I am for photography and how life can become more complex yet rewarding as you grow older."

First of all...WHAT?!

The topic that I chose barely represented my life. There are so many better things I could've written about but chose the absolute dullest topic. It makes me absolutely cringe to read it and I can't believe that I sent this to actual colleges. HOW AM I HERE?!

Second of all...Grammar?

When you read this it makes absolutely no sense. It is obvious that I used thesaurus excessively and didn't understand the words that I looked up. My sentences don't flow, there are spelling errors, and my writing is all over the place in general. Spell check definitely doesn't do the job.

Third of all...Photography?

Yes, photography was a large part of my life throughout high school, but thinking about it now, I wouldn't find it as an aspect of my life that represents me. There are so many more genuine and relatable topics I could've chosen, but I ended up choosing PHOTOGRAPHY (would like to get back into it though).

Although reading this makes me cringe like no other, it emphasized my growth so far in college. I really would hope I would've improved from this all time low and I would've been disapointed if I hadn't.