Dawn Maestas describes this experience as an “aha” moment. Reflecting on your own experiences, can you think of a specific moment when you realized your career path or college major? Perhaps it was an assignment in high school or a teacher's recommendation that pushed you to choose your future career or path of study. For this essay, you will investigate what or who has caused you to consider your career path.
Is there a person whom you admire who has inspired you by their own success?
Has an instance of bravery shown you that you could improve the community in which you live by pursuing certain career goals?
Do you see a need for people with a certain set of skills in society today, and has that prompted you to forge your own unique path?
Discuss in detail what your academic and professional goals are and provide insight into how you established these goals. Include a summary for the degree and career you are pursuing. Focus on a narrative of the experience that led you to this choice. Incorporate as many details as necessary for the reader to gain a clearer understanding of your message. This essay is of a personal nature and should be written using the first person point of view. While drafting your essay, focus on keeping your narrative extremely specific–instead of broadly writing your entire life story, hone in on that “aha” moment and let your message peek through the details. For example, instead of vaguely describing how you’ve always loved horses, tell us the story of how your first horse ride inspired you to become an equestrian trainer. The narrative essay, above all, is about effective storytelling. Try your best to have fun with this assignment!
