College Essay

Ever since I was little, I have always loved to read. There are numerous miscellaneous and unique books I have read throughout my life. Out of all the characters I have read about, there is a young one that stands out. Her name is Esperanza from Esperanza Rising. Esperanza a girl who is always there for her family, no matter what happens. She is really brave and has complete faith herself and in what she does. Esperanza is the person I want to be when I grow up and I know that Rutgers University is the first place where I can start.

Esperanza’s family was a really happy family. Her father was a rich rancher and the family was wealthy. Esperanza’s birthday was coming up and she was really excited. She was finally going to become a teenager. Her dream was going to come true! But, just the night before her birthday, a tragic incident happened. It was really late at night and Esperanza’s father still hadn’t returned from the fields. The whole family was really worried. So, the ranch foreman and his son went to look for him. Before they arrived back home, Esperanza’s father’s stepbrothers came. Esperanza was shocked when she saw that one of them was wearing her father’s belt buckle. Then, later that night, the ranch foreman and his son returned with her father’s dead body. He had been murdered by some bandits.

Esperanza’s family was really shocked and sad when they heard this news. Her mom and her grandma cried for hours and hours a day. Sometimes, they wouldn’t even eat. I really was influenced by Esperanza then. The way she took care of family and how she supported them after the incident was miraculous. Even though her birthday was the following day and she had big hopes for it, she never made her family realize that she did not have the birthday that she expected. I really that quality in a person because it shows that they really care about others, sometimes, more than themselves.

This part in the book makes me realize how the world is today. Most of the people on planet Earth, are very selfish and cunning. They only care about themselves and “profits” in life. It does not matter to them about other people and their feelings. As long their job is done, the other things do not matter. I really believe that people today should be like Esperanza because that can make our world a better place for everyone. I was most certainly, influenced by Esperanza as I read this. I have even noticed myself caring more about other people’s feelings after I read this wonderful book about Esperanza. 

Esperanza is a brave girl. When her house catches on fire along with her father’s belongings, she is depressed, but she still helps her mother and the others get out of the house. Esperanza also shows she is brave when her family surreptitiously runs away to America from Mexico. It is really hard for a young girl to face so many bad occurrences. First, her father passes away the day before her thirteenth birthday, her mother is forced to marry her step uncle, and now she even has to run away from her birth country. Nothing can get possibly get worse. I know that if I were Esperanza, I would not be able to face the world they way she did. I would want just fall in a ditch. Instead, Esperanza faced the world like it was her only chance. She dreams from when she was little and she actually fulfilled them.

Esperanza knew that if she never faced the world, nothing would go right again. This is the main thing I really liked about Esperanza. She faced the world all by herself. She has influenced me by this because I realized that if I stay shy and do not face the world, things really won’t go the way I want them to go. I know that things don’t always happen the way you want them to happen, but if you stand out there and face the world, like Esperanza did, things have a better possibility to happen the way you want them to happen.

As you can see, Esperanza stands out from all the other characters I have read about and she has really influenced me. Without reading the book Esperanza Rising and learning about Esperanza’s life my life would be a lot different. Esperanza has taught me to appreciate what I have and to be happy with what I have. There may be times in your life where things can not possibly get any worse. During those times, you have to stand up and face the world, unless you want to continue living like that. No one decides what you are going to do in your life, except you. But, then you have to get ready to face the consequences, whether they are good or bad. Esperanza is the type of person who I want to be and I know the first place where I can start is at Rutgers University. There can not be any better place to start living a dream other than Rutgers University.