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1. Describe a moment in your life where you displayed incredible leadership. This moment should be one where you positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
1. Describe a moment in your life where you displayed incredible leadership. This moment should be one where you positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
I believe that I am a person for a leadership role. I show my leadership skills every summer when I work at a day camp. I tend and manage groups of 5-30 children ages 4 to 12. With those groups, I have to be diligent and careful when facilitating their games and activities. I also try to be fair and just when I resolve issues and disagreements that come up between the kids. One of my greatest moments when I helped resolve a dispute was 2 years ago during my first year of being a junior counselor. There was a kid, he was 9 years old he was minorly autistic and he was not having a good day. Towards the end of our field trip he was very tired and things began to make him mad. He started to scream and cry. He started shouting at other campers. The counselors were trying to talk to him but then he swung at another kid. This was the point that I decided to intervene. I went up to the kid. I knelt down next to him. I got on his level and I was firm but compassionate and I talked to him to get him to calm down. And then to make sure that we didn’t have another incident like that I became his buddy for that day. Him and I held hands and walked around. And if something came up I was able to deal with that. How I handled the situation with this kid was a moment where I took initiative and helped resolve an issue.
My supervisor later commented about my effect that I created for the camp. He said, “Sam’s passion to impact others is what makes him memorable and demonstrates his dedication to what he is doing. I can confidently recommend Sam. As a dedicated and knowledgeable young man and all-around great person.”
2. There is a piece in all of us that is creative and this creativity can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
2. There is a piece in all of us that is creative and this creativity can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
I consider myself a pretty creative person. I really like telling stories and creating art. I do this through theater and film. I have always gravitated towards the arts, from an early age. I performed in musicals and plays throughout my childhood. Every show and production that I participated in steered me into the direction of film. I then started writing and directing films in sophomore year. It was at that point I discovered my passion. Film encompasses every aspect of theater and art that I enjoy. I love to be a storyteller and I love to create art. I want to entertain and give to the world through my art. I enjoy making people feel emotions and gain understanding. I believe that we as people become better when we share other’s emotions. We can gather and then have a clearer more accepting view of people’s differences. I feel like film is the best way to achieve this acceptance. With just a camera you can take your audience right into the mind of the character. There is nothing that creates more understanding and acceptance than seeing the world through someone else's eyes. With film and theater, I can create and allow people the opportunity to have access to an environment where they can relate with others and learn about the world's differences. I feel like whenever I direct or write a film or play I am creating an opportunity for people to practice compassion and to improve themselves and the lives around them. Theater and film are the two best mediums to use to change the world. And that's what I want from my art. I want to use my creativity to fabricate these situations that can influence and help out the world. I use my creativity to make the world a better place.
3. We all bring different abilities to the world. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? Describe how you’ve developed and demonstrated that skill over time?
3. We all bring different abilities to the world. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? Describe how you’ve developed and demonstrated that skill over time?
I believe that my greatest and most valuable skill is determination. Nothing can knock me down. When I see an issue I take it head on. That skill proves to be incredibly beneficial because that is how I solve problems. When I take something head on I usually can find a solution. This is very helpful when I am working on a film. If I want a certain shot or a look of a scene, and I just can’t make something look perfect. I will stay up late into the night and put hours into it to get what satisfies me. I am very determined to get every problem solved so that I can produce the best final product. I did this in particular when I was working on The Alley. My shot sheet wasn’t looking how I wanted, so I stayed up until 4 in the morning making sure it was what I wanted. I also apply that skill to when I work at summer camp. If a child is having an issue I will put my whole self into dealing with that issue. If the kid is being difficult I don’t get discouraged, I just try harder. My supervisor at the summer camp said, “I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Sam, and came to know him as an invaluable asset to absolutely any team. He is open-minded and dependable. Beyond that, he is able to handle any situation that occurred.” But it is important to note that when I go head first into an issue I always stay dedicated to what I was doing before so that I am not dropping one thing to do another. I try to do everything to the best of my ability. I complete every task asked of me to the point of perfection. Determination is a skill that I pride myself with because it allows me to succeed and excel.
4. Education is a key component to constant growth into the future. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
4. Education is a key component to constant growth into the future. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
Education is an incredibly important aspect of my life. I enjoy learning and having opportunities to better myself and to gain experience. The best way that I learn is I take a problem that I identify and I put my whole effort into solving it. I learn from that because when I fix a problem I learn how to do that same or similar thing again another time. Like with my films. My very 1st one this year was The Alley. I struggled a lot with getting shots looking their best and having them support the logical path of the story. I had a hard time with that but, I learned from that. So on our next short film, Free Our Minds, I worked extra hard to create a detailed shot sheet with every single shot logically planned out. I took a mistake or a problem that I had and I used it to learn. I am fueled by failure to try again and try harder. I am inspired by my mistakes and I value each on because it gives me an opportunity to learn.I mess up but, that gives me the chance to apply what went well and what went wrong to the next problem I face. I have faced many academic barriers. I tend to procrastinate a lot and that has been a huge struggle to overcome. But, I try to take every struggle I face and turn it around into a learning opportunity. I know that I will make mistakes and fail but, the most important skill I can have is determination and persistence. I will fail and make mistakes but I have to look at each one of those moments and learn from it. The best way that I can further my education is to always try to take every opportunity where something doesn't go my way and try to learn and improve myself.
5. Sometimes we experience trying times that we don’t know we can overcome. Describe the most significant challenge you've faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
5. Sometimes we experience trying times that we don’t know we can overcome. Describe the most significant challenge you've faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
Throughout my educational career, I have faced many hard challenges that have caused my learning to be halted or to be inhibited. But, most of these problems I have been able to overcome. The hardest of these struggles being with my greatest flaw, procrastination. Ever since I started my schooling at the age of 6 I have had trouble staying focused and keeping motivated when I was working on projects. I get distracted so easily. That flaw has led to many of my assignments to be done last minute. I remember in middle school, my 7th-grade history class was where I suffered the most from procrastination. I would stay up until 4 in the morning finishing and finalizing projects for school that day. I kept trying to stop the procrastination but, no matter what I did I wouldn’t stop. The main problem with this was that the work I produced was really good and I felt really proud of it. Finally, when I entered high school I had reasoned with myself a solution to my problem. The struggle that I battled with was trying to take the procrastinating tendencies and make them productive. What I decide to do was set myself personal deadlines and split up the project and then set deadlines for each part. That meant that I could finish the whole work. So by splitting up the load, I could get good work done while also getting a decent amount of sleep. This method has been very successful and has helped greatly to combat my issue with procrastination. I faced a very difficult problem with myself that was negatively impacting my education and I had to work hard to bring it to a solution that utilized my flaws instead of trying to stop them. This journey has been vital to my academic success.
6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
The class that has inspired me the most in my education career was my junior year video production class. This class taught me the skills and techniques that are essential for my success in the field of film production. I learned a lot from being in that classroom. Before I took that class I had no clue the amount of effort and time that needed to go into the pre-production of a film. Every single aspect of the film needs to be considered. The hairstyle of a person, the height of the camera, the placement of someone's hand, the lighting, the color of the lights. Every single small detail needs to be thought about. Before I took that class, I would just decide to make a film spur of the moment. I would then plan what I wanted for 20 minutes and then take a camera and go film. I really just made it up on the go. That produced films that looked bad and unprofessional and had confusing plot lines that drew away from the story. With my video production class, I learned to spend two times the amount of time on the planning then I did on the filming. This helped my films look exponentially better and more professional. It also allowed me to tell stories more effectively. And with every film I make I learn more and learn different techniques that help me in the future. I can then take what I learn and do in that class and apply it to my film career outside of school. The knowledge I acquire and can be applied to me becoming more successful in my future film career. Video Production has proven to be the most inspiring class that had been the most beneficial to my career in the professional world.
7. San Leandro High is a school site bustling with culture, community, and and a drive to be exactly who you’re meant to be. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
7. San Leandro High is a school site bustling with culture, community, and and a drive to be exactly who you’re meant to be. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
My biggest dream in life is to make the world a better place. I make an effort to do that every single day. I try to smile and laugh and be positive in every situation because people feel happier when others around them are happy. I try to spread joy with everything that I do. I especially have worked hard to make the world and our school a better place through my film projects. I like to say that film production is storytelling and that it helps give people compassion. I feel like we as people become better when we share other’s emotions. We have a clearer more accepting view of people’s differences. So with every film I produce I try to create moments for people to experience how other people’s differences. In turn, my audience will become better and more accepting people. I try to relate my films to theater, because when it comes down to it, they are very similar. I like to think of my films like Bill English thinks about live theater. He says at the San Francisco Playhouse, “Our theater is an empathy gym, where we come to practice our powers of compassion.” I feel like whenever I direct or write a film or play I am creating an opportunity for people to practice compassion and to improve themselves and the lives around them. I feel like with my films I can create an empathy gym that spans way further than just a single theater. That is true, I have people who have viewed my films all the way in Germany. With social media and film, the outreach is enormous. And the further my films reach the more people practice compassion. I believe that if I do my job correctly I can share compassion with my school, my city, and the world.
8. If you had one final chance to win over a committee of people who determined whether or not you got into your dream school or got hired for your dream occupation, what would you say to them? First pick school or career, then tell them why you can’t have this decision go any other way. Stay away from the disowning, rooftop, sandal incidents of the past. Let’s give them your truest answer.
8. If you had one final chance to win over a committee of people who determined whether or not you got into your dream school or got hired for your dream occupation, what would you say to them? First pick school or career, then tell them why you can’t have this decision go any other way. Stay away from the disowning, rooftop, sandal incidents of the past. Let’s give them your truest answer.
Dear San Francisco State Acceptance Committee,
I would feel privileged to have the honor to attend your school. I want to become a student of your school because it is really the best fit for me to express my creativity. My main goal in life is to get a job I enjoy that I can use to support my family. I believe that if I will do a job that I never hate then I will be a better father and spouse. But, that all starts with my education. I need to structure my academics around the future career that I am planning of. If I go to the school that is geared towards me and my academic interests the chances of me doing what I dream of are greater. I can work in film and theater along with supporting my family. I need SFSU to complete this because the courses here are perfectly aimed for my success. I would take advantage of your fine arts programs. I have always gravitated towards the arts and theater. I performed in musicals and plays throughout my childhood. Every show and production that I participated in steered me into the direction of film. I started writing and directing films in sophomore year. It was at that point I discovered my passion. Film encompasses every aspect of theater and art that I enjoy. I like to tell stories and make people feel emotions. I want to entertain and give to the world all I have. I want to share my passion with the world and by doing that make the world a better place. With me at your school I can better myself, better my life, better my family and better the world. Thank You.
-Sam
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