Autobiography for University Admissions - Admission/Application Essay Example

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by loud screams and crashing sounds. And then, I heard a sound ‘pop’. It was a sound of a gun shot that killed my grandfather. A strong light suddenly flashed in my eyes and someone tried to grab me. My mother pulled me away from that man and held me tight to her chest. There was lot of yelling, screaming and crying as the men from The Secret Police, wearing black uniform with machine guns in their hands, pushed us out of the door and into the military vehicle. My mother tried to comfort me as she called out to my grandmother and said “remember what we talked about… remember”. The police grabbed and pushed my father and my older sister, Veronica, into the other vehicle. Without saying a word, the secret police drove us to the airport with a private plane sitting on the runway. Once the vehicle stopped, a man approached and told my father that we are no longer welcome in the country and must leave the country at once. However, it was a lie. The Secret Police had no intention of letting us witness the firing squad that was ordered to kill us from behind. They asked my father to start walking to towards the plane. As soon as we started walking towards the plane, I heard a man shout “get ready” and then I heard the guns being cocked. As my father lifted me in his arms, he turned to my mother and said “take Veronica in your arms”. He took my mother’s hand in his and they both nodded, comforting each other. He asked my mother not to think of anything and just keep walking towards the plane. As my father started walking towards the plane, I heard the leader of the squad giving them a command of taking the aim. I got scared and started crying as my father walked towards the plane which was supposed to take us to freedom. Or was it death? Seeing my mother crying, my father said “if we die, at least we die trying”. However, just before the “fire” command was given, I heard someone call my father’s name. As he turned, he saw that a huge crowd has gathered outside the fence surrounding the airport. It turned out that my grandmother had brought a crowd as a witness to our killing. The plan of The Secret Police to impose us as fugitives and shoot us down, failed. They had no other option but to let us go. We got on the plane, with nothing else but a bag of clothes on our back. That plane took the four of us to Vienna, Austria, where we lived nearly for a year in a crowded refugee camp. Later, we were accepted as political refugees by Canada and that is how we got our freedom and peace. My name is Juliana Gina Hogue and I was born in the Communist Country of Romania. This is the only memory I have of my birth place, the memory of a 5 year old. But that one memory has made me the strong woman that I am today. Once we were accepted by Canada, we were sent to Winnipeg. I grew up in St. Norbert and went to Park La Salle Elementary school where I spent countless hours learning to speak, write and read English. Later, I went on to become a St. Norbert Collegiate and although my grades weren’t always great, I still loved going to school. I have always wanted to combine my interest in science with my desire to help others. Hence, in 1992 I enrolled in the College Prep for Nursing at Red River Community College. It was in the summer of 1993, before starting my first year of Nursing, that I met a man who would become my first husband. Sadly, my first marriage also became my greatest failure to date, as it ended in few years and also ended my Nursing education. I always try to find something good in every negative situation. The good thing that I found in my first marriage was my oldest son, Matthew, who was born in August 1995. I always felt a deep desire to serve the country which had so willingly and lovingly gave me a chance to live a free life. Hence, in 1994, I applied for the Canadian Armed Forces. Finally in 1996, after waiting nearly 2 years for a Security Clearance as I was born in a Scheduled Country, my application was accepted by the Canadian Armed Forces. That fall, I started my basic training. I enjoyed being in the Army not only because of the mental and physical challenges it provided, but also because it brought out some hidden aspects of my personality. For example, I learned that I have a fear of heights and the funny thing is, I came to know about this fear when I was about to jump off a building. It was not the most opportune time to find out my fear! I had no choice but to overcome that fear and jump! Being a single mother, the Canadian Armed Forces also provided me with different means to support my child. I enjoy learning and hence, have taken extensive courses in the use and disposal of weapons and explosives. I also got extreme winter and summer survival training and I can drive almost any military vehicle the Canadian Forces have. I have also taken the courses of computer, administration and finance. However, the position that I liked the most was working in the Ammunition Platoon and being in charge of millions of dollars for the purchase of weapons and ammunition for the Canadian Armed Forces in Gagetown, New Brunswick. After living in the East for a few years, in 1999 I decided to move back home to Winnipeg. I applied for a transfer that also included a change in the nature of job, i.e. from Army to Air Force. My job in the Air Force was not as exciting, but it gave me an opportunity to spend more time with my son. The decision to move back to hometown also brought an opportunity to meet my wonderful husband, Sylvio. Sylvio is a Winnipeg Police Officer and a farm boy at heart. We met in the fall of 1999 when I accepted a temporary job in the Pension Department of Air Canada, while waiting for my Canadian Armed Forces transfer. Although I enjoyed my job at the Armed forces, I left the job after the birth of my second son, Jean-Claude. In December 2002 with the support of my husband, I became a full time mother and started dedicating my time to our two sons. In 2003, at the age of 8, my oldest son Matthew was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD). I decided to get alternate therapy rather than treating the disorder with medicine and drugs. Hence, I took the counseling of a qualified Child and Adolescent Psychologist and at the same time, taught him to meditate. I have never regretted my decision of choosing alternate therapy as Matthew went on to become a loving, happy, healthy, and a productive young man. He has great morals and is following his father’s footsteps by working towards becoming a Winnipeg Police Officer. However, the following couple of years proved to be more challenging than I had anticipated. I began to notice that my 3 year old son, Jean-Claude’s main form of communication was making hand gestures and grunting. He was not showing progress in talking verbally. I consulted my pediatrician who in turn referred me to Child Development Clinic in Health Science Center for an assessment. In November of 2007, Jean-Claude went through different tests. We were told that the result was consistent with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). It was like having Autism Spectrum Disorder with language disorder. The report went on to say that most likely, Jean-Claude would never be able to speak and recommend speech therapy. We came to know that speech therapy would cost $150 an hour and that Jean-Claude would require 8 to 10 hours of therapy everyday. That day, I cried uncontrollably as I knew that there was no way we could afford the speech therapy. After the emotional catharsis, I made a resolution to do it myself and decided that nothing will stop me from doing it. I was not going to accept defeat and let my child live a handicap life. I went to ‘Toys R Us’ and bought a kid’s table, a dry erase tablet, some pictures and the alphabet flash cards. I began working with Jean-Claude by setting up the third bedroom in our home as a work place. The first day was one of the most difficult days of work. It turned out to be an emotionally exhaustive experience as both, me and Jean-Claude, cried a lot. But we didn’t give up and after 8 hours of practice, Jean-Claude was able to say the word ‘apple’. We continued working in the same way and practiced 8 to 9 hours a day. I taught him to learn a word by linking it to a picture or an object found in the house. I decided to keep working with him at home instead of sending him to pre-school. In the fall of 2007, when Jean-Claude started pre-school at the age of 5, his speech was so perfect that nobody could believe that he had a language and speech problem. Jean-Claude is in grade 2 now and is attending Francophone school. He loves going to school. He not only speaks perfect English but is in fact, fully bi-lingual. Working with Jean-Claude and helping him find his voice has been the most challenging thing I have ever taken up in my life. At the same time, it has also been the most rewarding challenge as I feel that helping Jean-Claude speak is the greatest achievement of my life. Nothing can compare the happiness and satisfaction I felt when the first time Jean-Claude said “I love you mommy”. No words can describe that feeling. During the time I was working with Jean-Claude, I somehow managed to find energy and time to give birth to our third son, Samuel. He was born in November 2005. Samuel was nicknamed “baby genius” by his brothers and then later, they changed it to “baby evil”! I think both the nick names fit him perfectly as he is both, a bundle of joy and a bundle of trials! At this point in my life, I have come to realize that teaching is that one profession which will give me an opportunity to combine all my qualities of the experiences throughout my life, passion for science, desire to help others and aptitude for working with children. My desire to share my experience and expertise with children has led me to want to work as a high school science teacher. Hence, I am applying for the 5 year integrated program of Faculty of Education in the University of Winnipeg, as a transfer student. I assure that I will bring all my experience, determination and optimism to the Program. I am sure that if given an opportunity, I will do my best. Read More