LEO Program - Admission/Application Essay Example

LEO Program Essay. My life has had more than its fair share of upheavals and hardships. My childhood was spent on a small farm in Ecuador under thecare of my maternal grandparents. My mother, a single parent, worked long hours in the city in order to financially support us: although this necessitated a painful separation. At the age of twelve, I was devastated by the death of my grandmother who had been a second mother to me. This was closely followed by my mother’s departure for America, in search of a better life for herself and her family.

It would be seven long years before we could be reunited. My younger sister and I joined our mother in America in 1996. From the time of this arrival, this would be the pattern of my life: my attempts to gain an education would be repeatedly interrupted by adverse financial and domestic circumstances. On my arrival, it was essential for me to work immediately in order to contribute to the family upkeep. I finally entered school after a year in America. But at the end of two semesters, I had to quit.

We had barely grasped the new culture and drastically new way of life before we were confronted by a new tragedy: my mother was diagnosed with utero-ovarian cancer. This medical emergency compelled me to quit school in order to nurse my mother and take care of my younger sister. After undergoing surgery and a prolonged course of chemotherapy, my mother was fortunate enough to survive her cancer. It was back to school again: of course, again holding down a part-time job to ease my way. I now met the man who I thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

We were married and I continued to attend school and to work. The news of my pregnancy was received with great joy, and I treasured the anticipation of my coming child. The bubble of my happiness burst when I was suddenly faced with the rude discovery that my husband was a drug addict, with a hidden history of felony and arrests. He had gone through my meager savings for the child and I was abandoned without a penny when he was re-arrested. School was again shelved and I went back to earning a living.

I moved in with my mother. After the arrival of my adorable son, and the finalization of my divorce, I returned to school yet again, leaving my boy in my mother’s care. I often worked 8-10 hours shift, attended 3-6 hours of class and then got home to help with chores, with another 2-4 hours of study crammed in somehow. I admit that it was tough but I would not trade these years for anything because they have taught me that anything is possible for those who dare and persevere. I have struggled under a non-English language disadvantage, in addition to my domestic and financial problems.

Spanish is my primary language and my mother tongue. My Mother has never had the opportunity to attend college. As she has a minimum knowledge of English, we continue to speak Spanish at home. I completed my Elementary School and High School in Ecuador, where Spanish was the medium of instruction. I am justifiably proud of the fact that I excelled in academics in my High School. I was first exposed to English as a young girl of 19, on my arrival in the USA. I am the first generation in my family to attend college.

My sister has obtained a Registered Dental Assistant license. In spite of my late exposure to English, I have quite a good grasp of the language. This is largely the result of long hours of persistent self-teaching. One of my strengths is my ability to turn disadvantages into opportunities. In my early years in the USA, I worked at White Castle, where I was the only Spanish speaking person. I used the compulsion to communicate in English in this situation to make it the learning experience of my life.

I then attended the ESL program at Union County College, earning a 3.4 GPA. I could read and write English reasonably well within two years of arriving in the USA. I am painfully aware that my family circumstances and financial difficulties constitute disadvantages which disrupted my educational opportunities and advancement and resulted in my poor ISAT score. However, I do not consider these disadvantages to be permanent obstacles in my search for a better life. I am proud of the fact that I have never allowed the adverse economic and domestic circumstances of my life to deter me from staying the course.

Every obstacle in my path has only strengthened my resolution to persist in the face of adversity. I have never wavered in my belief that a good education is the stepping-stone to success. This conviction has seen me get back to school time and again, after every upheaval in my life. This refusal to quit, and my perseverance through years of hard work to support myself through school, is proof of my ability to succeed in a Law School program. Juggling work, motherhood and school has taught me the value of hard work, strengthened my determination to never give in and helped me develop great time-management skills!

I am proud that I have featured on the Dean’s Honor’s list at Kean University every semester. I believe that the Legal Equal Opportunity Program will empower me to overcome my disadvantages and enable me to attend Law School. I acknowledge that my LSAT score of 131 is very much on the lower side but I am confident that I can overcome the educational disadvantages which adversely affected my score. As a single mother who has succeeded in overcoming seemingly insurmountable personal odds in the pursuit of my dreams of becoming a lawyer, I am confident that I can make the best of the opportunity which the LEO Program will give me.