Desire/Passion for writing and pursuing journalism major and career - Admission/Application Essay Example

Admission Paper It is said that if you choose a profession where you get an opportunity to do what you love doing, then your profession does not remain just a profession but becomes a passion. I believe that when people do something that they are passionate about, they not only enjoy every moment of it but also excel in every aspect of it. This is the reason why I aspire to take up journalism as my profession. I have a talent to put my thoughts into words and an ability to interact with people from different spheres of life.

These qualities naturally attracted me towards journalism. However, what made me realize that journalism is the right career for me was not just the possession of these qualities, but also different experiences that I had during my stint with journalism. Being born with hemiparesis, a form of Cerebral Palsy, I lacked the fine motor skills in the extremities on my right side. Despite of my physical condition, my parents made me capable of doing everything that a healthy child would do. They decided to make me live an independent and confident life by making me focus on my strengths rather than making me dependent on others by letting me focus on my physical condition.

Hence, even though they knew that I was going to find certain tasks difficult to perform, they still encouraged me to perform them. This attitude helped me to learn riding a bike and to learn to drive. However, there was one aspect in my life which I was not able to conquer and that was my shyness when interacting with people. This shyness turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it developed a habit of writing in me. Due to my physical condition, I used to keep an emotional distance from others.

Instead of opening myself to others, I used to share my thoughts and feelings with my diary. The practice of expressing my feelings with the diary became a habit. I also developed a habit of reading during my childhood. I enjoyed writing my version of different stories that I used to read. This gave me an opportunity to dabble with different ideas and also get acquainted with the art of writing. I started looking for opportunities to publish my writing. One such opportunity came my way when I was asked to write a paper on ‘Veterans for the Veterans of Foreign wars of the United States and its Lady Auxillary’.

To my surprise, I received the ‘Voice of Democracy Certificate of Merit’ for this article. This recognition increased my confidence and created a desire to take up writing seriously. I decided to make a career in journalism and get a college degree in it. The recognition also gave me strength to come out of my shell and become social. I started participating in organized social activities. My confidence gave my writing ability a fresh zeal and I started participating in more writing activities.

I knew that only having a desire to become a journalist is not going to work. I also need to know, learn and experience different areas of journalism. So I started working as a writer with our high school newspaper. I have actively contributed to the newspaper for the past two years. Looking at my enthusiasm and dedication, this year I was asked not only to write articles for the newspaper but also to take the responsibility of editing and planning a layout of the paper. This was a great achievement for me.

I also attended a five day journalism camp (JCamp) at Virginia Tech which trains the participants on various aspects of journalism. I was directly involved in working on the newspaper that is put out on the last day of the camp. These experiences have made me realize that my desire to get a degree in journalism is not a result of some infatuation but has developed from a genuine interest and talent in the field. My experience has strengthened my desire to pursue journalism as career. My talent and achievements have proved that I deserve an opportunity to study journalism in college.

I am sure that if given an opportunity, I will do my best to excel in the field and make the best of it.