Journaling Club Essay #5 Notes & Prompt

Prompt: What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness? How can you support your strength and help it grow, and how can you work on improving your weakness?

Understanding what you are good at and compensating for what you are bad at is a key part of adult life, and generally knowing yourself. Try to think of this in terms of character strengths and weaknesses, not just individual skills like solving matrices or writing poems- these are great skills to have, but won’t necessarily make you a better person by getting better at them!

“¡Mijo! ¡Ya levántate! ¡Se hace tarde!” (Son! Wake up! It’s late already.) My father’s voice pierced into my room as I worked my eyes open. We were supposed to open the restaurant earlier that day.

Ever since 5th grade, I have been my parents’ right hand at Hon Lin Restaurant in our hometown of Hermosillo, Mexico. Sometimes, they needed me to be the cashier; other times, I was the youngest waiter on staff. Eventually, when I got strong enough, I was called into the kitchen to work as a dishwasher and a chef’s assistant.

The restaurant took a huge toll on my parents and me. Working more than 12 hours every single day (even holidays), I lacked paternal guidance, thus I had to build autonomy at an early age. On weekdays, I learned to cook my own meals, wash my own clothes, watch over my two younger sisters, and juggle school work.

One Christmas Eve we had to prepare 135 turkeys as a result of my father’s desire to offer a Christmas celebration to his patrons. We began working at 11pm all the way to 5am. At one point, I noticed the large dark bags under my father’s eyes. This was the scene that ignited the question in my head: “Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life?”

The answer was no.

So I started a list of goals. My first objective was to make it onto my school’s British English Olympics team that competed in an annual English competition in the U.K. After two unsuccessful attempts, I got in. The rigorous eight months of training paid off as we defeated over 150 international schools and lifted the 2nd Place cup; pride permeated throughout my hometown.

Despite the euphoria brought by victory, my sense of stability would be tested again, and therefore my goals had to adjust to the changing pattern.

During the summer of 2014, my parents sent me to live in the United States on my own to seek better educational opportunities. I lived with my grandparents, who spoke Taishan (a Chinese dialect I wasn’t fluent in). New responsibilities came along as I spent that summer clearing my documentation, enrolling in school, and getting electricity and water set up in our new home. At 15 years old, I became the family’s financial manager, running my father’s bank accounts, paying bills and insurance, while also translating for my grandmother, and cleaning the house.

In the midst of moving to a new country and the overwhelming responsibilities that came with it, I found an activity that helped me not only escape the pressures around me but also discover myself. MESA introduced me to STEM and gave me nourishment and a new perspective on mathematics. As a result, I found my potential in math way beyond balancing my dad’s checkbooks.

My 15 years in Mexico forged part of my culture that I just cannot live without. Trying to fill the void for a familiar community, I got involved with the Association of Latin American students, where I am now an Executive Officer. I proudly embrace the identity I left behind. I started from small debates within the club to discussing bills alongside 124 Chicanos/Latinos at the State Capitol of California.

The more I scratch off from my goals list, the more it brings me back to those days handling spatulas. Anew, I ask myself, “Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life?” I want a life driven by my passions, rather than the impositions of labor. I want to explore new paths and grow within my community to eradicate the prejudicial barriers on Latinos. So yes, this IS how I want to spend the rest of my life.

Tip: This author used a bookend strategy very well, starting with an idea (question, topic, or problem) in the introduction and finishing it full circle in the end. However, to successfully use the bookend strategy, in your essay, you need to build up to the conclusion throughout your body paragraphs. Don’t just repeat the idea without showing growth or confirmation of your point!

Notice how the repeated question, “Is this how I want to spend the rest of my life?” changes meaning by the end of the essay. At first, it comes from exhaustion and a desire to escape the limits of labor. By the conclusion, the same question becomes a statement of purpose, tied to education, identity, community, and advocacy. The progression is clear: responsibility → ambition → adaptation → identity → purpose.

A well-executed bookend gives readers the feeling that the essay has come full circle. Choose a line, image, or question that can evolve throughout the essay so that when it returns in the conclusion, it carries a deeper meaning than it did in the introduction.

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