<p>Corny ass essay, but I tried =).</p>
<p>Topic: A. The quality of Rices academic, cultural, and social life is heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What perspective do you feel you will contribute to life at Rice?</p>
<p>Chop Suey</p>
<p>Guten tag! Watashi wa Ricardo Barrera desu y soy del sur de Tejasthats German, Japanese, and Spanish respectively for Good day! I am Ricardo Barrera from South Texas. Science, Math, Art, and History, I love it all. My personal philosophy is to experience as much of the world as I can; one cannot help but contemplate the mysteries [and grandeur] of
life. (Albert Einstein) I take this to heart academically by learning as much as I can regardless of the subject or the difficulty. Just as diverse as my academic interests is my eclectic circle of friends who are Korean, Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, English, Italian, Portugese, Cuban, Scottish, Vietnamese, Mexican and much more. Although I live in a predominantly Hispanic area, my friends are from all over the world. I consider myself fortunate to have been exposed to many cultures because they enriched and spiced up my life, which reminds me of my other passions, cooking and food. Since I was six, I have been my fathers kitchen apprentice, and like many apprentices I started with the menial work of washing dishes. Still, cooking and food allowed my father and I to bond. I then used my interest in the culinary arts as a way to make new friends and connect with them. Whether at a birthday, holiday, or bar mitzvah, food is essentialif guests are expected to stay at a celebration for more than a few minutes.
Nunca te des por vencido, never give up is my familys cultural motto. That is virtue I live by. Mis abuelos, my grandfathers, taught me much about honesty and integrity, and that education is priceless. My grandfather Enrique Barrera, a schoolteacher and WWII veteran, lived in a small family farm as a young man. He had a burning desire to attend school and in order to do so he would wake up early, walk miles to school, and upon returning complete his chores till well after sunset. My maternal grandfather Jose Cavazos was also a WWII veteran. After the war, he moved to Nuevo Laredo, a border town adjacent to Laredo, Texas to care for his elderly father. He strived to give my mother and her four siblings an education in a U.S. private parochial school. My parents also inherited the same strong work ethic, which thankfully they instilled in me. Regardless of the subject, I give it my best. English was never my strong subject, but I persist in order to learn because I know that which is worth having does not come easily; math, which comes naturally to me, does not come naturally to all people. As a child, I never had much trouble in mathematics. On the other hand, my Korean friend, Dustin, did. He did not just complain and give up; every day he devoted a few hours to math alone in order to succeed. This influenced me to try harder in school. My love for mathematics flourished when I entered the fifth grade. My Chinese friend, Billy, and I began to compete to see who could finish a mathematics program more quickly, which nobody had done before. Because of our competition, several others tried as well and by the end of the year five students in my class succeeded in finishing the program at a ninth grade level. Dustin did exceptionally well and reached the eighth grade level. Just because one does not excel in an area does not mean one should abstain from trying; success is earned nunca te des por vencido.
I am more than just a grade and a student. My friends have given more depth to my identity. In the span of three days, I attended celebrations and social gatherings involving three completely different cultures. Early in November, Billys brother was having a birthday party and invited me to the celebration. I had never actually been inside his house and when I walked in with my less than clean shoes he asked me to take them off. I was surprised at first, but followed his request. I strongly recollect the meal, which was egg drop soup; eagerly, I consumed four bowls and my friend informed me that the soup was for luck and healthtoo bad I didnt win the lottery, but I did avoid the flu that winter. The following day I went to school and celebrated Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The sugar skulls we made angered me because I bit into one expecting a soft candy not a jawbreaker. The Bread of the Dead was much better though. The colorful and sweet dough made up for the disappointing candy that wasnt as sweet as I hoped it to be. Being Hispanic, I found it odd that my parents never celebrated Dia de los Muertos. The next day I headed over to Jasons bar mitzvah with Billy. The bar mitzvah celebratory meal had to be one of the liveliest events I had ever attended. Everyone was singing and dancing, while shouting Mazel Tov! A scrumptious looking feast of something named kosher food was served, however, I must admit it was not my favorite meal. Nevertheless, I ate out of respect saying Gracias as I left. Through the celebrations I have experienced, I have learned not just about other people, but also about myself.<br>
From those around me, I receive strength, knowledge, and motivation, and they receive the same from me. My familys tradition of working hard often flows from me to others, which I am sure Rice students would benefit from. Academically, I never stop questioning and never give up. To learn is to take a never-ending journey. For one to truly be a scholar, one must study a multitude of subjects and ideas, and nunca te des por vencido. As for life, I believe it should be like Chop Sueya little bit of everything thrown together to make something new.</p>
<p>If you had the patience to read through the grueling essay, thanks! </p>
<p>Oh yea, forgot to ask what you all think my chances at Princeton/MIT are with my uncle being Salutatorian at Princeton in his class. I kinda got freaked out because my friend (National Merit Scholar (2300PSAT), Valedictorian, loads of EC's, amazing writer (State champ), etc) was deferred from Princeton. White Female... damn AA. That and my Pakistani friend who is 15, about to graduate as a valedictorian and is taking almost as hard of a courseload as me got deferred from MIT too =( . (1440 SAT, 15 years old!!!)</p>