College Essay
Kayla S. Johnson’12
Central Islip High School, Central Islip, NY
“Mirror, Mirror On the Wall”
“Hey can you get Kayla?” There were three other girls named Kayla in my grade so I learned not to turn around. They usually weren’t talking to me.
“Which one? Ugly Kayla or Pretty Kayla?” A burst of laughter boomed behind me. I felt stares burning into my neck. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I knew I wasn’t the prettiest girl in the school, but I never thought I was ugly.
When I was younger, I was awkward and had a low self-esteem. Being a gawky, honors kid with glasses and braces, I didn’t see myself as anything special. I always had issues with my self image so to hear those actual words spoken out loud had me in shock. Heat rushed to my face and I tried to stop the tears from coming. I sat as still as a statue. She didn’t know I heard her and I didn’t say anything.
That day, I came home from school and I couldn’t hold back the tears. My mind was spinning and I needed a distraction. I turned on the television to get my mind off the event. The Devil Wears Prada was coming on in five minutes. It was and still is one of my favorite movies. I love how they showed the grit and the glamour of the fashion industry. They didn’t camouflage how it is in the business.
I started to dress more fashionable to get noticed so I could for once stand out. When I walked into a room I wanted everyone to look my way. I learned who I am through fashion. Everything inspires me whether it’s from television to strangers on the street; I am always scoping out different trends and styles. One summer I religiously watched What Not to Wear. That show taught me so much about styling. I have also read all of Nina Garcia’s style books, learning the fashion rules, and tips. I am always reading Teen Vogue and Seventeen Magazine to find the trends and then from there I develop my look from there. I love playing with color and patterns.
Queen Alexandra said, “I’m nothing to look at, so the only thing I can do is dress better than anyone else.” I may not be the prettiest, the most talented, or the smartest but I’m certain that I can out dress anyone. I want to give a personal thanks to every kid that made me feel inferior. Because if it wasn’t for them I would not have blossomed into the beautiful woman that I never thought I could be.
I want to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology because I feel I am an inspiration to young women. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt that day. I want to show how beautiful girls are on the inside and transform that on the outside. Through fashion I plan to change lives.
Central Islip High School, Central Islip, NY
“Mirror, Mirror On the Wall”
“Hey can you get Kayla?” There were three other girls named Kayla in my grade so I learned not to turn around. They usually weren’t talking to me.
“Which one? Ugly Kayla or Pretty Kayla?” A burst of laughter boomed behind me. I felt stares burning into my neck. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I knew I wasn’t the prettiest girl in the school, but I never thought I was ugly.
When I was younger, I was awkward and had a low self-esteem. Being a gawky, honors kid with glasses and braces, I didn’t see myself as anything special. I always had issues with my self image so to hear those actual words spoken out loud had me in shock. Heat rushed to my face and I tried to stop the tears from coming. I sat as still as a statue. She didn’t know I heard her and I didn’t say anything.
That day, I came home from school and I couldn’t hold back the tears. My mind was spinning and I needed a distraction. I turned on the television to get my mind off the event. The Devil Wears Prada was coming on in five minutes. It was and still is one of my favorite movies. I love how they showed the grit and the glamour of the fashion industry. They didn’t camouflage how it is in the business.
I started to dress more fashionable to get noticed so I could for once stand out. When I walked into a room I wanted everyone to look my way. I learned who I am through fashion. Everything inspires me whether it’s from television to strangers on the street; I am always scoping out different trends and styles. One summer I religiously watched What Not to Wear. That show taught me so much about styling. I have also read all of Nina Garcia’s style books, learning the fashion rules, and tips. I am always reading Teen Vogue and Seventeen Magazine to find the trends and then from there I develop my look from there. I love playing with color and patterns.
Queen Alexandra said, “I’m nothing to look at, so the only thing I can do is dress better than anyone else.” I may not be the prettiest, the most talented, or the smartest but I’m certain that I can out dress anyone. I want to give a personal thanks to every kid that made me feel inferior. Because if it wasn’t for them I would not have blossomed into the beautiful woman that I never thought I could be.
I want to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology because I feel I am an inspiration to young women. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt that day. I want to show how beautiful girls are on the inside and transform that on the outside. Through fashion I plan to change lives.
The short story on this page was an assignment for my Senior English class, Tech Prep 12. It was completed in about two weeks. The goal for this assignment was to find an interesting story in our life and write a really good college essay out of it.
The skills demonstrated:
- MLA Formatting
- Narrative Writing Skills
Below is a Word file version of my college essay which can be downloaded.
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college_essay_reprise.pdf | |
File Size: | 153 kb |
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college_essay_reprise.docx | |
File Size: | 21 kb |
File Type: | docx |