I am light.

I applied for USC today. Yup, USC. I hate Los Angeles but this is what SFSU budget cuts have given me. I'm headed to University of San Diego but I've got to have my plan B and USC happens to be it (only because it's listed as one of the top biology schools in California along with Berkeley, SJSU, USD of course, and a few others). Funny how I'm at San Francisco State studying bio and it's not on that list.

I was prompted to write an essay between 500 to 700 words, easy enough, about Thomas Edison. The prompt read as follows: Thomas Edison failed many times before successfully inventing the modern electric light bulb. He said, "If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." Reflect on a challenge you overcame through persistence.

So this what I came up with in a matter of 45 minutes and one ice cream break later:

Thomas Edison believed in himself a lot more than many people care to do in this day and age. Most people will attempt something once or twice and easily give up after a few short trials. Edison was a brilliant inventor, in addition to, being a true optimist. He strove for excellence and was not only persistent but a determined individual. He believed that even if you have failed at a task more than once, one shouldn’t be discouraged by their failure. Instead, he looked at each failed attempt as a step in the right direction and towards him achieving his goals. Each failure helped him get closer to his goal and as a result he created one of the best inventions, the electric light bulb.

As a college student currently attending San Francisco State University I have always wanted to excel beyond what was being offered to me. San Francisco State is a great institution but I have found it to be a failure to my education due, in large part, to our California state budget cuts. My education has become limited severely under the constraints of our economy’s budgeting system. For a while I’ve sulked around campus hoping to miraculously find ways to better myself as a student in this present situation. I have come to realize that I need to be trying a lot harder because things aren’t getting better instantly and our economic recovery will take time. I am majoring in biology and have hopes of becoming a pharmacist. Semester after semester I have attempted to get into biology classes but have only been turned down over and over. Each time I have felt like a failure and not worthy to study this field of science. I want to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree and further my studies at a pharmacy school. Nonetheless, there are many times that I have given up on my chosen career path and have contemplated switching majors and to study something with more classes available. However, biology is my strong suit and is something I excel in. I have a great passion for it and believe that if given the right tools I can go far. However I cannot obtain these tools at my current institution so I spend my time in classes that do not account for much towards my degree.

Each semester I have felt the familiar sting of failure by not being allowed to grow in my chosen area of study due to limited seating in classes. Recently I have learned that I can do one of two things with my life thus far. I could continue to sulk in my failure and let it consume my entire being like it has been. On the other hand, I could use these miniature disasters, like Thomas Edison had used his failed attempts, as a way of getting a few inches to feet closer to my goal. Today, I’ve felt that I have taken a step in the right direction and towards a better future by applying to University of Southern California. I write this essay with the ability to understand that each failure is a step closer to my goal and today I shall walk over my failures with my best foot forward. My education is to me what the light bulb was for Thomas Edison.

Today I am closer to sparking my own light bulb.