Special Education Unit

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application won't accept a response shorter than 250 words. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

The moment I saw the girls in my school’s special education unit with chapped lips, contagious smiles and innocent big eyes, my heart melted and i knew that i wanted to help them in any way that i could.

Normal. A word used by all of us, probably not even knowing the depth of meaning behind it - what does that even mean? Ordinary, conventional, expected, usual are some of the choice words that come up on the internet when searched. But in a diverse world full of culture, eclectic styles, a myriad of beliefs and religions, who is conventional? What is expected of us? And what is considered usual?

The girls in the SEU have been diagnosed with “disabilities” such as Down syndrome, Autism, Global Development Delay and Dyslexia. Most people tag them as “disabled”. Interestingly, after spending time with them during my lunch break and after school, I noticed that they were “differently abled’ rather than disabled. Some could paint beautifully, some would mesmerize you with their ability to dance and some would sing with so much passion. My love for these children grew rapidly as I became a volunteer who was in and out of the SEU classroom helping them with school activities such as the sports-meet, swimming meet and cultural days. A famous quote reads; “if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it’s stupid.” The more days I spent with these girls, the more I was able to look past their labels. They may not be able to do everything that my friends and I can do but they are undoubtedly gifted and special.

From a very young age, my parents have encouraged my brother and me to be kind to those in need. Instead of having big birthday parties most other children, I’ve had tea parties at elder’s homes and orphanages. The feeling of fulfillment against the joy any gift could give me was unparalleled and spending one of the most significant days in my life with children and elders who needed love and care made me want to invest more of my time volunteering and furthering my personal growth through philanthropy.