I hesitantly wake up to the sound of the same repetitive beep of my little black alarm, and prepare myself for a long day of uninteresting classes, and hours of work at a mall full of impolite costumers. ... Finally, by 3 A.M I fall into a short, deep sleep that is just enough to get me past the next day with some help of caffeine. ... I sat in the Ritter library on a Sunday night and reviewed notes on the history of life for a grueling 6 hours, and in return expected to earn a good grade from this. ... Days consisted merely of studying for exams and nothing else. ... Like William Zinsser sta...

• Word Count: 1202
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

My journey to Bacolod City began many years ago in Manila, Philippines. ... It was so bad that I cried every night for all those years. ... I was proud of myself for not failing into the garbage pit waiting into the close by. ... Now my days are very active and long. ... I had given up on school for so long, but when I stepped into college, my mind woke up again. ...

• Word Count: 1072
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

How was I going to turn this setback into a blessing? ... That was one of the happiest days of my life. ... Not only did I now have a job but I was also able to be at home with my kids at night. Shanika is no longer at this school but she will never know what she gave me and my family. ... So in this journey I have learned hitting rock bottom is not always a bad thing. ...

• Word Count: 873
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School