Anika+Mitchell;+Place+Piece

Moving to a new place, thousands of miles away from home, can be intimidating, and
====one thing that can make it all better is finding someone who accepts you and makes you feel at home. I was lucky enough to find that right across the street from me in Fox Hills. Moving into Fox Hills there were not any kids that were my age to run around and play with, but I found friends in The Druckenmillers. During my fifteen years in Marietta, Georgia, I have woken up everyday and stared at the peach coated home with red shutters just across the street, and it never fails to stare right back. The aura surrounding the Druckenmiller's house can make anyone feel right at home. Mrs. Tina and Mr. Art Druckenmiller have always been such sweet and welcoming neighbors since the day we unloaded the U-Haul truck packed with our lives and memories from New Jersey. To this day they still never fail to welcome us with a warm smile followed by an inviting wave. With this inviting attitude the Druckenmillers have had a part in how my siblings and I see and treat others who are entering a new world and just like us, want to feel comfortable and at home.====

__//A Zoom Lens//__
====The weary man began his descent down the worn hill, staggering with his only companion in tow; a termite-ridden walking stick. Denied once more of a place to reside and acquire some food. Blind, therefore unaware of the hour, he reenacted a sword fight, hollering through the streets as he went. His cape was displaced by the cool evening zephyr, as his shadow, stirring beneath him, imitated his every move.====

**5) What is the best advice you ever received? Why? And did you follow it? (University of Pennsylvania) **
====** Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." My name is Anika and I was once insane, or at least according to Einstein . No, I was never admitted to an asylum or ever considered to be in a state of bedlam, but I //was// convinced that if I kept doing the same thing over and over I would get a different result. My parents always reiterated Einstein's prediction to me, but more times than not, the lazy in me gave reason to not change my ways. I always seemed to be convinced that something was too hard or took too much effort. I would procrastinate on projects, cram at the 11th hour, and end up handing in something that I wasn't truly proud of because it was rushed. But I had to come to the realization that I was doing myself a disservice. I would always get the good grade, but not the one I really wanted. I was too reliant on what I innately had, instead of stretching myself to explore new talents and abilities. **==== ====** Once I really embraced the meaning of this advice, I was so surprised. I learned things about myself that I never knew, and all it took was taking a step back and realizing that I wanted to do better for myself. I had goals and ambitions that I wasn't willing to compromise, and I realized that I couldn't achieve them by procrastinating, or just being lazy. It was time to explore my full potential and show it off to the world. After stepping out of my comfort zone, embracing the advice given to me, and going the extra mile, I realized that after turning in a project or doing a presentation I was proud of myself, because I knew that I gave a piece of myself in the end product. Although sometimes it takes an all-nighter or sacrificing spending time with my friends, the satisfaction of giving 100% always seemed to compensate, and it still does today. **==== ====** Following this advice has been both rewarding and uplifting because I have come to the realization that I don't have to compromise my goals or ambitions. I just have to be willing to step out of my comfort zone and change in order to better myself and have more opportunities. By putting a little piece of myself into everything I do I add my uniqueness and creativity. Two things that make me stand out from everyone else. By following this advice I have learned that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result only limits you, and hinders you from expressing your full capabilities and from achieving as Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it self-reliance. **====

__//SAT Essay Prompt://__
====Without the past, how could we move forward to the future? We are brought up learning about Christopher Columbus sailing the ocean blue, The American Revolution, and The Cold War. All three of these subjects are not related, but all help us understand why things are the way they are now, and allow us to learn, rise above the boundaries set for us, and ultimately succeed.==== ====Memories help us learn from the mistakes and successions of others. For instance would we know how to fly or construct and airplane if the Wright Brothers didn't courageously run off of Kitty Rock with their own? Or would we be able to learn from events like Agent Orange and the effects it still has on people if the Vietnam War never happened? Sometimes we may not want to remember the gruesome or selfish acts of others, but by remembering them, we can see the positive in them and learn from others' mistakes.==== ==== Some things that have happened in the past are often devastating to a certain group of people. An example of this would be segregation. In Ralph Ellison's //The Invisible Man//, a black man struggles against the obstacles put in his way by a non-accepting society. He ultimately has to face it and realize that people may not accept him, but he cannot sacrifice himself or his character for them. In this way memories can also help because from this man's experiences we can come to the realization that despite the troubles and hardships that we face in this world we can find a way through and succeed. ====

**__//SAT Essay Prompt://__**
===="Patience is a virtue" is a saying that my mom always tells me. An example of this is a childhood tale called the "Tortoise and the Hare." In this story the moral is slow and steady wins the race, which preaches patience. By waiting patiently you achieve self-control, reason, and it is more rewarding when you finally get what you waited.==== ====Acting quickly is not always quickly, you are more likely to do something impulsively and regret it later. Although it may give you the result quicker, you are never 100% sure of what the result will be because you didn't really take the time to think about it. People who are patient, and put time into thought and making careful decisions are not as skeptical of what the results will be because they double checked and made sure that their end product was what they wanted.==== ====The rewards of being patient outweigh the rewards of being impulsive and wanting a quick response. Waiting patiently makes someone desire the response more while getting a quick response doesn't give and impulsive person time to step back and respect their work.====