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Personal Narrative Essay: My Experience in My Life

• Categories: Adolescence

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Words: 620 |

Published: Mar 13, 2024

Words: 620 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

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Early childhood, adolescence, young adulthood.

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Experience Essay

People love talking about their experiences with their family, friends, and loved ones. You can use your love for that to practice and enhance your essay writing skills. Yes, you have read it right. It is like hitting two birds with one stone. Tell your story by composing an experience essay.

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What Is an Experience Essay?

An experience essay is a composition that requires you to narrate an event that you have personally experienced. It is a type of academic essay that most high school, colleges, and post-graduation studies assign their students to write to improve their writing. Most scholarship applications also require you to write this essay. In addition, some people devise this as a part of their resume when applying for work. 

How to Compose a Riveting Experience Essay

Composing various literature essays will also require you to apply different skills. In that sense, this piece of writing will test your storytelling skills. How do you effectively narrate a story on a paper? You can discover that as you go through the process of learning how to devise this document.

1. Choose an Unforgettable Memory

In selecting an experience to tell, you should choose those experiences that considerably impacted your personal life. It can be either be a positive or a negative experience. For example, you can write about your best day or the worst experience you had. Most people would opt for unique topics, but that is not a requirement. The important thing is how to make your unforgettable experience memorable for your readers. 

2. Arrange the Sequence of Events  

Sometimes when people share something, they often tell another story in between and then go back to their original topic. That’s a no-no in writing your experience essay. It needs to be carefully structured. That said, you need to arrange it by properly sequencing the events. There are available blank outline templates online to help you with this task.

3. Devise an Engrossing Introductory Paragraph

An impressive introduction should contain a compelling hook and a powerful thesis statement . The first paragraph of your essay can be a make or break factor for your entire writing. People often start judging the quality of your composition after reading your introductory paragraph. It sets the vibe and gives them the first impression. It is essential to pay a lot of attention to this segment.

4. Craft a Rousing Statement for Your Conclusion

Your conclusion paragraph should provide the gist and the purpose of your experience essay. In this last part, you should restate your thesis statement and summarize the underlying message of your writing. It should include a personal reflection regarding what that particular event made you learn about yourself. A conclusion for an essay should be powerful enough to rouse the emotions of your readers.

How should you describe an experience in your essay?

Writing a personal experience essay does not only require you to provide the order of events that happened in your experience. Instead, you should include describing what you are thinking and feeling at that moment. In addition, you should also mention the activities that are also happening during your experiences. Don’t forget to include the reactions of the people involved in your story.

What are good topics for an experience essay?

One of the most important factors to consider in choosing your topic is the thematic statement it presents. Do you want to write about love, friendship, or family? You can also choose to compose about the defining moments of your life. Such as the time you faced your greatest fears or the day you met your best friend.

What makes an experience essay different from a narrative essay?

An experience essay and a narrative essay are mostly similar. Both of these writings focus on narrating an experience of the writer. Despite that, there is something that sets them apart from each other. An experience essay focuses more on an individual’s discovery about oneself. On the other hand, the latter aims to inform the readers of how the experience made the writer realize things. Particularly the lessons regarding another person or an issue.

The act of composing this type of essay is a formative experience. In the process of writing it, you can learn lessons about yourself as well as on writing essays. Your life experiences are full of lessons. Ensure to capture the message and convey it to your readers. Secure that employment or that award certificate by crafting your experience essay thoroughly.

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6: The Experience Essay (AKA Personal Essay)

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• 6.1: The Experience Essay – Using Description and Narration
• 6.2: Experience Essay Freewrite #1
• 6.3: Experience Essay Freewrite #2
• 6.4: Other Experience Essay Topics
• 6.5: Submit Your Experience Essay (1st Draft)
• 6.6: Peer Exchange – Getting Feedback from Others
• 6.7: Submit Your Experience Essay (2nd/Final Draft)

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How to Write the Caltech STEM Experience Essay

Caltech’s essay prompt emphasizes its commitment to tackling some of the most challenging questions in STEM. In essence, they want to gauge your genuine curiosity, passion, and drive in these fields.

Here’s how you can write a strong response. If you want more advice on Caltech’s essays, see our full Caltech essay breakdown .

Understanding the Prompt

Prompt: At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Identify and describe two STEM-related experiences from your high school years, either in or out of the classroom, and tell us how and why they activated your curiosity. What about them made you want to learn more and explore further? (200 words per experience)

Caltech is looking for specific instances where you were actively engaged in STEM. This can be within a class, a club, a project, a competition, or any other related experience.

As you reflect on which experiences to mention, make sure to those that truly piqued your interest and drove you to delve deeper. It’s one thing to be curious, but taking that next step to learn more showcases initiative, drive, and passion.

Crafting Your Essay

Here are the four steps you want to take as you’re writing.

1. Start with a brief introduction of the experience. Was it a physics class experiment? A coding challenge? A robotics competition?

2. Elaborate on what you did. Be specific. Instead of saying you “worked on a project,” explain that you “designed a water filtration system using charcoal and sand.”

3. Identify the moment or aspect that triggered your curiosity. Was it an unexpected result? A challenging problem? A real-world application?

4. Discuss the steps you took post-experience. Did you read more on the topic? Join a related club? Undertake a new project? Your actions should showcase your drive.

Now, let’s get into some examples!

Caltech STEM Experience Example Essays

In my junior year, our school’s Robotics Club decided to enter the annual Robotics Challenge. From videos of past competitions, it was clear that robots could achieve some pretty amazing things, and we were eager to try our hand. I got the task of programming our robot’s pathfinding, which I thought would be a cool challenge.

Initial tests, however, were not promising. Our robot, which we affectionately dubbed ‘Rover’, seemed to have a mind of its own, often getting lost or stuck in corners. This wasn’t what I expected, and instead of feeling defeated, I got really curious. Why was our algorithm struggling?

After some deep dives online and discussions with our club advisor, I stumbled upon the A* algorithm. It was touted as one of the best for pathfinding. Many late nights were spent poring over code, making adjustments, and running trial after trial.

The moment ‘Rover’ smoothly navigated our test maze was unforgettable. Beyond just the success, this experience opened my eyes to how vast and complex robotics can be. It also sparked a newfound interest in AI and how machines can learn and adapt.

Essay 1 Feedback

This essay feedback was provided by Ivy, CollegeVine’s AI . Try it for free with your own essay!

This experience effectively showcases your problem-solving skills and determination in the field of robotics. Your narrative demonstrates your curiosity and passion for learning about pathfinding algorithms. I would rate this experience a solid 8.5 out of 10. The strength of your description lies in the detailed example and your genuine interest in overcoming the challenge.

• Your experience provides a clear narrative of your involvement in the Robotics Club and the challenge you faced.
• You effectively convey your curiosity and determination to understand and improve the robot’s pathfinding algorithm.
• The experience demonstrates your ability to research, learn, and apply new concepts in a practical situation.

Suggestions

• Consider providing a brief explanation of the A* algorithm and how it improved ‘Rover’s’ pathfinding. This will help the reader understand your discovery better. (Small impact)
• Share any lessons you learned from this experience and how they may have influenced your perspective on robotics or problem-solving. (Small impact)
• Briefly mention how this experience has shaped your future aspirations or interests in the field of robotics, AI, or related areas. (Small impact)

What admissions would take away

Admissions officers would view you as a determined, curious, and resourceful student with a passion for robotics and problem-solving. Your experience demonstrates your ability to research, learn, and apply new concepts in practical situations.

In a chemistry lab during sophomore year, our assignment was to synthesize aspirin. The process, on paper, seemed pretty direct, but science in practice can sometimes be unpredictable. My first result wasn’t the expected pure white but had an off-white hue.

Rather than just accepting it, I was determined to understand why. Had I missed a step or mis-measured an ingredient? I turned to additional resources, beyond our classroom’s scope, and delved into the intricacies of the synthesis process. I found out that there are many variables at play, from temperature control to precise measurements.

Armed with new knowledge, I approached the lab again. With more attention to detail and a better understanding of the reactions, my second attempt was markedly improved.

This wasn’t just a lesson in making aspirin; it underscored how deep and layered even seemingly simple reactions can be. It made me appreciate the precision required in chemistry, especially when thinking about its implications in something as important as drug development.

Overall Feedback

This experience effectively highlights your curiosity and determination in the field of chemistry. It demonstrates your commitment to understanding the underlying processes and your ability to think critically about the subject matter. I would rate this experience an 8 out of 10. The strength of your description lies in the detailed example and your genuine interest in learning.

• Your experience provides a clear narrative of your involvement in the chemistry lab and the challenge you faced.
• You effectively convey your curiosity and determination to understand the intricacies of the synthesis process.
• The experience demonstrates your willingness to go beyond the classroom to explore complex concepts and apply them in practical situations.
• Explore how your newfound appreciation for precision in chemistry has shaped your perspective on the subject or influenced future projects. (Small impact)
• Share any lessons you learned from this experience and how they may have influenced your approach to chemistry or problem-solving. (Small impact)
• Briefly mention how this experience has shaped your future aspirations or interests in the field of chemistry or related areas. (Small impact)

Admissions officers would view you as a curious, determined, and resourceful student with a passion for learning and problem-solving in chemistry. Your experience demonstrates your ability to go beyond the classroom to explore complex concepts and apply them in practical situations.

• Be Genuine: Authentic experiences where your curiosity was genuinely activated will always come across as more sincere and impactful.
• Show Initiative: Caltech values students who don’t just stop at wondering, but take the initiative to seek answers.
• Proofread: Ensure clarity, coherence, and error-free content. You can use Ivy, CollegeVine’s AI for free feedback. 

Remember, this essay provides Caltech a glimpse into your analytical mind, your curiosity, and your proactive approach to learning.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

National Honor Society (NHS) Essay Examples & Expert Advice

July 8, 2023

Every year, high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors write National Honor Society essays in the hopes of becoming a member. It’s certainly an admirable recognition. Joining the ranks means partaking in an interscholastic tradition alongside future movers and shakers. Past National Honor Society (NHS) members have consisted of Olympians, astronauts, senators, neurosurgeons, Nobel prize winners, Navy admirals, and more. Some of the more celebrity-famous NHS-ers include journalist Katie Couric, writer, and comedian Tina Fey, and poet Robert Warren Penn. Former first lady Michelle Obama, of course. Even Taylor Swift joined the NHS in high school. You can bet her songwriting skills came in handy for the National Honor Society essay. Intimidated? Don’t be. View our NHS essay example below as well as our more general advice for the National Honor Society essay.

Before composing your own NHS essay, you may want to ask yourself, “Why should I join NHS ?” Your answer to this question will help determine if, and how, you should craft a relevant NHS essay.

The NHS in Brief

It all began with a high school principal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who founded the National Honor Society in 1921. Today, this hundred-and-two-year-old society boasts local chapters in all 50 U.S. states and territories. It also has chapters in American and international schools abroad. Membership, open to select high school students, can open doors to interesting service and leadership opportunities. In fact, service and leadership form the cornerstone of NHS.

The one million plus students who participate in the NHS yearly have service and leadership in common. That’s because the NHS requires demonstrated community service, and demonstrated leadership. It also requires a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (though this number varies depending on the chapter) and demonstrated good character. You’ll want to check your local chapter’s specific guidelines when beginning the NHS application.

Other reasons to join the NHS include gaining access to the NHS network, an array of college planning tools, and the chance to apply for hefty scholarships. These perks naturally make for a competitive acceptance rate. So, the best way to make your application stand out involves crafting a stunning NHS essay. Here’s how.

Quick Tips for Drafting the National Honor Society Essay

1) Structure your NHS essay around the NHS Pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. A high GPA acts as an indicator of your “scholarship”, or dedication to academia. This pillar must appear in your essay as well, in the form of impeccable writing skills. Demonstrate your service and leadership through the content of your essay. In other words, service and leadership form the action, or plot, of your essay. Finally, infuse your character throughout your essay, by showing how your behavior indicates your values and integrity.

2) Write from your heart, and make your NHS essay personal. The most memorable essays rely on a sincere writing voice and contain personal details. But note that by “personal,” I don’t mean you must share your deepest secrets. Rather, ground an event in your own experience by incorporating your emotions, thoughts, and sensations. This will make your essay unique to you.

3) Weave together a story; don’t make a list. As you tell your story, pull from your strongest experiences. Perhaps you have a handful of leadership and service roles. Pick only a few that say something about your interests and personality, and develop your story by threading these ideas together. While a list might look impressive, a story will come across as better crafted and more captivating. If, however, none of your service activities seem significant enough to single out and describe on their own, weave these activities together through a theme. For example, the theme could be how you overcame shyness to lead.

Quick Tips for Drafting the National Honor Society Essay, Continued

4) Mind your audience. In this case, your audience is your school’s faculty member who’s taken on the role of chapter adviser. You may want to meet with them ahead of time to let them know you’re applying. This initiative on your part will look impressive. Moreover, you can ask in person what they look for in an NHS essay. Certainly, they’ll want to know how you stand out from the other applicants. So, you’ll also want to keep your competition in mind. As with college application essays, the tone of your NHS essay should be polite, formal, and charismatic.

5) Brainstorm, draft, edit, and repeat. A National Honor Society essay isn’t written overnight. Once you have your initial ideas down on paper, return to the page for a round of editing. Ask yourself where you can expand and where you sound redundant. Look for common threads and themes to enhance. Create transition sentences between paragraphs. Revise your conclusion. Next, show your essay to someone you trust. Their feedback will indicate where your essay excels and where you need to improve.

NHS Essay Example

My grandmother, or Ma-Maw , was the kind of generous busybody who made six different pies for her granddaughters’ birthdays. She invited everyone on the block, so nothing went to waste. Once, when we both went to shovel up the last slice of pie, she laughed, and said, “ noblesse oblige .” She often spoke French, a Louisiana French foreign yet familiar to me. I didn’t think to ask what she’d meant. Did she think I was noble? Was that why I got to scarf down the last of the cherry pie?

Ma-Maw died the summer before I entered high school. I missed her terribly, long after my parents sold her house. Receiving her redirected mail felt like a blow. So many newsletters from Friends of the New Orleans Public Library! Since I loved books as much as Ma-Maw, I opened these up. Inside, I read about a partnership program, Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR). They needed in-person volunteers to tutor second- and third-graders in reading.

Before I knew it, I was cracking open vocabulary books twice a week with a kid named Harper. When I wasn’t tutoring, I was lesson planning, going over Harper’s writing journal, and scouring shelves for more early reader books. This got me thinking about literacy in New Orleans. 39% of high school students my age have the reading level of a 5 th grader—or worse. Harper lived in a part of town that didn’t even have bookstores. Would she keep up her reading once the tutoring was over, despite the odds? I also thought about representation and accessibility. If Harper had more books about people like her, and if those books were all over the place, and easy to take home, would things change?

NHS Essay Example, Continued

Due to this newfound interest in advocating for literacy, I decided to build a Free Little Library (FLL). To do so, I needed help. That spring, I founded a school club, Reading the World, and convinced 8 members to join. Together, we dismantled one of Ma-Maw’s kitchen cabinets and incorporated other used materials to build an upcycled stand that could fit 20 books.

Next, we got in touch with the program Read for Color, which helps make BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other diverse and marginalized voices heard. I believe their initiative parallels our own, which is to provide a diversity of voices through language itself. Our FLL features books in Cajun French and Creole and works in translation. With permission, we installed the FLL outside Ma-Maw’s old home. For its inauguration, our club invited the local organizations Youth Empowerment Project, One Book One New Orleans, and Read in Color. We plan to collaborate with these groups next year.

Now a sophomore, I’ve continued literacy advocacy by volunteering at Alliance Française events. This has given me new ideas about how to run Reading the World. I’ve added monthly book club events. Furthermore, every club member tutors a STAIR student. Finally, we’ll visit local senior homes at Thanksgiving and Christmas and read to the residents.

Ma-Maw would be happy to hear I won the L’Union Française’s Prix d’Excellence this year. She’d be even more thrilled to see how I’ve shared her love of reading with my community. Now I understand noblesse oblige : if you believe you are someone of noble character, then you must act accordingly. This NHS motto was easy for Ma-Maw to follow. She gave everything and led by example. I plan to follow in her footsteps. It would be an immense honor to do so through the National Honor Society.

NHS Essay Example, Dissected

This National Honor Society essay succeeds for many reasons. First, the student structures her essay around the theme of language and literacy. (Perhaps she also captains her softball team and volunteers for the Red Cross. But the student has correctly judged that these elements would distract from her story.) Rather than list her achievements and service, the student builds every element into a journey. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It shows how the student evolved to be someone who wants to make a difference. The ending completes the story by circling back to the beginning, through the idea of “noblesse oblige.” The student also manages to state clearly her thesis: she deserves acceptance into the National Honor Society.

This student’s story also centers around an emotional current, that of the student’s grandmother. The reader wants to invest in the story more because of this emotional aspect. Literacy is clearly not a random activity, but a meaningful one for the student. Including a role model allows the student to avoid bragging by transferring her praise to her grandmother.

Finally, the tone of the essay is formal (“It would be an immense honor”). Meanwhile, the unique voice of the student comes through (“We both went to shovel up the last slice of pie”). She accurately cites the names of the organizations she’s involved with and uses specificity (such as her grandmother’s kitchen cabinets) to draw the reader in.

Finished Your National Honor Society Essay?

Hopefully, you found our NHS essay example to be helpful. Now, feel free to check out our list of academic contests for more ways to boost your academic profile.

• High School Success

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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National Geographic Education Blog

Bring the spirit of exploration to your classroom.

We’re a Young Explorer and a Scientist, and These Are Our Ocean Stories. What’s Yours?

We’ve teamed up with Esri to officially launch the 2021 ArcGIS StoryMaps Challenge for Restoring Our Ocean . If you’re in high school, college, or otherwise between 18 and 24 years of age we invite you to participate by integrating maps, data, and multimedia content with text to share a narrative about the world’s greatest challenges and inspire us all to find solutions.

National Geographic Young Explorer Shelby O’Neil and Chief Scientist of Esri, Dawn Wright , two of the judges for the challenge, developed a passion for the ocean early in their lives. That passion has guided their work in education, conservation, and mapping. We connected with Shelby and Dawn about what excites them so much about StoryMaps. Read the conversation below, then enter the challenge by creating your own impactful story about ocean health.

National Geographic Society (NG): When in your life did you realize the urgency of ocean conservation and education?

Shelby O’Neil (SO) : When I was in middle school, I learned about keystone species and their importance to our ecosystems. In the process, I learned about the importance of balance in our oceans and saw the drastic unnatural conditions we were creating. From that moment on I was fascinated by the idea that human creations—such as plastic—can take on a life of their own, to the point where they start to negatively affect us even though we created them. 

NG: When did you realize the power of mapping?

Dawn Wright (DW) : I realized the true power of mapping as an eight-year-old girl. I was completely enchanted by Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island . One of the pillars of the story is Captain Flint’s treasure map. Ironically, the details of the map are never actually revealed. It is the sheer idea of the map’s existence, and the possibilities of what it could lead to, that drives Long John Silver and the other characters to the point of obsession. For me, that was incredibly powerful!

I majored in geology as an undergraduate and oceanography in graduate school. During my first round of graduate studies at Texas A&M, I came across a map to my future: the 1977 World Ocean Floor Panorama by Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen. It was the first map in history to hint at the full scope of what lies beneath the ocean.

I fell more deeply in love with this map when I learned the life story of Marie Tharp. As a researcher at Columbia University in the 1950s and ’60s, she began the world’s first systematic, comprehensive attempt to map the ocean floor. To do so, she translated millions of ocean-sounding records into a single drawing and discovered a rift valley that informed the theory of plate tectonics. For years her contributions were left out of historical accounts because she was a woman, but now Tharp is considered the inventor of marine cartography.

NG: Some people disconnect science from storytelling. What would you say to them? What impact have you seen from connecting the two?

DW : I would say never to disconnect the two if you can help it! In particular, I think sharing your own personal story is crucial as a scientist. Scientists should be willing to share more of themselves, in line with their comfort level, beyond the methodologies and data. As you share more of your own story, people may come to you for advice or inspiration.

StoryMaps have emerged as a powerful storytelling platform to leverage the power of GIS to tell stories about important connections among scientists, resource managers, and policymakers. By connecting science with data, StoryMaps allow scientists to inform, educate, and inspire on a wide variety of scientific and policy issues.

SO : Many people seem to view science as if only a select few are or can be involved in the field. In reality, science and scientists are at the forefront of everything upon which our modern world is built. We know details from past generations because advancements in science and human connectedness have helped bridge the gap and fill in missing information. Science and storytelling are vital to combine because they inform us about the past while helping to predict the future. They can also help people connect to causes and stories beyond their personal experience and develop empathy and passion for issues they didn’t know about previously.

NG: Why does the ocean inspire you?

SO : The ocean inspires me because it has seen so much change, from the forming of Earth to massive geological shifts to all of our ancestors breathing air produced by ocean life .  Throughout all of that change, the ocean has stayed resilient to anything we have thrown its way. Now it is our turn to take care of the ocean as it has taken care of us.

NG: How could mapping change the world? How can the power of mapping conserve the ocean?

DW : There is something about a map that opens our eyes in ways that are unparalleled. There are so many of us who have spent minutes or even hours just looking at maps and delighting in personal discoveries. Mapping is also a special kind of language that is truly universal. Mapping can ultimately bring us all together, and that is certainly what we need to change the world.

A data-driven map urges people to see the ocean as a complex system. It allows the viewer to understand why we should save the ocean, where we should start, and what areas are most critically in need of care. Once we see the ocean’s true depth and complexity, we can reduce the risks of exhausting critical resources and improve resource management. More than 80 percent of the ocean floor is unmapped , but to solve issues such as overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and biodiversity loss we need comprehensive ocean maps.

NG: Participating in the StoryMaps Challenge empowers young people to promote ocean conversation. How else can young people contribute to ocean conservation right now?

DW : One of the most beautiful examples of the power young people have to promote ocean conservation is the recent Virtual Early Career Ocean Professional (V.ECOP) event in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It was hosted by and for early-career ocean professionals from around the world and a variety of ocean disciplines. Read all about it on the web and on Twitter , and see the event’s beautiful StoryMap here .

There’s plenty for young people to do to assist with marine conservation. But we need to act now—because if there’s no blue, there’s no green, which means there will eventually be no humans. No kidding!

SO : Growing up in the ocean conservation movement, I realized how much power youth have when they use their voices. However, I think we place an unnecessarily large amount of pressure on youth to be the fixers of any problem society faces today. Youth did not create this large mess of ocean plastics, deregulation, oil spills, and everything else we can see with the naked eye. The power young people have mastered is the ability to call out and form communities around topics they are passionate about, such as ocean conservation, and raise the collective consciousness of society. Young people will take on the challenges of tomorrow, ranging from hard conversations to innovative conservation solutions, because even though we didn’t create this mess we are eager to clean it up. That’s why, when creating Jr Ocean Guardians and the No Straw November challenge, I centered both of them on education to improve the systems passed down to my generation. People are welcome to join the conversation around plastics and ocean conversation at any age!

NG: What would you say to young people who live inland or have never seen the ocean? Why does it matter for them to take action toward ocean conservation?

SO : Inland kids are the most forgotten and overlooked ocean conservation powerhouses in the world. As an inland kid, I felt connected to the ocean in a very different way. I grew up on the Central Coast of California, yet I traveled between inland agriculture fields to go to school. While I didn’t always see the ocean, I felt its impact through an extending marine layer and learned that our weather depended on what rolled in over the hills. I always tell inland kids to find ways to connect themselves with the ocean. This can be as simple as understanding how plastic can migrate through waste systems and end up in the ocean. Having inland ocean advocates matters, as they can help shift the social norm for people who often forget about the ocean.

DW : For many of us, when we think about the ocean, it’s a situation of “out of sight, out of mind.” However, the ocean provides over half the oxygen we breathe. It regulates all of our weather patterns, feeds us, and provides for our energy and economy. My good friend Craig McLean of NOAA often says, “If you enjoy breathing, thank an oceanographer!” He often points out that the observations of oceanographers, in combination with atmospheric and land-based observations, are necessary inputs to Earth system prediction models that in turn drive land-based weather forecasts.

All landmasses on Earth, no matter how big, are surrounded by the ocean or seas and could therefore be considered islands. In this light, there’s less of a distinction between islanders and mainlanders. On an ocean planet, we are all islanders.

NG: How can a story impact the ocean—and the world?

DW : People are moved by emotion, and we know from experience that one of the best ways to capture attention and spark emotional connection is to start with “Once upon a time…” A good story can effect change, influence opinion, and create awareness—and maps are an integral part of that storytelling. A StoryMap can instantly give your narrative a stronger sense of place, illustrate spatial relationships, and add visual appeal and credibility to your ideas.

SO : Stories have the ability to spark empathy and passion in anyone who has the opportunity to hear them. As an art form that connects us all, stories throughout history have fueled excitement and have been the backbone of our evolution as a society. It would be unfortunate to think stories do not possess the power to change the world, as they have shaped the world we live in today. A single story about the ocean can spark a deep dive of personal reflection to better understand our relationship with our planet. The ocean has a vast history full of inspiring stories that could fuel and energize any innovator who looks closely enough. 

NG: Many young people are taking action for social justice in their communities, especially since last year. What would you say to them about the interconnectedness of social justice action and climate action? How is ocean conservation related to social justice?

DW : I am overjoyed that so many young people are taking action for social justice in their communities. I would also say that climate action is already a form of social justice action. Many of us were deeply affected and inspired by the marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s Washington Post essay, “I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet.” She points out that “the sheer magnitude of transforming our energy, transportation, buildings and food systems within a decade, while striving to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions shortly thereafter, is already overwhelming. And Black Americans are disproportionately more likely than whites to be concerned about — and affected by — the climate crisis.” In general, we know communities of color are forced to live in close proximity to polluted sites such as highways, landfills, and toxic waste dumps (including along our coasts and lakes). The quality of our natural world matters for every person and living organism on our planet, and where environmental impact is the greatest, so too is human suffering. 

For many people, the ocean is a sacred place. I was raised in Hawaii and learned in school and from my friends about the ways of Native Polynesians who treasured and protected their coast and ocean. In fact, the direct involvement of Indigenous peoples in the governance and management of marine protected areas needs to receive more attention. Ocean conservation is directly related to the experience of Indigenous peoples of coastal areas, because it can help them maintain their cultural and ecological values.

SO : When people think of the term “environment,” they may envision a setting similar to a national park, a picture of untouched nature separate from their own identity. In reality we are part of the environment, as we all play vital roles in our own ecosystems. However, some environments are more exclusive than inclusive. Social justice being interconnected with climate action provides us an opportunity to self-reflect and understand systemic racism as it relates to environmental development. This intersectional approach explains why a good chunk of the coastline is owned privately rather than maintained as a community space. The battle over non-accessible coastlines is important for several reasons, including that such exclusivity keeps people from experiencing the beach and developing a sense of empathy for such an amazing and vital life force. Most issues cross campaigns, and we sacrifice progress when we pit environmental reform against social justice reform. They are connected, and both are important.

NG: How might creating a StoryMap be an empowering experience for a young person? Why should they take the time to create one?

DW : Well, for one thing, because it’s fun! I’ve found that StoryMaps provide almost instant gratification. There are so many custom tools and widgets to make your map look immediately professional, something to be really proud of. It’s exciting to create a new map or to add text, photos, or videos to existing web maps or web scenes that you can bring into a StoryMap. Everything is super easy to publish and share in a short amount of time (minutes to hours to a few days, depending on the complexity of what you are trying to build). It can be super empowering to share your story via social media and get positive feedback—lots of likes and shares and hopefully quite a bit of impact!

SO : Having the opportunity to create a StoryMap is a beyond-empowering experience, as it allows the young person to be at the forefront of the future while contributing massively to the present. Time invested in creating a StoryMap is not only beneficial to the individual but also the overall science community, making it a more inclusive space for young people.

NG: If you could map any place, what would it be and why?

DW : Of course as “Deepsea Dawn” I would love to map the many, many places on the ocean floor that are still largely unexplored. We are only about 20 percent of the way there in terms of realizing a fully mapped ocean floor at a level of detail similar to land. Having a map of both the depth and shape of the seafloor is critical not only for the full exploration and understanding of this planet that is still our only home, but also for understanding ocean circulation, tides, tsunami forecasting, fishing resources, sediment transport, underwater geo-hazards, cable and pipeline routing (including submarine cables that carry internet traffic), and much more.

SO : I would love to shrink down to snail size and map out a whole field environment to account for every life-form, ranging from soil bacteria to any mammals that may wander through, to better understand that ecosystem’s balance. It would be nice to focus on the small scale to appreciate the larger scope of life.

Join the global conversation about restoring and protecting our ocean by building and submitting an ocean-focused story to the 2021 ArcGIS StoryMaps Challenge for Restoring Our Ocean .

Young people can further their solution-finding by joining the growing #GenGeo movement—a global community of young people with an insatiable drive to build a sustainable future and thriving planet.

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Personal Essay Topics

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• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

A personal essay is an essay about your life, thoughts, or experiences. This type of essay will give readers a glimpse into your most intimate life experiences and life lessons. There are many reasons you may need to write a personal essay , from a simple class assignment to a college application requirement . You can use the list below for inspiration. Consider each statement a starting point, and write about a memorable moment that the prompt brings to mind.

• Your bravest moment
• How you met your best friend
• What makes your mom or dad special
• How you overcame a fear
• Why you will succeed
• Why you made a difficult choice
• A special place
• A place you try to avoid
• When a friend let you down
• An event that changed your life
• A special encounter with an animal
• A time when you felt out of place
• An odd experience that didn't make sense at the time
• Words of wisdom that hit home and changed your way of thinking
• A person that you do not like
• A time when you disappointed someone
• Your fondest memory
• A time when you saw your parent cry
• The moment when you knew you were grown up
• Your earliest memory of holiday celebrations in your home
• Times when you should have made a better choice
• A time when you dodged a dangerous situation
• A person you will think about at the end of your life
• Your favorite time period
• A failure you've experienced
• A disappointment you've experienced
• A surprising turn of events
• What you would do with power
• What superpower you would choose
• If you could switch lives with someone
• How money matters in your life
• Your biggest loss
• A time when you felt you did the wrong thing
• A proud moment when you did the right thing
• An experience that you've never shared with another person
• A special place that you shared with a childhood friend
• A first encounter with a stranger
• Your first handshake
• Where you go to hide
• If you had a do-over
• A book that changed your life
• Words that stung
• When you had the desire to run
• When you had the urge to crawl into a hole
• Words that prompted hope
• When a child taught you a lesson
• Your proudest moment
• If your dog could talk
• Your favorite time with family
• If you could live in another country
• If you could invent something
• The world a hundred years from now
• If you had lived a hundred years earlier
• The animal you'd like to be
• One thing you'd change at your school
• The greatest movie moment
• The type of teacher you would be
• If you could be a building
• A statue you'd like to see
• If you could live anywhere
• The greatest discovery
• If you could change one thing about yourself
• An animal that could be in charge
• Something you can do that robots could never do
• Your most unfortunate day
• Your secret talent
• Your secret love
• The most beautiful thing you've ever seen
• The ugliest thing you've seen
• Something you've witnessed
• An accident that changed everything
• A wrong choice
• A right choice
• If you were a food
• How you'd spend a million dollars
• If you could start a charity
• The meaning of color
• A close call
• Your favorite gift
• A chore you'd do away with
• A secret place
• Something you can't resist
• A hard lesson
• A visitor you'll never forget
• An unexplained event
• Your longest minute
• An awkward social moment
• An experience with death
• Why you'll never tell a lie
• If your mom knew, she'd kill you
• A kiss that meant a lot
• When you needed a hug
• The hardest news you've had to deliver
• A special morning
• How to Write a Narrative Essay or Speech
• 4th Grade Writing Prompts
• Writing Prompts for 7th Grade
• What Is an Autobiography?
• How to Ace Your University of Wisconsin Personal Statements
• 7 Law School Personal Statement Topic Ideas
• Expository Essay Genre With Suggested Prompts
• Tips for the Pre-2013 Personal Essay Options on the Common Application
• 40 "Back From Christmas Break" Writing Prompts
• Second Grade Writing Prompts
• 50 Topics for Impromptu Student Speeches
• 24 Journal Prompts for Creative Writing in the Elementary Classroom
• Writing Prompts for Elementary School Students
• Tips for Writing an Essay on an Event That Led to Personal Growth
• Do You Know What to Do If You Fail a Test in College?
• First Grade Writing Prompts

Scholarship Essays

National Merit Scholarship Essay Example 2 - Influential Person or Obstacle

To help the reviewers get to know you, describe an experience you have had, a person who has influenced you, or an obstacle you have overcome. explain why this is meaningful to you.

Hot, salty tears continuously run down my dirt-streaked face and cling to the tip of my nose. I can feel the flush of blood run to my cheeks in embarrassment. All I can think is, "I am so patheticly weak!" I can feel my stomach aching, and I know, if it hadn't already, my breakfast would be coming back. My limbs feel like giant rubber hoses, with no life in them. There is no will in me to move from my current position, with my knees curled to my chest, and my face in the dirt.

The sun is beating down on my back with sharp lances of sunlight. "Come on, get up." I hear from far away to my left. it is not unkind, but I have no inclination to obey it. "You can do it. Mind over matter." The voice is getting closer to my ear, but still my resolve to do anything has vanished. Suddenly, there she is, knelt on the ground so she can put her face directly in front of mine. "Almost done! You can do it, just finish! Always finish!" In my mind, though, I know I'll never be able to finish the last eight miles of our marathon.

Without quite realizing it, I allow my coach to help me to my feet. Her face breaks out into an incredulous grin. My mind doesnt even function enough to wonder how she can manage to smile, or stand after the first eighteen miles. Coach T resumes spewing her never-ending monologue of encouragements, all while running next to me, until finally, the unthinkable happens. We cross the finish line.

Finishing those twenty-six miles was undoubtedly the most rewarding and satisfying moment of my life. Never before have I needed so much focus or determination. Yet I know that without Coach T there to help me, I would never have finished. She has been so much more than just my high school volleyball coach; she has helped me learn things that no other person ever could. She taught me that quitting anything is never an option, but most importantly, she taught me that i can do anything if I sincerely try. And I have carried that lesson with me everywhere since.

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My First Camping Experience

• Category: Life , Travelling
• Topic: Camping

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