an experience in my life essay

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How to Write a Life Story Essay

Last Updated: April 14, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alicia Cook . Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness. She holds a BA in English and Journalism from Georgian Court University and an MBA from Saint Peter’s University. Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. She was named by Teen Vogue as one of the 10 social media poets to know and her poetry mixtape, “Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately” was a finalist in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 101,498 times.

A life story essay involves telling the story of your life in a short, nonfiction format. It can also be called an autobiographical essay. In this essay, you will tell a factual story about some element of your life, perhaps for a college application or for a school assignment.

Preparing to Write Your Essay

• If you are writing a personal essay for a college application, it should serve to give the admissions committee a sense of who you are, beyond the basics of your application file. Your transcript, your letters of recommendation, and your resume will provide an overview of your work experience, interests, and academic record. Your essay allows you to make your application unique and individual to you, through your personal story. [2] X Research source
• The essay will also show the admissions committee how well you can write and structure an essay. Your essay should show you can create a meaningful piece of writing that interests your reader, conveys a unique message, and flows well.
• If you are writing a life story for a specific school assignment, such as in a composition course, ask your teacher about the assignment requirements.

• Include important events, such as your birth, your childhood and upbringing, and your adolescence. If family member births, deaths, marriages, and other life moments are important to your story, write those down as well.
• Focus on experiences that made a big impact on you and remain a strong memory. This may be a time where you learned an important life lesson, such as failing a test or watching someone else struggle and succeed, or where you felt an intense feeling or emotion, such as grief over someone’s death or joy over someone’s triumph.

• Have you faced a challenge in your life that you overcame, such as family struggles, health issues, a learning disability, or demanding academics?
• Do you have a story to tell about your cultural or ethnic background, or your family traditions?
• Have you dealt with failure or life obstacles?
• Do you have a unique passion or hobby?
• Have you traveled outside of your community, to another country, city, or area? What did you take away from the experience and how will you carry what you learned into a college setting?

• Remind yourself of your accomplishments by going through your resume. Think about any awards or experiences you would like spotlight in your essay. For example, explaining the story behind your Honor Roll status in high school, or how you worked hard to receive an internship in a prestigious program.
• Remember that your resume or C.V. is there to list off your accomplishments and awards, so your life story shouldn't just rehash them. Instead, use them as a jumping-off place to explain the process behind them, or what they reflect (or do not reflect) about you as a person.

• The New York Times publishes stellar examples of high school life story essays each year. You can read some of them on the NYT website. [8] X Research source

Writing Your Essay

• For example, you may look back at your time in foster care as a child or when you scored your first paying job. Consider how you handled these situations and any life lessons you learned from these lessons. Try to connect past experiences to who you are now, or who you aspire to be in the future.
• Your time in foster care, for example, may have taught you resilience, perseverance and a sense of curiosity around how other families function and live. This could then tie into your application to a Journalism program, as the experience shows you have a persistent nature and a desire to investigate other people’s stories or experiences.

• Certain life story essays have become cliche and familiar to admission committees. Avoid sports injuries stories, such as the time you injured your ankle in a game and had to find a way to persevere. You should also avoid using an overseas trip to a poor, foreign country as the basis for your self transformation. This is a familiar theme that many admission committees will consider cliche and not unique or authentic. [11] X Research source
• Other common, cliche topics to avoid include vacations, "adversity" as an undeveloped theme, or the "journey". [12] X Research source

• Try to phrase your thesis in terms of a lesson learned. For example, “Although growing up in foster care in a troubled neighborhood was challenging and difficult, it taught me that I can be more than my upbringing or my background through hard work, perseverance, and education.”
• You can also phrase your thesis in terms of lessons you have yet to learn, or seek to learn through the program you are applying for. For example, “Growing up surrounded by my mother’s traditional cooking and cultural habits that have been passed down through the generations of my family, I realized I wanted to discover and honor the traditions of other, ancient cultures with a career in archaeology.”
• Both of these thesis statements are good because they tell your readers exactly what to expect in clear detail.

• An anecdote is a very short story that carries moral or symbolic weight. It can be a poetic or powerful way to start your essay and engage your reader right away. You may want to start directly with a retelling of a key past experience or the moment you realized a life lesson.
• For example, you could start with a vivid memory, such as this from an essay that got its author into Harvard Business School: "I first considered applying to Berry College while dangling from a fifty-food Georgia pine tree, encouraging a high school classmate, literally, to make a leap of faith." [15] X Research source This opening line gives a vivid mental picture of what the author was doing at a specific, crucial moment in time and starts off the theme of "leaps of faith" that is carried through the rest of the essay.
• Another great example clearly communicates the author's emotional state from the opening moments: "Through seven-year-old eyes I watched in terror as my mother grimaced in pain." This essay, by a prospective medical school student, goes on to tell about her experience being at her brother's birth and how it shaped her desire to become an OB/GYN. The opening line sets the scene and lets you know immediately what the author was feeling during this important experience. It also resists reader expectations, since it begins with pain but ends in the joy of her brother's birth.
• Avoid using a quotation. This is an extremely cliche way to begin an essay and could put your reader off immediately. If you simply must use a quotation, avoid generic quotes like “Spread your wings and fly” or “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’”. Choose a quotation that relates directly to your experience or the theme of your essay. This could be a quotation from a poem or piece of writing that speaks to you, moves you, or helped you during a rough time.

• Always use the first person in a personal essay. The essay should be coming from you and should tell the reader directly about your life experiences, with “I” statements.
• For example, avoid something such as “I had a hard time growing up. I was in a bad situation.” You can expand this to be more distinct, but still carry a similar tone and voice. “When I was growing up in foster care, I had difficulties connecting with my foster parents and with my new neighborhood. At the time, I thought I was in a bad situation I would never be able to be free from.”

• For example, consider this statement: "I am a good debater. I am highly motivated and have been a strong leader all through high school." This gives only the barest detail, and does not allow your reader any personal or unique information that will set you apart from the ten billion other essays she has to sift through.
• In contrast, consider this one: "My mother says I'm loud. I say you have to speak up to be heard. As president of my high school's debate team for the past three years, I have learned to show courage even when my heart is pounding in my throat. I have learned to consider the views of people different than myself, and even to argue for them when I passionately disagree. I have learned to lead teams in approaching complicated issues. And, most importantly for a formerly shy young girl, I have found my voice." This example shows personality, uses parallel structure for impact, and gives concrete detail about what the author has learned from her life experience as a debater.

• An example of a passive sentence is: “The cake was eaten by the dog.” The subject (the dog) is not in the expected subject position (first) and is not "doing" the expected action. This is confusing and can often be unclear.
• An example of an active sentence is: “The dog ate the cake.” The subject (the dog) is in the subject position (first), and is doing the expected action. This is much more clear for the reader and is a stronger sentence.

• Lead the reader INTO your story with a powerful beginning, such as an anecdote or a quote.
• Take the reader THROUGH your story with the context and key parts of your experience.
• End with the BEYOND message about how the experience has affected who you are now and who you want to be in college and after college.

Editing Your Essay

• For example, a sentence like “I struggled during my first year of college, feeling overwhelmed by new experiences and new people” is not very strong because it states the obvious and does not distinguish you are unique or singular. Most people struggle and feel overwhelmed during their first year of college. Adjust sentences like this so they appear unique to you.
• For example, consider this: “During my first year of college, I struggled with meeting deadlines and assignments. My previous home life was not very structured or strict, so I had to teach myself discipline and the value of deadlines.” This relates your struggle to something personal and explains how you learned from it.

• It can be difficult to proofread your own work, so reach out to a teacher, a mentor, a family member, or a friend and ask them to read over your essay. They can act as first readers and respond to any proofreading errors, as well as the essay as a whole.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://education.seattlepi.com/write-thesis-statement-autobiographical-essay-1686.html
• ↑ https://study.com/learn/lesson/autobiography-essay-examples-steps.html
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201101/writing-compelling-life-story-in-500-words-or-less
• ↑ Alicia Cook. Professional Writer. Expert Interview. 11 December 2020.
• ↑ https://mycustomessay.com/blog/how-to-write-an-autobiography-essay.html
• ↑ https://www.ahwatukee.com/community_focus/article_c79b33da-09a5-11e3-95a8-001a4bcf887a.html
• ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/10/your-money/four-stand-out-college-essays-about-money.html
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY9AdFx0L4s
• ↑ https://www.medina-esc.org/Downloads/Practical%20Advice%20Writing%20College%20App%20Essay.pdf
• ↑ http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-harvard-business-school-essays-2012-11?op=1
• ↑ http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/passive_sentences.htm

About This Article

A life story essay is an essay that tells the story of your life in a short, nonfiction format. Start by coming up with a thesis statement, which will help you structure your essay. For example, your thesis could be about the influence of your family's culture on your life or how you've grown from overcoming challenging circumstances. You can include important life events that link to your thesis, like jobs you’ve worked, friendships that have influenced you, or sports competitions you’ve won. Consider starting your essay with an anecdote that introduces your thesis. For instance, if you're writing about your family's culture, you could start by talking about the first festival you went to and how it inspired you. Finish by writing about how the experiences have affected you and who you want to be in the future. For more tips from our Education co-author, including how to edit your essay effectively, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Essays About Life Challenges: Top 5 Examples and 6 Prompts

Essays about life challenges let us share our valuable experiences and lessons in life. See our top examples and prompts to assist you in writing your essay.

Life challenges envelop the obstacles we face to reach where we are now. These personal crises we had to deal with have left us with lessons we can use to grow as people and have better lives. Essays that tackle this subject help us reflect on our experiences so we can remember our failures, celebrate our successes, and appreciate our growth. You can also check out these essays about life .

5 Essay Examples

1. african refugees life challenges by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 2. overcoming challenges in my life: dyslexia by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 3. a self-reflection of my life challenges, motivation, and persistence to achieve my goals by terence hampton, 4. young generation’s challenges in life and career by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 5. role of challenges in identification of purposes in life by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 1. before and after life challenges, 2. extreme life challenges and mental health, 3. the role of family when dealing with life challenges, 4. life challenges at work, 5. the different effects of life challenges, 6. overcoming life challenges.

“The refugees are allowed to live in these camps and receive emergency food and medical care until they feel it is secure enough for them to go back to their domiciles or until they are reunited with their people living out of the campers.” 

This essay gives readers an insight into the everyday challenges of refugees living in a camp. The author describes their situation in detail to let the readers understand their suffering and how difficult it is to be away from their homes. The essay further includes relevant statistics and studies to showcase the astounding number of refugees worldwide, including how they became refugees. 

Refugee camps still exist today, intending to relieve refugees from their challenging situations. Creating a challenging environment for many refugees living in this situation. You might be interested in these essays about cause and effect .

“As a child, I can remember when people were reassuring me that I was such a bright and outgoing kid. But there were times that I didn’t feel that way. I’ve always thought they were wrong about me and just trying to get my self-esteem up… ”

In this essay, the author shares their difficulties with having dyslexia, noting how growing up with this disability put them through overwhelming pressure and unpleasant situations that made them self-conscious. Their disability triggered many emotions that made them constantly embarrassed or panicky. 

However, the writer recognizes how their disability helped them improve their communication skills and reflects on how their challenging time at school molded them into who they are today. You can also check out these essays about conflict and essays about stress .

“I refuse to let adversity crush me because that would mean that my family and I would have done all this suffering for nothing. I do not live in vain, I live for a purpose and that is to inspire people to be more than what they think they are capable of. No day is promised, but the future is always full of possibilities.”

Hampton starts this essay by recognizing how life continuously throws him challenges. Still, he decides to only reflect on the most significant impact on his character, namely, his brother’s arrest, his twin brother Dante’s disability, and his father’s death. Throughout the piece, Hampton narrates these obstacles, letting the readers know what they made him feel and how they affected him as an individual. 

When he thinks back to these difficulties, he realizes what his objectives should be, encouraging him to be a better person. Hampton tells his readers that these challenges inspire him to reach his goals. Check out these essays about life lessons .

“Being the age of twenty-four years, I have encountered and seen the various challenges that many youths in this generation are experiencing. The list of challenges facing the youth in the current generation is endless with most of them having great impacts on the entire globe.”

As a young person, the author lets the audience in on the challenges they face and centers the essay around the hurdles youth are expected to deal with. The writer focuses on the difficulty of gaining employment despite years of formal training. This essay looks at current challenges facing today’s youth and how to overcome them.

“When you are faced with a challenge, especially one that pushes your limits, you sometimes behave differently. I’m not sure how to explain it…but there is occasionally a moment when you feel absolutely drained — like you can’t take one more step or your arms are about to fail you — but if you have the right mindset you can pull the strength you need from a part of you that is not commonly used.”

This essay focuses on how challenges can be used to enhance self-identification. The author explains how difficulties in life are commonly related to experiential learning, which helps people reflect, grow, and change. The author also believes that the most challenging times bring out the bravest in us, and the more we get used to these challenges, the more we develop our “superhero power.” 

6 Prompts for Essays About Life Challenges

Begin your essay by sharing a personal experience about a life-changing challenge you had to endure. Reminisce about your life before this occurred, and delve into how you felt during the challenge, then describe overcoming the challenge and how it shaped you. You can split your essay into three sections to dedicate thought to each part of the process. Make sure to use descriptive language and share your feelings with the reader for an engaging piece of writing.

The effects of life challenges differ for each person. For this prompt, research severe life challenges that can significantly damage an individual and add relevant statistics that prove these cases. These occurrences include childhood abuse, long-term stress, and social isolation. Conduct research and describe how experiencing these challenges can result in mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Tip: Make sure to cite research from credible sources. 

Our upbringing shapes how we confront challenges and find resolutions. These lessons are communicated through events we are exposed to as children and young adults. In this essay, describe the ways that different upbringings can impact our ability to cope with challenges. 

For example, a child who grew up in a family where anger was used to resolve challenges may be more likely to deal with their own challenges in a negative way, resulting in anger and anxiety. Look for studies that support this prompt and identify the importance of a family unit in a child’s reaction to life challenges. Check out our 20 engaging essay topics about family .

To narrow down the subject for your essay, focus on an aspect of an individual’s life they can’t remove, such as livelihood. Use this prompt to open a discussion about the challenges people face in their workplace and find cases that illustrate these difficulties. 

For example, there are 48.6 million Americans who have experienced workplace bullying. Delve into the reasons for these issues and offer possible solutions.

Overcoming tough challenges in life may lead to positive or negative results. Divide your essay into two parts, list the pros and cons of dealing with everyday life challenges, and add relevant factors that lead to those outcomes. 

Here’s an example: After the death of a loved one, an individual will learn how to deal with the pain and continue living their life with a stronger faith. On the other hand, they may succumb to sadness and become depressed.

For this prompt, choose a specific life challenge you had to deal with and how you addressed the situation. Narrate the difficulties you needed to manage during that time and ensure to highlight the qualities or values you used to overcome them.

Following the previous point’s example, if you have experienced losing a close relative, your struggles could include consoling your family and yourself while needing to oversee how the deceased’s funeral and estate are handled. You can describe how you overcame this challenge by remaining composed and wise throughout the ordeal. 

Looking for more? Check out our guide on how to write essays about depression .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, using personal experiences in college essays.

Hey everyone, just wondering how much I should focus on personal stories or experiences in my college essays. Got any examples of personal essays that really stood out and got someone accepted to a top school?

When it comes to writing college essays, incorporating personal stories and experiences can be incredibly effective in highlighting your unique qualities and demonstrating your personality and perspective.

Admissions officers want to get to know the person behind the application, so it's essential that you showcase elements of your life that shaped who you are today. Here are a few tips on how to effectively use personal experiences in your college essays:

1. Focus on a meaningful event: Choose an experience or situation that left a significant impact on you. This could be a specific challenge you faced, a time when you grew personally, or an instance when you demonstrated tremendous resilience.

2. Reflect on your growth: It's crucial to showcase not only the experience itself but also how you've grown, changed, or learned from it. Reflect on the lessons you took away from the event and how they've influenced your life or mindset.

3. Be authentic: Don't feel pressured to write about something extravagant or dramatic. Sometimes, the most meaningful experiences come from everyday moments, so it's essential to stay true to your personal narrative.

4. Show, don't tell: When describing your personal experience, paint a vivid picture for the reader by using descriptive language and including specific details. This will make your story more engaging and help the reader feel more connected to your narrative.

One well-known example of an effective personal essay comes from a student who was admitted to Stanford University. The essay featured an engaging story about the student's love for Costco stores. Rather than just stating their fascination with Costco, the applicant wove an entertaining narrative detailing their visits to the store and connected the experience to their curiosity and desire to learn.

The essay was successful because it showcased the student's unique perspective, genuine enthusiasm, and relatability through an otherwise mundane experience. By focusing on a personal anecdote and connecting it to their own intellectual curiosity, the applicant was able to convey their authentic personality and stand out from the competition.

To sum up, using personal experiences in your college essays can be an effective way to demonstrate your personality, growth, and unique perspective. Make sure to focus on a meaningful event, reflect on your growth, be authentic, and show rather than tell to craft a memorable and engaging essay.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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My Life Essay - 100, 200, 500 Words

Life is the state of being alive and the experience of living. It is a characteristic that distinguishes physical entities with biological processes, such as growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli, from those without such processes. Life is a complex and diverse phenomenon that encompasses a wide range of forms and functions. Life can be found in every corner of the earth, from the tiniest microorganisms to the largest animals. It is a precious and fragile thing, and scientists continue to study and understand more about the intricacies of life every day.

100 Words on My Life Essay

200 words on my life essay, 500 words on my life essay.

My life has been a journey of growth and learning. From a young age, I have always been curious and eager to explore the world around me. I have had many experiences that have shaped who I am today. Growing up in a small town gave me a sense of community and belonging while also allowing me to develop a love for nature and the outdoors.

My education has also played a significant role in shaping my life. I have always been a dedicated student and have worked hard to achieve my goals. I have learned valuable lessons about perseverance and determination, and I have been able to apply these lessons to other areas of my life.

My life has been a journey full of ups and downs, but overall it has been a fulfilling and meaningful experience.

Routine of My Daily Life

I am a student, and I have always been passionate about learning. My daily routine starts with waking up early in the morning, and I usually wake up at 6 am. I get dressed and have my breakfast, which generally includes cereal or toast with some fruit. After breakfast, I spend some time reviewing my notes and studying for my upcoming exams.

I then head off to school, where I spend most of my day attending classes and participating in various activities. I am involved in several extracurricular activities, such as sports, debate teams and volunteering which keeps me busy and active. After school, I come back home and spend some time doing my homework and finishing any pending assignments.

Overall, my life is filled with a balance of work and play. I am always busy, but I make sure to make time for the things that matter most to me. I believe that life is about making the most of every opportunity and making the most of every moment. I am grateful for the experiences that I have had, and I am excited about the future.

Life is a journey full of ups and downs, opportunities, and challenges. It is unique for everyone and it is something that we all have to experience on our own. As a student, my life is currently focused on school and my future aspirations. There have been some important moments in my life that I will always remember, and I am always looking for ways to improve my life.

Memorable Life Experiences

One of the most important moments in my life was when I received my first acceptance letter from a university. It was a moment of pride and accomplishment, and it made me feel like all of my hard work had finally paid off. This moment inspired me to work even harder and to strive for success in all of my future endeavours.

Another important moment that made me incredibly proud was when I received the first prize in an inter-school science competition. I had been working on my project for months, conducting experiments, analysing data, and perfecting my presentation. The competition was fierce, with students from all over the city presenting their projects.

How I Felt | When my name was called as the winner, I was overwhelmed with emotion. All of my hard work and dedication had paid off, and I was being recognized for my achievements. The audience erupted into applause, and I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that I will never forget.

Despite these positive moments, there have also been challenges that I have had to face. One of the biggest challenges I have faced is balancing my schoolwork and extracurricular activities. It can be difficult to find the time to study, participate in sports and clubs, and still have time for my friends and family. However, I have learned that time management and prioritisation are important skills to have, and I am always working to improve in these areas.

Moving forward, I have many aspirations for my future. I hope to continue my education and obtain a degree in a field that I am passionate about. I also want to travel the world and experience different cultures, and to use my education and skills to make a positive impact on others.

Volunteer Activities

I have also been involved in several volunteer activities, and I have found them to be incredibly rewarding. I have volunteered for various causes, such as helping out at homeless shelters and working with underprivileged children. It has given me a sense of purpose, and it has made me realise the importance of giving back to society.

In order to achieve my goals, I know that I need to continue to work hard and to be proactive. I want to stay focused and determined, and to never give up on my dreams. I also want to continue to learn and grow, and to always be open to new opportunities and experiences.

My life has been a journey that has been full of memorable experiences. I have had my fair share of ups and downs, but I have learned to appreciate and make the most of every moment. I am grateful for the people in my life, and I am excited to see what the future holds.

Explore Career Options (By Industry)

• Construction
• Entertainment
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• Information Technology

Data Administrator

Database professionals use software to store and organise data such as financial information, and customer shipping records. Individuals who opt for a career as data administrators ensure that data is available for users and secured from unauthorised sales. DB administrators may work in various types of industries. It may involve computer systems design, service firms, insurance companies, banks and hospitals.

Bio Medical Engineer

The field of biomedical engineering opens up a universe of expert chances. An Individual in the biomedical engineering career path work in the field of engineering as well as medicine, in order to find out solutions to common problems of the two fields. The biomedical engineering job opportunities are to collaborate with doctors and researchers to develop medical systems, equipment, or devices that can solve clinical problems. Here we will be discussing jobs after biomedical engineering, how to get a job in biomedical engineering, biomedical engineering scope, and salary. 

Ethical Hacker

A career as ethical hacker involves various challenges and provides lucrative opportunities in the digital era where every giant business and startup owns its cyberspace on the world wide web. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path try to find the vulnerabilities in the cyber system to get its authority. If he or she succeeds in it then he or she gets its illegal authority. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path then steal information or delete the file that could affect the business, functioning, or services of the organization.

GIS officer work on various GIS software to conduct a study and gather spatial and non-spatial information. GIS experts update the GIS data and maintain it. The databases include aerial or satellite imagery, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, and manually digitized images of maps. In a career as GIS expert, one is responsible for creating online and mobile maps.

Data Analyst

The invention of the database has given fresh breath to the people involved in the data analytics career path. Analysis refers to splitting up a whole into its individual components for individual analysis. Data analysis is a method through which raw data are processed and transformed into information that would be beneficial for user strategic thinking.

Data are collected and examined to respond to questions, evaluate hypotheses or contradict theories. It is a tool for analyzing, transforming, modeling, and arranging data with useful knowledge, to assist in decision-making and methods, encompassing various strategies, and is used in different fields of business, research, and social science.

Geothermal Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as geothermal engineers are the professionals involved in the processing of geothermal energy. The responsibilities of geothermal engineers may vary depending on the workplace location. Those who work in fields design facilities to process and distribute geothermal energy. They oversee the functioning of machinery used in the field.

Database Architect

If you are intrigued by the programming world and are interested in developing communications networks then a career as database architect may be a good option for you. Data architect roles and responsibilities include building design models for data communication networks. Wide Area Networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), and intranets are included in the database networks. It is expected that database architects will have in-depth knowledge of a company's business to develop a network to fulfil the requirements of the organisation. Stay tuned as we look at the larger picture and give you more information on what is db architecture, why you should pursue database architecture, what to expect from such a degree and what your job opportunities will be after graduation. Here, we will be discussing how to become a data architect. Students can visit NIT Trichy , IIT Kharagpur , JMI New Delhi . 

Remote Sensing Technician

Individuals who opt for a career as a remote sensing technician possess unique personalities. Remote sensing analysts seem to be rational human beings, they are strong, independent, persistent, sincere, realistic and resourceful. Some of them are analytical as well, which means they are intelligent, introspective and inquisitive. 

Remote sensing scientists use remote sensing technology to support scientists in fields such as community planning, flight planning or the management of natural resources. Analysing data collected from aircraft, satellites or ground-based platforms using statistical analysis software, image analysis software or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a significant part of their work. Do you want to learn how to become remote sensing technician? There's no need to be concerned; we've devised a simple remote sensing technician career path for you. Scroll through the pages and read.

Budget Analyst

Budget analysis, in a nutshell, entails thoroughly analyzing the details of a financial budget. The budget analysis aims to better understand and manage revenue. Budget analysts assist in the achievement of financial targets, the preservation of profitability, and the pursuit of long-term growth for a business. Budget analysts generally have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a closely related field. Knowledge of Financial Management is of prime importance in this career.

Underwriter

An underwriter is a person who assesses and evaluates the risk of insurance in his or her field like mortgage, loan, health policy, investment, and so on and so forth. The underwriter career path does involve risks as analysing the risks means finding out if there is a way for the insurance underwriter jobs to recover the money from its clients. If the risk turns out to be too much for the company then in the future it is an underwriter who will be held accountable for it. Therefore, one must carry out his or her job with a lot of attention and diligence.

Finance Executive

Product manager.

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for product planning and marketing. He or she manages the product throughout the Product Life Cycle, gathering and prioritising the product. A product manager job description includes defining the product vision and working closely with team members of other departments to deliver winning products.  

Operations Manager

Individuals in the operations manager jobs are responsible for ensuring the efficiency of each department to acquire its optimal goal. They plan the use of resources and distribution of materials. The operations manager's job description includes managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and performing administrative tasks.

Stock Analyst

Individuals who opt for a career as a stock analyst examine the company's investments makes decisions and keep track of financial securities. The nature of such investments will differ from one business to the next. Individuals in the stock analyst career use data mining to forecast a company's profits and revenues, advise clients on whether to buy or sell, participate in seminars, and discussing financial matters with executives and evaluate annual reports.

A Researcher is a professional who is responsible for collecting data and information by reviewing the literature and conducting experiments and surveys. He or she uses various methodological processes to provide accurate data and information that is utilised by academicians and other industry professionals. Here, we will discuss what is a researcher, the researcher's salary, types of researchers.

Welding Engineer

Welding Engineer Job Description: A Welding Engineer work involves managing welding projects and supervising welding teams. He or she is responsible for reviewing welding procedures, processes and documentation. A career as Welding Engineer involves conducting failure analyses and causes on welding issues. 

Transportation Planner

A career as Transportation Planner requires technical application of science and technology in engineering, particularly the concepts, equipment and technologies involved in the production of products and services. In fields like land use, infrastructure review, ecological standards and street design, he or she considers issues of health, environment and performance. A Transportation Planner assigns resources for implementing and designing programmes. He or she is responsible for assessing needs, preparing plans and forecasts and compliance with regulations.

Environmental Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as an environmental engineer are construction professionals who utilise the skills and knowledge of biology, soil science, chemistry and the concept of engineering to design and develop projects that serve as solutions to various environmental problems. 

Safety Manager

A Safety Manager is a professional responsible for employee’s safety at work. He or she plans, implements and oversees the company’s employee safety. A Safety Manager ensures compliance and adherence to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines.

Conservation Architect

A Conservation Architect is a professional responsible for conserving and restoring buildings or monuments having a historic value. He or she applies techniques to document and stabilise the object’s state without any further damage. A Conservation Architect restores the monuments and heritage buildings to bring them back to their original state.

Structural Engineer

A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software. 

Highway Engineer

Highway Engineer Job Description:  A Highway Engineer is a civil engineer who specialises in planning and building thousands of miles of roads that support connectivity and allow transportation across the country. He or she ensures that traffic management schemes are effectively planned concerning economic sustainability and successful implementation.

Field Surveyor

Are you searching for a Field Surveyor Job Description? A Field Surveyor is a professional responsible for conducting field surveys for various places or geographical conditions. He or she collects the required data and information as per the instructions given by senior officials. 

Orthotist and Prosthetist

Orthotists and Prosthetists are professionals who provide aid to patients with disabilities. They fix them to artificial limbs (prosthetics) and help them to regain stability. There are times when people lose their limbs in an accident. In some other occasions, they are born without a limb or orthopaedic impairment. Orthotists and prosthetists play a crucial role in their lives with fixing them to assistive devices and provide mobility.

Pathologist

A career in pathology in India is filled with several responsibilities as it is a medical branch and affects human lives. The demand for pathologists has been increasing over the past few years as people are getting more aware of different diseases. Not only that, but an increase in population and lifestyle changes have also contributed to the increase in a pathologist’s demand. The pathology careers provide an extremely huge number of opportunities and if you want to be a part of the medical field you can consider being a pathologist. If you want to know more about a career in pathology in India then continue reading this article.

Veterinary Doctor

Speech therapist, gynaecologist.

Gynaecology can be defined as the study of the female body. The job outlook for gynaecology is excellent since there is evergreen demand for one because of their responsibility of dealing with not only women’s health but also fertility and pregnancy issues. Although most women prefer to have a women obstetrician gynaecologist as their doctor, men also explore a career as a gynaecologist and there are ample amounts of male doctors in the field who are gynaecologists and aid women during delivery and childbirth. 

Audiologist

The audiologist career involves audiology professionals who are responsible to treat hearing loss and proactively preventing the relevant damage. Individuals who opt for a career as an audiologist use various testing strategies with the aim to determine if someone has a normal sensitivity to sounds or not. After the identification of hearing loss, a hearing doctor is required to determine which sections of the hearing are affected, to what extent they are affected, and where the wound causing the hearing loss is found. As soon as the hearing loss is identified, the patients are provided with recommendations for interventions and rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and appropriate medical referrals. While audiology is a branch of science that studies and researches hearing, balance, and related disorders.

An oncologist is a specialised doctor responsible for providing medical care to patients diagnosed with cancer. He or she uses several therapies to control the cancer and its effect on the human body such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biopsy. An oncologist designs a treatment plan based on a pathology report after diagnosing the type of cancer and where it is spreading inside the body.

Are you searching for an ‘Anatomist job description’? An Anatomist is a research professional who applies the laws of biological science to determine the ability of bodies of various living organisms including animals and humans to regenerate the damaged or destroyed organs. If you want to know what does an anatomist do, then read the entire article, where we will answer all your questions.

For an individual who opts for a career as an actor, the primary responsibility is to completely speak to the character he or she is playing and to persuade the crowd that the character is genuine by connecting with them and bringing them into the story. This applies to significant roles and littler parts, as all roles join to make an effective creation. Here in this article, we will discuss how to become an actor in India, actor exams, actor salary in India, and actor jobs. 

Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats create and direct original routines for themselves, in addition to developing interpretations of existing routines. The work of circus acrobats can be seen in a variety of performance settings, including circus, reality shows, sports events like the Olympics, movies and commercials. Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats must be prepared to face rejections and intermittent periods of work. The creativity of acrobats may extend to other aspects of the performance. For example, acrobats in the circus may work with gym trainers, celebrities or collaborate with other professionals to enhance such performance elements as costume and or maybe at the teaching end of the career.

Video Game Designer

Career as a video game designer is filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. A video game designer is someone who is involved in the process of creating a game from day one. He or she is responsible for fulfilling duties like designing the character of the game, the several levels involved, plot, art and similar other elements. Individuals who opt for a career as a video game designer may also write the codes for the game using different programming languages.

Depending on the video game designer job description and experience they may also have to lead a team and do the early testing of the game in order to suggest changes and find loopholes.

Radio Jockey

Radio Jockey is an exciting, promising career and a great challenge for music lovers. If you are really interested in a career as radio jockey, then it is very important for an RJ to have an automatic, fun, and friendly personality. If you want to get a job done in this field, a strong command of the language and a good voice are always good things. Apart from this, in order to be a good radio jockey, you will also listen to good radio jockeys so that you can understand their style and later make your own by practicing.

A career as radio jockey has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. If you want to know more about a career as radio jockey, and how to become a radio jockey then continue reading the article.

Choreographer

The word “choreography" actually comes from Greek words that mean “dance writing." Individuals who opt for a career as a choreographer create and direct original dances, in addition to developing interpretations of existing dances. A Choreographer dances and utilises his or her creativity in other aspects of dance performance. For example, he or she may work with the music director to select music or collaborate with other famous choreographers to enhance such performance elements as lighting, costume and set design.

Social Media Manager

A career as social media manager involves implementing the company’s or brand’s marketing plan across all social media channels. Social media managers help in building or improving a brand’s or a company’s website traffic, build brand awareness, create and implement marketing and brand strategy. Social media managers are key to important social communication as well.

Photographer

Photography is considered both a science and an art, an artistic means of expression in which the camera replaces the pen. In a career as a photographer, an individual is hired to capture the moments of public and private events, such as press conferences or weddings, or may also work inside a studio, where people go to get their picture clicked. Photography is divided into many streams each generating numerous career opportunities in photography. With the boom in advertising, media, and the fashion industry, photography has emerged as a lucrative and thrilling career option for many Indian youths.

An individual who is pursuing a career as a producer is responsible for managing the business aspects of production. They are involved in each aspect of production from its inception to deception. Famous movie producers review the script, recommend changes and visualise the story. 

They are responsible for overseeing the finance involved in the project and distributing the film for broadcasting on various platforms. A career as a producer is quite fulfilling as well as exhaustive in terms of playing different roles in order for a production to be successful. Famous movie producers are responsible for hiring creative and technical personnel on contract basis.

Copy Writer

In a career as a copywriter, one has to consult with the client and understand the brief well. A career as a copywriter has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. Several new mediums of advertising are opening therefore making it a lucrative career choice. Students can pursue various copywriter courses such as Journalism , Advertising , Marketing Management . Here, we have discussed how to become a freelance copywriter, copywriter career path, how to become a copywriter in India, and copywriting career outlook. 

In a career as a vlogger, one generally works for himself or herself. However, once an individual has gained viewership there are several brands and companies that approach them for paid collaboration. It is one of those fields where an individual can earn well while following his or her passion. 

Ever since internet costs got reduced the viewership for these types of content has increased on a large scale. Therefore, a career as a vlogger has a lot to offer. If you want to know more about the Vlogger eligibility, roles and responsibilities then continue reading the article. 

For publishing books, newspapers, magazines and digital material, editorial and commercial strategies are set by publishers. Individuals in publishing career paths make choices about the markets their businesses will reach and the type of content that their audience will be served. Individuals in book publisher careers collaborate with editorial staff, designers, authors, and freelance contributors who develop and manage the creation of content.

Careers in journalism are filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. One cannot afford to miss out on the details. As it is the small details that provide insights into a story. Depending on those insights a journalist goes about writing a news article. A journalism career can be stressful at times but if you are someone who is passionate about it then it is the right choice for you. If you want to know more about the media field and journalist career then continue reading this article.

Individuals in the editor career path is an unsung hero of the news industry who polishes the language of the news stories provided by stringers, reporters, copywriters and content writers and also news agencies. Individuals who opt for a career as an editor make it more persuasive, concise and clear for readers. In this article, we will discuss the details of the editor's career path such as how to become an editor in India, editor salary in India and editor skills and qualities.

Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication) , B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media) , or  MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.  

Corporate Executive

Are you searching for a Corporate Executive job description? A Corporate Executive role comes with administrative duties. He or she provides support to the leadership of the organisation. A Corporate Executive fulfils the business purpose and ensures its financial stability. In this article, we are going to discuss how to become corporate executive.

Multimedia Specialist

A multimedia specialist is a media professional who creates, audio, videos, graphic image files, computer animations for multimedia applications. He or she is responsible for planning, producing, and maintaining websites and applications. 

Quality Controller

A quality controller plays a crucial role in an organisation. He or she is responsible for performing quality checks on manufactured products. He or she identifies the defects in a product and rejects the product. 

A quality controller records detailed information about products with defects and sends it to the supervisor or plant manager to take necessary actions to improve the production process.

Production Manager

A QA Lead is in charge of the QA Team. The role of QA Lead comes with the responsibility of assessing services and products in order to determine that he or she meets the quality standards. He or she develops, implements and manages test plans. 

Process Development Engineer

The Process Development Engineers design, implement, manufacture, mine, and other production systems using technical knowledge and expertise in the industry. They use computer modeling software to test technologies and machinery. An individual who is opting career as Process Development Engineer is responsible for developing cost-effective and efficient processes. They also monitor the production process and ensure it functions smoothly and efficiently.

AWS Solution Architect

An AWS Solution Architect is someone who specializes in developing and implementing cloud computing systems. He or she has a good understanding of the various aspects of cloud computing and can confidently deploy and manage their systems. He or she troubleshoots the issues and evaluates the risk from the third party. 

Azure Administrator

An Azure Administrator is a professional responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining Azure Solutions. He or she manages cloud infrastructure service instances and various cloud servers as well as sets up public and private cloud systems. 

Computer Programmer

Careers in computer programming primarily refer to the systematic act of writing code and moreover include wider computer science areas. The word 'programmer' or 'coder' has entered into practice with the growing number of newly self-taught tech enthusiasts. Computer programming careers involve the use of designs created by software developers and engineers and transforming them into commands that can be implemented by computers. These commands result in regular usage of social media sites, word-processing applications and browsers.

Information Security Manager

Individuals in the information security manager career path involves in overseeing and controlling all aspects of computer security. The IT security manager job description includes planning and carrying out security measures to protect the business data and information from corruption, theft, unauthorised access, and deliberate attack 

ITSM Manager

Automation test engineer.

An Automation Test Engineer job involves executing automated test scripts. He or she identifies the project’s problems and troubleshoots them. The role involves documenting the defect using management tools. He or she works with the application team in order to resolve any issues arising during the testing process. 

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An Unforgettable Experience in My Life

An Unforgettable Experience in My Life - Essay Example

• Subject: English
• Type: Essay
• Level: College
• Pages: 5 (1250 words)
• Downloads: 0

Extract of sample "An Unforgettable Experience in My Life"

One of the most unforgettable experiences in my life was when I experienced one of the best days ever. It all started with a surprise visit from one of my closest friends after months apart due to the pandemic. That day, we decided to go on an adventure and explore a nearby city that neither of us had been to before. We spent the entire day wandering around, taking in the sights and sounds of a new place. From trying out interesting street food to participating in local customs, it was an experience unlike any other. As we watched the sunset over the city skyline, I knew that this would be one of my most treasured memories that I would hold onto for years to come.

A Memorable Trip That Changed My Life: Reflections on an Unforgettable Experience

The unforgettable experience that I will never forget is my trip to South Korea. It was a life-changing journey that changed the way I look at the world and myself. The memories of this trip stay with me to this day, and they have profoundly shaped how I think about travel, relationships, and life in general.

From the moment I stepped foot in South Korea, I felt a sense of belonging like never before. Everywhere I looked there were friendly faces and warm smiles that made me feel welcome. The people there were so kind, helpful, and passionate about their culture—something that was extremely foreign to me at the time.

My trip to South Korea was also packed with amazing experiences that I will never forget. From exploring the breathtaking landscapes of Jeju Island to eating delicious Korean cuisine, this trip was an unforgettable learning experience filled with memorable moments.

I remember how special it felt to be able to connect and communicate with people from a different culture—something I had only dreamed of before my trip. The relationships I made during my journey were incredibly meaningful and impactful, and many of them have lasted to this day.

My trip to South Korea was the best experience of my life because it changed the way I view travel, culture, and myself. It showed me the value of immersing yourself in different cultures, connecting with people from all walks of life, and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. All of these lessons have stayed with me since then and continue to shape my life today.

How a Journey of Self-Discovery Brought Me Closer to Finding My Purpose in Life

My journey of self-discovery started when I decided to take a break from school and work for some soul searching. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. During this time, I engaged in activities that allowed me to explore my inner passions and interests, including writing an essay about one of the happiest days of my life.

This essay gave me the opportunity to reflect on the experiences and moments that made me the happiest, from spending time playing with my siblings as a child to finally reaching a personal goal. Through this process of introspection, I was able to identify what truly brought me joy and fulfillment in life.

I also used this time to experience different cultures, meet new people, and learn more about myself. I traveled to remote parts of the world and volunteered in a variety of fields. Through these experiences, I developed an appreciation for life's diversity and a better understanding of the values that are important to me.

These activities opened my eyes to many things that were previously unknown to me, and I came away with a renewed sense of purpose. I was inspired to make more meaningful changes in my life, such as setting new goals and exploring different career paths. This journey of self-discovery has helped me reconnect with my innermost desires and take steps towards achieving them.

Finding Strength in the Unfamiliar: My Transformative Experience

When I look back, my journey to find strength in the unfamiliar has been a long and winding road. It all began with one of the best days of my life - spending a year abroad in another country. That experience was truly transformative for me and propelled me further down an unknown path filled with new experiences and lessons.

I learned that sometimes the best moments of life are found in an unfamiliar place. I learned to embrace change and not be afraid of it, but instead use it as an opportunity to grow. Exploring a new culture allowed me to break out of my comfort zone and gain perspective on issues I had formerly been unaware of or taken for granted. It also helped me to gain insight into my own culture and how I could contribute to it in a meaningful way.

The experience of living abroad taught me that embracing the unfamiliar can lead to some of the most rewarding experiences imaginable. I came away with a newfound appreciation for both myself and others, as well as an understanding that we all have the power to find strength in the unknown.

This essay is my attempt to share this transformative experience with others, and hopefully inspire them to open their minds and hearts to all that life has to offer. While it may be difficult at times, the rewards of finding strength in the unfamiliar are worth every step taken. From learning new languages and customs to gaining valuable insight into different cultures, I have come to understand the value of challenging yourself and exploring unfamiliar territory.

Living abroad has given me courage and strength in ways that I never could have imagined. My journey is far from over, but I am now confident that with each new challenge, I will be able to find strength in the unfamiliar and emerge even stronger than before.

My experience has taught me that life is all about creating and navigating your own path, and that when you do so with an open heart and mind, amazing things can happen. I urge everyone to take a risk and explore what lies beyond their comfort zone – it may just be the best decision you ever make.

A Life-Changing Journey That Shows What Is Truly Important to Me

Growing up, I never thought much about the importance of life experiences. But, one day changed everything for me. It was a life-altering journey that showed me what truly matters in my life.

My best day ever began when I decided to take a solo trip to explore the world. Leaving my home and family, I set out to discover new cultures and ways of life. This journey was a real eye-opener as it taught me to appreciate the little things in life that often go unnoticed.

The moment that made this journey so meaningful for me was when I visited an orphanage for children with disabilities. Seeing the courage and strength these kids had and the determination they displayed in their daily lives was truly inspiring. This experience changed my perspective on life forever.

The journey taught me resilience, strength, courage, and humility. Through this experience, I learned to value the simple things that make life precious: family, friends and love. My life-changing journey showed me what is truly important to me.

I am now more appreciative of life’s moments and try my best to make the most out of every experience I have. This journey has me realize that it’s not about how much money you have or how successful you are in your career, but rather what kind of impact you can make in other people’s lives.

My journey has given me a perspective that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and it has allowed me to appreciate life and all its beauty. This is why I consider this journey to be the best day of my life and the happiest moment of my life – because it taught me what truly matters.

This experience has also made me realize that life is a journey, and no matter how hard it may seem at times, if you keep your head up and push through the difficult moments, great things can come out of it. I am grateful for this life-changing journey because it taught me so much about myself and the world around me. It has shown me what is truly important to me.

In conclusion, I believe that life is a journey and it is up to us to make the most of it. My unforgettable experience has shown me that there are many moments in life that should be cherished, no matter how small they may seem. This journey taught me what truly matters: family, friends, love and the courage to keep pushing forward. Through this life-changing experience, I am thankful to have found a newfound appreciation for life and all its beauty.

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My Experience with Culture Shock in the United States

This essay about navigating culture shock in the United States explores the challenges and revelations faced by the author upon arrival in a new land. From linguistic barriers to social norms and culinary differences, the narrative illustrates the complexities of adapting to a diverse and vibrant society. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, the essay highlights the journey towards acceptance and appreciation for the kaleidoscope of cultures that shape American society.

How it works

Arriving in the United States, I felt like an explorer venturing into a vibrant new world, brimming with possibilities and challenges. Every corner I turned, every interaction I had, seemed to be a revelation, a testament to the rich tapestry of cultures that converged in this melting pot of a nation. Here’s my tale of navigating the maze of culture shock in the land of opportunity.

Stepping off the plane, I was immediately struck by the cacophony of sounds and sights that surrounded me – the honking of horns, the towering skyscrapers, the kaleidoscope of faces from every corner of the globe.

It was a sensory overload, a whirlwind of excitement and apprehension that left me feeling exhilarated yet disoriented.

The first hurdle I encountered was the language barrier. Despite my proficiency in English, the American accent and colloquialisms threw me off guard. Simple conversations became labyrinthine puzzles, with each word and phrase a potential landmine of misunderstanding. I found myself nodding along with a smile plastered on my face, hoping no one would notice the confusion swirling in my mind.

But beyond the linguistic challenges, there were deeper cultural nuances that I struggled to grasp. The concept of personal space, for instance, was a revelation to me. In my home country, physical proximity was a sign of intimacy and warmth, whereas in America, it was an invisible boundary that must not be crossed. I had to learn to navigate this unspoken divide with finesse, lest I unwittingly invade someone’s personal bubble.

Then there were the social norms and customs that seemed alien to me. The emphasis on individualism, for example, was a stark departure from the collectivist mindset I was accustomed to. In my culture, decisions are often made with the community in mind, whereas in America, personal ambition and achievement reign supreme. It was a paradigm shift that forced me to reassess my own values and priorities.

Food, too, presented its own set of challenges. Coming from a country where rice and spices are the cornerstones of every meal, I was taken aback by the ubiquity of fast food joints and processed snacks that seemed to dominate the American culinary landscape. The portions were gargantuan, the flavors often too sweet or too salty for my palate. I yearned for the comforting taste of home-cooked meals, but found solace in the diverse array of international cuisine that the melting pot of America had to offer.

Despite the hurdles, there were moments of profound connection and understanding that transcended cultural barriers. I recall attending my first Thanksgiving dinner with a group of friends, and being moved by the sense of warmth and camaraderie that filled the room. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we came together to share a meal and express gratitude for the blessings in our lives. It was a poignant reminder that, beneath our cultural differences, we are all united by our shared humanity.

As time passed, I began to acclimate to my new surroundings. I made friends who patiently explained the intricacies of American life, who laughed with me as I stumbled through unfamiliar customs and traditions. I embraced the spirit of adventure, immersing myself in new experiences and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. And slowly but surely, the shock gave way to acceptance, and eventually, to appreciation for the kaleidoscope of cultures that make up the fabric of American society.

My journey through culture shock in the United States was a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, twists and turns. It challenged me to confront my own biases and assumptions, and to approach the world with an open mind and heart. And in the end, it transformed me into a more culturally aware and empathetic individual, capable of bridging the divides that separate us and celebrating the diversity that enriches our lives.

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The Old Bridge, Heidelberg, Germany. Photo by Zhong Feng/Getty

Return of the descendants

I migrated to my ancestral homeland in a search for identity. it proved to be a humbling experience in (un)belonging.

by Jessica Buchleitner   + BIO

A physician motions for me to enter the institutional labyrinth of Impfzentrum booths. Once inside, my hands press flat and sticky against my US passport, German residency title and COVID-19 vaccine card. The doctor’s cobalt eyes squint beneath her mask, forming deep frown lines as she peers in suspended bewilderment, muttering at my documents. I ask her to clarify.

‘You’re a Buchleitner and not a native German speaker?!’ Her astonishment and disgust flood me with shame.

What does it mean to return to a land you are supposed to belong to as a descendant but in which you are functionally a foreigner?

Misspelled on my birth certificate with a visible strikethrough, my German family name always proved difficult for Americans, making me an easy target for school-playground bullying and assumptions about my nationality that left me feeling alien. Absent any accompanying grandparents’ memories, recipes, customs or folklore, it remained a phantom identifier with a disembodied lineage.

By divine miracle or sheer coincidence, two months after my first trip to Germany in 2009, where I had a premonition while perched on Heidelberg’s arch bridge that I would return, a distant relative contacted my father with news that felt almost like a premonition: she had painstakingly documented the Buchleitner genealogy from 1520 onward, chronicling the emigration of four sets of ancestors from Saarbrücken to Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s, offering answers to our missing lineage. Craving religious and political freedom, avoiding compulsory military service, and overcoming economic hardship were reasons enough to make a hellish months-long journey to a departure port and then dodge outbreaks of cholera, typhus and smallpox in steerage-class ship accommodations.

When I was leaving Germany, it had seemed as if my ancestors were beckoning me to return. But that wouldn’t happen for another decade, after I became a finalist for the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship and fell in love with a German man I’d met in the Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok. In 2019, I stuffed my keepsakes into three zip-tied suitcases and, though I had no grasp of the German language at all, decided I was migrating to Munich indefinitely.

With a perception of Germany as a methodical, organised utopia to emulate, I assumed my integration would come naturally due to my lineage and new relationship, sooner rather than later granting me an identity to match my name. Within months, however, the assimilation challenges boiled me down to a flicker. Everyday moments of pretending I understood a store clerk’s questions while flanked by impatient customers proved daunting. When strangers barked orders at crosswalks, I awkwardly smiled and nodded. A deep purgatory of straddling an ancestral place that labelled me Ausländerin (foreigner) amassed. ‘Buchleitner’ became something to justify everywhere names matter: from my Frauenärtzin ’s (gynecologist’s) office to the Bürgerbüro (citizen’s office) to airport passport control, producing confusion. Everyone wanted to know how an American , sans German husband, sans emigrated German parents, Oma or Opa , could possess such a name.

I am not alone in my quest to belong somewhere. In the book Birchland: A Journey Home to Norway (1939), Joran Birkeland, the US-born daughter of Norwegian parents, chronicles her return to Norway to discover her roots, sent by an irresistible urge. At the time, it was a highly publicised representation of our American (and human) will to pilgrimage to ancestral homelands. Nested on territories taken from Native Americans, inhabitants of North America today often feel like a collection of refugees and migrants united in missing our origin, thrown into a melting pot and dizzied by our embodiment of multiple lineage ties.

The rise of consumer DNA testing companies indicates that Americans grapple with a sense of alienation from their roots. As of 2019, more than 26 million consumers had added their DNA to four leading commercial ancestry and health databases, according to MIT Technology Review . About one in seven US adults report having used a mail-in DNA testing service from companies such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe, according to a 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center. When asked about their reasons, the majority ( 87 per cent ) say they wanted to learn more about where their family came from. AncestryDNA even offers personalised travel to testers craving a toe-touch with origin destinations. According to the researchers Solène Prince and Aydan Mehtiyeva, a process of self-discovery that sometimes includes ancestral tourism is increasingly significant for those feeling alienated from their roots and hoping to trace their family lineage. Voyaging to a heritage place is viewed as a form of affective sacred pilgrimage or rite of passage, building a larger narrative about one’s past.

With her young son, the travel journalist Sheeka Sanahori traced her great-grandmother’s journey from Mississippi to Missouri during the Great Migration, when an estimated 6 million Black Americans left the southern United States between the 1910s and the ’70s. Her desire to make the journey began after she became pregnant and dove into genealogy, scouring public documents and notes in a family Bible.

‘I always had this idea that I would return … We’re called here to heal the rift from a past generation’

‘When the train was moving, I noticed some of the trees were probably still there when my family came through,’ she told me. ‘I started to pay attention to small details, feeling the energy and breathing the air.’

Genealogy tests offer empirical snapshots, but they can’t fully explain one’s nuanced pull to an ancestral homeland. While tourism whets tastes and experiences, migration is perhaps the greatest length we will go in our search for identity and belonging. Others I interviewed had various reasons for migrating or solidifying transnational ties to their ancestral homeland, perceiving it as a cultural centre.

The writer Dan Q Dao moved from the US to Saigon in late 2022. His parents fled Vietnam as teenage refugees in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. In his 2020 essay for Condé Nast Traveler , he describes being ‘homesick for a place [he] hadn’t yet visited’ as a young child, and the ‘convoluted topic’ of returning to the homeland on family trips in support of his parents’ non-profit organisation, which builds schools in rural Vietnam. Dao is Việt Kiều – a phrase referring to ‘Vietnamese sojourners’, a person of Vietnamese descent who was born or lives overseas. He has since discovered a local community of others with similar ties.

‘I always had this idea that I would return,’ he told me. ‘I felt out of place my entire life. Most of us were used to perceiving the country in the shadow of our parents. Once we met each other and socialised, we broke barriers. We’re called here to heal the rift from a past generation. I also found comfort in witnessing Saigon’s thriving, powerful queer community. Vietnam is a mystical place.’

The performing artist James Monroe Števko theorises that Americans return to ancestral places because they lack a sense of community or belonging. ‘People love storytelling,’ he told me. ‘They want stories about themselves. Americans need that. We are looking for our history. All human history has been about stories passed down from generation to generation. That is perhaps what compels me to search for information.’

Števko found his great-grandfather’s military draft card in a photo album and traced him to Rovňany, Slovakia. He then evolved his transnational identity by making two heritage pilgrimages to Slovakia to dive deep into local culture, took a 10-week intensive Slovak language course, attended events, and applied for ancestral citizenship, which required on-the-ground investigation into his family background.

‘At a ski resort, a local woman wrote on paper that she granted me my citizenship,’ he told me. ‘People are very welcoming to me due to my lineage and have helped me in countless ways uncover more.’

D espite blending in with her name and appearance while abroad in Tokyo, the sociologist Jane Yamashiro felt like a cultural foreigner at times, prompting her to pursue studies into the meaning of ‘Japaneseness’. Between 2004 and 2015, she chronicled ethnographic fieldwork in the greater Tokyo area, interviews in both Japan and the US (mainland and Hawaii), and other research in her book Redefining Japaneseness: Japanese Americans in the Ancestral Homeland ( 2017 ) to understand the ‘further complications that arise when you go “where you’re from”’.

Migration research is heavily centred on diasporas – migrants and descendants of migrants, whose identity and sense of belonging have been shaped by their experience or background. The concept is historically linked to Jewish , Armenian and Kurdish populations dispersed worldwide with limited access to a place of origin and often accompanied by an idealised collective memory about the ancestral homeland or at least the ancestral experience, a sense of kinship and robust group consciousness. When a person migrates back to an ancestral homeland, they are often assumed to identify via a diaspora group. What, then, can explain those who don’t come from diasporas, including myself and some others I interviewed?

To avoid the sometimes negative or pejorative connotations she found in the terms ‘ethnic return migration’, ‘diasporic return’, or other academic terms, Yamashiro conceptualised ancestral homeland migration – the movement of global co-ethnics to their ancestral homeland regardless of their identification with it. While it describes Japanese American migrants from her research, the idea has universal implications.

‘My concept of ancestral homeland migration starts from a more neutral place. There’s an ancestral connection, and this person is raised, often even born, outside of this ancestral homeland. They’re migrating to this place where they have this ancestral connection. Now, let’s start there and see what else there is. I don’t want to make assumptions about individuals or groups other than starting with some empirical facts,’ Yamashiro explained to me.

People often expect the ancestral homeland to complete missing pieces of their identity. I know I did

From her observations, Japanese American migrants in Tokyo are often perceived as ‘returning’, masking the underlying complexities. People of Japanese ancestry developed different communities, identities and forms of culture worldwide, including between the mainland US and Hawaii, where ‘Japanese’ takes on different meanings: in Hawaii – where Japan has a mainstream association – they enjoy a higher status, while in the mainland US they contend with lower social positions, minority status and racism, which are similarly reflected in their experiences in Japan.

Yamashiro says those offshoots are part of a global ancestral group , her term for a population with shared ancestral ties that has dispersed across multiple societies and nation-states, including people both oriented and not oriented toward the ancestral homeland, with diaspora and non-diaspora experiences, who are historically and culturally linked despite diverse histories and local identities. Since ‘Japanese’ varies in meaning from place to place, Yamashiro’s term is not meant to be homogeneous but rather one that encapsulates these variations while recognising their common ancestral link. Global ancestral groups are composed of branches, with the ancestral homeland as one of many, decentring it as the ‘contemporary cultural centre’ while still recognising its critical role. ‘If the ancestral homeland is seen as the authentic cultural centre, then populations outside of it will always be seen as inauthentic, lacking, and diluted,’ writes Yamashiro.

People often migrate expecting the ancestral homeland to complete missing pieces of their identity. I know I did. Perhaps what is most remarkable about Yamashiro’s research, which I and others experienced, is the discovery that the ancestral homeland is not always the arbiter of culture, nor is it always the vessel to replenish what we think we may be missing. Many of her interviewees learned to ‘feel less Japanese’ due to their language abilities and reduced cultural fluency. Their migration did not always reaffirm identity as expected.

Despite being born and raised in San Diego, Kevin, a young man from her research, is perceived as foreign by Americans due to his East Asian appearance. To Yamashiro, he recalled a serendipitous moment of sitting on a train and blending in with other passengers. Eventually, however, he found his lack of language fluency, body language and use of chopsticks set him apart. Similarly, since Japanese Americans experience racial discrimination in the continental US, moving to the ancestral homeland is an attempt to find a place where they can blend. Yet those of hāfu or mixed ancestry also reported it was difficult for the Japanese to acknowledge their shared ties.

‘Experiences in the United States and expectations before going to the ancestral homeland shape experiences in the homeland because they highlight things they’re not expecting,’ Yamashiro told me. ‘So regarding phenotype, when people look different from the majority in the United States and expect to go to Japan and fit in, it stands out to them how they’re not accepted. Then, they must negotiate that and realise they need to learn the language to fit in better. They need to think about how they dress, their body language, and other things that we’re not usually thinking about when we think about romantic ideas of the ancestral homeland where all people of our ancestry will be accepted.’

Yamashiro’s interviewees came to redefine Japaneseness as ‘a form … which does not fully include them’. Instead, they constructed true transnational identities – a better understanding of contemporary Japanese society while remaining connected to their American cultural framework and embodiment.

D oes our mere blood make us something? Does mine make me German? Does James’s blood make him Slovak, or is there more to this equation?

Stephen Cho Suh, an assistant professor of Asian American studies at San Diego State University, examined Yamashiro’s approach in a paper discussing his own 2010-19 study. In that work, Suh conducted 57 in-depth interviews with Korean American ‘returnees’, mostly people who had lived in South Korea for a median stay of five years. The study tapped what scholar Ji-Yeon O Jo calls ‘imagined affective connection’ in her book Homing: An Affective Topography of Ethnic Korean Return Migration ( 2017 ) , which investigates the experiences and degrees of belonging of legacy migrants – later-generation diaspora Koreans who ‘return’ to South Korea with no first-hand experience, possessing only inherited memories, stories, pictures, and family traditions and community, or knowledge gained through media. How much of that connection was actual, and how much of it had been imagined, created in their minds alone?

After doing the interviews, Suh realised the migrants, who may not explicitly articulate being a member of a larger diaspora, envisioned their migration as a return to the ancestral centre despite being cultural foreigners. He identifies three categories of orientation:

• Bio-explicit individuals who ‘(re)connect with a strictly primordial or biologised rendition of Korean ethnicity as one of their primary motivating factors for migrating’, confident that they shared indisputable ‘blood’ ties with local South Korean people.
• Those with a culture-explicit ‘return’ orientation, who reaffirm their ties to an abstracted Korean culture perceived via secondary sources. ‘Korea was thus simply an ideation for most respondents; an amalgamation of anecdotes, ideas, and memories that brought about feelings of positive affect such as nostalgia and comfort,’ writes Suh.
• Finally, Suh refers to those with ambivalent orientations, who migrated not because of perceived biological or cultural ties but by other connections. Still, they possessed and articulated an imagined affective connection with South Korea.

His findings reveal that identities shifted as time went on. Most considered South Korea ‘the arbiter of Korean-ness’ and viewed their migration as a meaningful way to reconnect with their Korean ‘roots’ and relatives or reaffirm culture. Still, their returns were, as Suh put it, ‘far from idyllic’. They lacked recognition as full members of South Korean civil society and ‘national polity’. They faced significant structural and cultural barriers in workplaces, public spaces, and within extended family, producing ‘identity dissonance’ – reality clashing with their upbringings and expectations, causing them to question long-held notions. One second-generation Korean American, Sam, actively avoided identifying as Korean post-migration, saying ‘Korean American’ instead.

‘Korean Americans, especially those raised in the US, have very different experiences, identities, and world views from those raised in Korea,’ Suh told me. ‘Legally, they’re also not South Korean in most cases … they’re Korean by name only … and so politically and culturally, they quickly realise there’s more to being Korean than simply being of shared ancestry. They begin to see themselves as either American or Korean American. That term, for many of these individuals before migration, is fraught with a kind of ambivalence because most Asians in the context of the US will refer to themselves by their ethnicity, nationality, or race: Korean or Asian. For the first time, they are the gatekeepers to Americanness within the context of Korea, more so perhaps than other American expats. We begin to see the kind of renegotiation of what it means to be American within the context of South Korea, ironically.’

I n 1954, the Canadian anthropologist Kalervo Oberg first presented culture shock : a model of cultural adjustment, still prevalent today. In it, the migrant wafts into a honeymoon experience where the new country’s sights, sounds and food enchant them. Then, ‘negotiation’, a phase where the suspended interregnum of place and identity causes reality to clamp down and cultural barriers to arise, is described well by the Spanish language term zozobra , an anxious inability to be at home in the world. Its meaning is universal. Picture yourself standing on a paddle board in choppy water where your feet wobble beneath you as you struggle not to capsize. An ‘[incessant oscillation] between two possibilities, between two effects, without knowing which one to depend on … in this to and fro the soul suffers, it feels torn and wounded,’ per the philosopher Emilio Uranga . This phase also produces demoralisation, a psycho-spiritual crisis associated with the breakdown of one’s cognitive map, where the assumptions that grounded you before lose all credibility, leaving you utterly confused.

During a Hatsuhinode New Year’s ritual in Japan in 2019, German man dropped to one knee with glistening eyes and asked me to be his wife. Saying yes birthed a palpable tornness since Germany would become my country indefinitely, and I’d been struggling to integrate, despite the perception that, due to blood ties and my name, I could belong. In the months following our engagement, my intensive language course in Munich and its stiff wood chairs became a dreaded chore. COVID-19’s ravenous descent ground life into a quarantined, stagnant pressure cooker, adding a topsy-turvy macro backdrop to my existing confusion. As European borders shuttered, an ever-growing precipice between our personalities emerged, and by September 2021, after the second mandated COVID-19 lockdown, the relationship was done. My only anchor in Germany sunk, I found myself a remote vessel bobbing in unsettled waters.

In the beginning of that period, I lay on the cold bathroom floor of my new flat, drawing deep slow breaths to stave off anxiety. Anxious to build more community in my new aloneness, I reached out to other expats. Although welcome company, they could not understand the purgatory of my experience in an ancestral place because they lacked deeper ties to Germany. Similar to Yamashiro’s and Suh’s interviewees, these experiences further enhanced my foreignness to the point that I contemplated shedding ‘Buchleitner’ for another non-German identifier.

Despite recent global migration headlines, according to the 2022 United Nations World Migration Report, most people continue to live in their birth countries – one in 30 are migrants. As of 2020, around 3.6 per cent of the global population, 281 million international migrants, were on the move. Europe is currently the largest destination, with 87 million , followed by 86 million in Asia. How many of them have the privilege to voluntarily return to an ancestral homeland? Locating data on ancestral homeland migrants is challenging because it does not fit more specific categories of tracked migration by governments and NGOs examining refugees, internally displaced persons, remittances, or return migrants. More than 50 countries offer pathways to citizenship by descent, with 25 inside the European Economic Area offering EU citizenship to grandchildren, great-grandchildren or distant descendants of European citizens. I consulted Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, to uncover data on ancestral citizenships requested in the EU, which could signal an intention to migrate to an ancestral homeland. A spokesperson told me no specific data on citizenship through ancestry for non-EU nationals is available.

Often referred to as ‘Global North’ or lifestyle migrants , Americans and other relatively affluent individuals are moving primarily for quality of life – for instance, starting anew, or achieving goals. This contrasts with economic refugees, fleeing persecution, the climate crisis, gang violence, and war. I, my interviewees, and those in Suh’s and Yamashiro’s studies are somewhat privileged in our migration because we could pull the plug on our experiences if they become too much to bear.

The ancestral homeland shakes us, deconstructs us, and cracks us open, ushering in new resilience

‘Relatively well-off citizens of North America and Western Europe are often assumed to have the privilege and options to relocate elsewhere, typically “voluntarily” and for a mix of economic or social/cultural/lifestyle reasons, as opposed to being “pushed” out by factors like war, revolution, or violence,’ and thus are not ‘fully considered as part of an identifiable “emigration flow”’ in social research, Helen Marrow of Tufts University explained in a brief prepared for me. Marrow and Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels of the University of Kent have conducted two surveys on such groups, but say a much deeper dive is called for in years to come.

One question lingering for me is whether ancestral homeland migration is powered by inherited recollections. Could my own 2009 premonition have come from my genetics? Biological experiments reveal that lifetime events or environmental factors can change DNA expression without changing the DNA sequence via the epigenome – chemical compounds and proteins that attach to and ‘mark’ DNA by telling it what to do, controlling the production of proteins in particular cells, enabling an organism to adapt.

But the experts don’t feel that holds much weight when it comes to episodic memory in humans. Recent findings apply to simple organisms, as evidenced in a study published in Nature Neuroscience in 2013 where mice passed a scent aversion to their descendants, and the 2016 discovery , from Oded Rechavi’s Lab, that acquired traits in Caenorhabditis elegans worms can be inherited beyond DNA via small RNA molecules that tune survival at certain temperatures, or resistance to certain pathogens. But while you can transmit general tendencies such as hypersensitivity to a toxin, Rechavi told me in an interview, ‘we would not remember a book just because our parents read it. We don’t have a mechanism to transmit specific elaborate memories about arbitrary things we experience in our lives.’

Instead, Rechavi suggests that cultural memory, similar to the imagined affective connection mentioned in Jo’s book and Suh’s study, can be more influential than biology. It is the stories of our heritage, passed down through the generations, that can colour our experiences, creating a ‘mystique’.

Perhaps all the floods, triumphs, plagues, droughts, and manmade borders drawn by power-shuffled empires through the centuries my ancestors survived echo in my migration experience during the COVID-19 crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As I write, half of my things are in Germany and the other half in the US; a metaphor for who I am – an American migrant in their homeland. I and the others moved seeking to connect our fragmented pieces, our hands outstretched, begging to be nourished with who we are. Instead, the ancestral homeland shakes us, deconstructs us, and cracks us open, ushering in new resilience and perspective.

In the apartment that became my refuge, a nest, I write my final chapter of Germany in real time: the story of a solo woman abroad in her lineage country, who emerged to embody the community by cofounding a 3,900-member advocacy group for other skilled migrants, leading collaborations with policymakers, including Munich’s migration advisory council (Migrationsbeirat). My resolve is now airtight, but my perception of our identities as transnational mosaics is forever fluid.

The author received funding from an International Center for Journalists 2023 News Corp Media Fellowship, which made possible the reporting in this essay.

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Michael Bacon

Opinion It’s not so ‘terribly strange to be 70’

I turned 70 today, a young age for an older person to be, but it is the oldest I have ever been by a long shot. It has been well over six decades since I learned in arithmetic how to carry the one, and the rest has sped by like microfiche.

One big juicy, messy, hard, joyful, quiet life. That’s what my 70 years have bequeathed me.

In my teens, already drinking and drugging, I didn’t expect to see 21, and at 21, out of control, I didn’t expect to see 30. At 30, I had published three books but, as a sober friend put it, was deteriorating faster than I could lower my standards.

Then at 32, I got clean and sober, the miracle of my life from which all other blessings flow. My son was born three years later. The apple fell close to the tree: My son went off the rails, too. He and his partner had a baby at 19, which had not been in my specific plans for him, but you know the old line: If you want to make God laugh, tell Her your plans.

The baby, soon to get his learner’s permit, turned out to be the gift of a lifetime. My son got clean and sober 13 years ago, and the three of us grew up together. Then after a long search, I met this brilliant, kind writer guy and, three days after I started getting Social Security, I married him. Yesterday, I published my 20th book, called “Somehow.” Today, when I woke up, I was 70. Seventy!

I think that I am only 57, but the paperwork does not back this up. I don’t feel old, because your inside self doesn’t age. When younger people ask me when I graduated from high school and I say 1971, there’s a moment’s pause, as if this is inconceivable and I might as well have said 20 B.C. That’s when I feel my age. But I smile winsomely because, while I would like to have their skin, hearing, vision, memory, balance, stamina and focus, I would not go back even one year.

My older friends and I know a thing or two.

In general, though, I know how little I know. This is a big relief.

I know that my lifelong belief, that to be beyond reproach offers shelter and protection, is a lie. Shelter is an inside job, protection an illusion. We are as vulnerable as kittens. Love fends off the worst of it.

I know now that everyone is screwed up to some degree, and that everyone screws up. Phew. I thought for decades it was just me, that all of you had been issued owner’s manuals in second grade, the day I was home with measles. We are all figuring it out as we go. Aging is grad school.

I know a very little bit about God, or goodness, or good orderly direction. I am a believer, but I don’t trouble myself about ultimate reality, the triune nature of the deity or who shot the Holy Ghost. I say help a lot, and thanks, and are You kidding me??? Have You been drinking again, Friend?

I know about something I will call cloak hope, most obvious to me in the people who swooped in and helped me get sober in 1986, and swooped down again in 2012 for my child. In my case, an elderly sober woman named Ruby saw me in my utter, trembly hopelessness — afraid, smelly and arrogant; she swept in and took me under her wing. She wrapped her cloak around me and was the counternarrative to all I believed at 32, i.e., that I needed to figure things out, especially myself, and who to blame.

I know the beauty of shadows. Shadows show us how life can gleam in contrast. Sunshine might be dancing outside the window, but the wonder is in the variegation, with fat white clouds bunched up on the right casting shadows on the hills and gardens, and brushstrokes of gray clouds on the left and — most magical — the long narrow shawl of fog right across the top of the ridge. The day is saying, Who knows how the weather will morph, but meanwhile so much is possible. And that is life asserting itself.

I know life will assert itself. Knowing this means I have a shot at some measure of pliability, like a willow tree that is maybe having an iffy day.

I know everything is in flux, that all things will turn into other things. I am uncomfortable with this but less so than in younger years. Michael Pollan wrote, “Look into a flower, and what do you see? Into the very heart of nature’s double nature — that is, the contending energies of creation and dissolution, the spiring toward complex form and the tidal pull away from it.” So I don’t sweat feeling a little disoriented some days.

I have grown mostly unafraid of my own death, except late at night when I head to WebMD and learn that my symptoms are probably cancer.

I know and am constantly aware of how much we have all lost and are in danger of losing — I am not going to name names — and am awash with gratitude for lovely, funny things that are still here and still work.

I know how to let go now, mostly, although it is not a lovely Hallmark process, and when well-wishers from my spiritual community exhort me to let go and let God, I want to Taser them. But I know that when I finally tell a best friend of my thistly stuckness, the telling is the beginning of release. You have to learn to let go. Otherwise, you get dragged, or you become George Costanza’s father pounding the table and shouting, “Serenity now!”

I know that people and pets I adore will keep dying, and it will never be okay, and then it will, sort of, mostly. I know the cycle is life, death, new life, and I think this is a bad system, but it is the one currently in place.

I know I will space out and screw up right and left as I head out on this book tour, say things I wish I could take back, forget things, sometimes onstage, and lose things. I just will.

I recently went to Costa Rica, where my husband was giving a spiritual retreat, and I forgot my pants. My pants! And last month, I went to give a talk at a theater two states away and forgot to bring any makeup. I am quite pale, almost light blue in some places — think of someone from “Game of Thrones” with a head cold — and ghostly under bright lights. When I discovered this omission, I was wearing only tinted moisturizer, powder on my nose and light pink lip gloss.

I gave myself an inspiring pep talk on my inner beauty, the light within. And then I had a moment of clarity: I asked the person driving me to the venue to stop at CVS, where I bought blush and a lipstick that was accidentally brighter and glossier than I usually wear. I looked fabulous. Age is just a number when you still know how to shine. And I shone.

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‘At 51, My Mom Became My Surrogate—And Helped Make Me A Mama’

After struggling with infertility, Breanna Lockwood shares how she received the ultimate gift.

As soon as my daughter was born, the doctors handed her directly to me and the whole world stopped. She was healthy, perfect, and looked exactly like my husband. Our surrogate was also healthy, stable, and, officially, a grandma. My mom had helped make me a mama.

My daughter Briar is now 3. She is super spunky and has a big personality. She's kept us on our toes since the day she was born. And she knows she came from Grandma’s belly. They have an extremely close relationship and get to see each other almost every day. Briar is too young to fully understand the concept, but my family decided that our surrogacy story would always be a regular part of our life.

My husband and I were high school sweethearts, and when we got married in 2016, we immediately tried to start a family. After eight months with no luck, I went to my ob-gyn, who referred us to a fertility specialist in Chicago. First, we tried intrauterine insemination (IUI), a procedure that boosts the chances of getting pregnant by placing a sperm directly in the uterus. The first round was unsuccessful, and I was impatient, so we switched to in vitro fertilization (IVF), the most effective type of fertility treatment, in which an egg is fertilized by sperm in a lab before being transferred directly into the uterus.

I ended up having six unsuccessful IVF transfers, including two that ended in miscarriage —once after the second transfer and then again with twins. I was also diagnosed with Asherman syndrome after my miscarriage with the twins due to damaged scar tissue on the inside of my uterus, making future pregnancies more difficult and high risk.

At the time, all my friends were pregnant, and I felt so isolated. Every month I built the strength to try another round of IVF, and each time it didn’t work out, I was crushed. It was a vicious cycle. Infertility also took a serious toll on my body. I was pumping myself with hormones, my body was changing, and I was fatigued, tired, and emotional. The countless procedures, blood draws, transfers, and exams were unpleasant and painful. It felt as if I were in medical stirrups every day.

Eventually, my doctor suggested we look into surrogacy . It took some time to come around to the idea, and of course, I also had extreme sticker shock. Surrogacy can run anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000, and honestly, we couldn’t afford it. Still, it felt like my only option at that point, so I was devastated.

“What if I was your surrogate?” my mom texted me one day.

The text came out of the blue. My mom was 50 at the time. She’s a two-time Boston marathon runner and triathlete and is incredibly healthy. She is my best friend, and I’m her only daughter, so we’ve always been close. But I was still processing my emotions after the failed IUI and IVF, so I told her to drop it. Her suggestion felt like a silly, unrealistic, outlandish idea, and I didn’t even want to get my hopes up. But she was persistent and continued to remind me that she was confident she could be my surrogate.

About two months later, at a routine checkup at the fertility clinic, my mom came to support me. At the end of the exam, my doctor brought up surrogacy again, and my mom chimed in saying she had offered to be my surrogate. I was a little annoyed and embarrassed because it felt like such a crazy idea. But the doctor was clearly considering the idea and offered to run some preliminary tests.

There was never an exact moment when we decided that my mom would be my surrogate.

As she passed each health screening with flying colors (her health report looked better than mine!), we cautiously continued the process. My husband was supportive, trusting that as a very logical, realistic person, I had thought through all the outcomes. He also understood there are a lot of ways to grow a family and appreciated that this could be our path forward.

A few weeks after that initial doctor’s appointment, I saw a People magazine cover at work featuring a surrogate carrying a baby for her own son in Nebraska. I took the magazine home and contacted the mother and son. I wanted to get some answers. My husband and I even drove to Omaha to meet their physician.

All of us—my mom, my husband, and I—had to undergo an extensive psychological exam before starting the surrogacy process, meeting with a psychologist who made sure we were emotionally and mentally stable and ready for this journey. We all had to be on the same page with the right intentions. My mom and I had lawyers representing each of us (everyone had to be in legal agreement and legally protected), and they walked us through every contract, clause, and detail. We discussed all possible outcomes, including what to do in case of a medical emergency.

At this stage, my husband and I also needed to save money and wanted to support my mom throughout the entire process, so we sold our home at the end of 2019 and moved in with my parents.

Once all the screenings, evals, and paperwork were complete, we did an embryo transfer with my mom on February 25, 2020.

None of it felt real. I was emotionally in a dark place after years of infertility and loss, and to make matters worse, COVID-19 hit two weeks later. The world was shutting down, and my mom, who was already considered high risk for COVID infection due to her age, was trying to carry a pregnancy. My baby.

Throughout the entire first trimester, doctors were cautiously optimistic that the baby was developing at a normal rate, but after my history with the miscarriages, I was pessimistic. We held our breath during every appointment, scan, and test.

It wasn’t until the 20-week anatomy scan that I finally felt a wave of relief. My baby girl was growing and healthy. I was still reserved about celebrating, but I tried to let my guard down. We officially announced my mom’s pregnancy to friends and family and posted about it on social media. Of course, strangers online will always have their opinions about our unique surrogacy journey, but our family and friends only celebrated and supported the extraordinary miracle.

Throughout my mom’s pregnancy, we spent our days together. As my husband threw himself into nursery projects, my mom told me about every feeling, symptom, and craving, and I clung to each detail. It made us even closer. Her pregnancy never felt weird or awkward, and I didn’t harbor any jealousy or resentment.

Sometimes it was difficult during routine doctor's appointments since the focus was always on my mom. She was the patient, but as the mother of my baby, I sometimes wished the doctors spoke directly to me and asked questions. (Still, the staff did a great job of including my husband and myself in every conversation and never made us feel like outsiders.) I didn’t hold on to any of those feelings for long because I was just so completely and utterly grateful for my mom’s sacrifice.

My daughter was born on November 2, 2020—World Fertility Day.

She was born via an emergency C-section because doctors were concerned about her heartbeat during delivery. We were still in the throes of the pandemic, and while my doctor originally said we couldn’t go into the operating room—which I expected and made peace with—at the last minute, they let me into the room. It was the happiest day of my life.

We now live 20 minutes away from my parents, and I see my mom almost every day. We have pictures in our home of her pregnancy.

I definitely want to have another baby and recently started going through IVF again. Last year, I got pregnant, but my second daughter was born sleeping [stillborn] at 25 weeks due to a complex heart defect. And once again, I had to pull myself out of a dark hole, process my emotions, and get back on my feet to try again. I’m open to going through another surrogacy, and my mom has offered to carry for me again, but I want to keep her healthy and safe right now.

Although infertility has been the most devastating, difficult thing I’ve gone through, it’s ultimately a story of resilience. It’s financially taxing, emotionally draining, and physically challenging, but at the end of the day, it’s about how many times I get back up and keep going. My mom’s offer was the most selfless, beautiful gift. It showed me that motherhood can come in all different ways, and I carry that idea with me now.

Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill. She’s a mass consumer of social media and cares about women’s rights, holistic wellness, and non-stigmatizing reproductive care. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga.  

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Life Experiences — Personal Experience

Personal Experience Essays

Personal experiences are the threads that weave the fabric of our lives. Writing a personal experience essay isn't just about storytelling; it's about finding meaning, connecting with others, and leaving your mark on the world. So, why should you write an essay about your personal experiences? Let's explore the importance together! 🌟

Personal Experience Essay Topics 📝

Selecting the right essay topic is key to crafting a compelling narrative. Here's how to pick one:

Personal Experience Argumentative Essay 🤨

Argumentative essays based on personal experiences require you to defend a viewpoint or argument. Here are ten intriguing topics:

• 1. Argue for or against the idea that personal experiences are the most influential factors shaping an individual's personality.
• 2. Defend your perspective on whether overcoming adversity through personal experiences builds stronger character.
• 3. Debate the impact of personal experiences on shaping one's political beliefs and values.
• 4. Argue for the significance of sharing personal experiences in order to promote empathy and understanding among diverse communities.
• 5. Defend the idea that personal experiences play a crucial role in career development and decision-making.
• 6. Debate the ethical implications of sharing deeply personal experiences in the era of social media and oversharing.
• 7. Argue for the therapeutic benefits of writing about and reflecting on personal experiences.
• 8. Defend your perspective on whether personal experiences should be a central part of school curricula.
• 9. Debate the influence of personal experiences on an individual's approach to health and wellness.
• 10. Argue for or against the notion that personal experiences can serve as catalysts for social change and activism.

Personal Experience Cause and Effect Essay 🤯

Cause and effect essays based on personal experiences explore the reasons behind events and their consequences. Here are ten topics to consider:

• 1. Analyze the causes and effects of a life-changing personal experience on your academic or career choices.
• 2. Examine how personal experiences can lead to personal growth, increased self-awareness, and improved well-being.
• 3. Investigate the effects of travel experiences on personal perspectives and cultural understanding.
• 4. Analyze the causes and consequences of sharing personal experiences with others, including its impact on relationships.
• 5. Examine how personal experiences can influence one's hobbies, interests, and leisure activities.
• 6. Investigate the impact of a significant personal experience on your family dynamics and relationships.
• 7. Analyze the causes of personal transformation through exposure to diverse cultures and environments.
• 8. Examine how personal experiences can shape one's attitude toward risk-taking and adventure.
• 9. Investigate the effects of sharing personal experiences through writing, art, or storytelling on your personal well-being.
• 10. Analyze the causes and consequences of personal experiences that challenge societal norms and expectations.

Personal Experience Opinion Essay 😌

Opinion essays based on personal experiences allow you to express your subjective viewpoints. Here are ten topics to consider:

• 1. Share your opinion on the importance of documenting personal experiences for future generations.
• 2. Discuss your perspective on whether personal experiences should be kept private or shared openly.
• 3. Express your thoughts on how personal experiences have shaped your sense of identity and self-worth.
• 4. Debate the significance of personal experiences in fostering empathy and compassion among individuals and communities.
• 5. Share your views on the role of personal experiences in building resilience and coping with life's challenges.
• 6. Discuss the impact of personal experiences on your approach to decision-making and problem-solving.
• 7. Express your opinion on the therapeutic benefits of writing or talking about personal experiences.
• 8. Debate the influence of personal experiences on your sense of purpose and life goals.
• 9. Share your perspective on how personal experiences can inspire creativity and artistic expression.
• 10. Discuss your favorite personal experience and the lessons or insights it has provided.

Personal Experience Informative Essay 🧐

Informative essays based on personal experiences aim to educate readers. Here are ten informative topics to explore:

• 1. Provide an in-depth analysis of the impact of a specific personal experience on your career choices and aspirations.
• 2. Explore the therapeutic benefits of journaling and writing about personal experiences for mental health and well-being.
• 3. Investigate the history and significance of storytelling as a means of preserving personal experiences and cultural heritage.
• 4. Analyze the connection between personal experiences and the development of emotional intelligence.
• 5. Examine the influence of personal experiences on decision-making processes and risk assessment.
• 6. Investigate the role of personal experiences in shaping cultural perceptions and worldviews.
• 7. Provide insights into the art of crafting compelling narratives based on personal experiences.
• 8. Analyze the impact of personal experiences on an individual's resilience and ability to adapt to change.
• 9. Examine how personal experiences can serve as valuable life lessons and sources of wisdom.
• 10. Investigate the therapeutic benefits of group discussions and support networks for individuals sharing similar personal experiences.

Personal Experience Essay Example 📄

Personal experience thesis statement examples 📜.

Here are five examples of strong thesis statements for your personal experience essay:

• 1. "Through the lens of personal experiences, we uncover the profound impact that seemingly ordinary moments can have on our lives, reshaping our perspectives and guiding our journeys."
• 2. "Personal experiences serve as powerful mirrors reflecting our growth, resilience, and capacity to navigate life's challenges, ultimately shaping the narratives of our existence."
• 3. "The sharing of personal experiences is an act of vulnerability and courage, fostering connections, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the human condition."
• 4. "Our personal experiences are the brushstrokes on the canvas of our identity, influencing our choices, values, and the stories we tell ourselves and others."
• 5. "In exploring personal experiences, we embark on a journey of self-discovery, unlocking the untold stories that shape our uniqueness and enrich our shared human tapestry."

Personal Experience Essay Introduction Examples 🚀

Here are three captivating introduction paragraphs to kickstart your essay:

• 1. "Amid the chaos of everyday life, our personal experiences are the constellations that guide us, the moments that define us. As we embark on this essay journey into the depths of our own stories, we unravel the threads of our existence, each tale a testament to the power of the personal."
• 2. "Picture a canvas where the brushstrokes are the chapters of your life—a canvas waiting for you to paint your experiences, thoughts, and emotions. The personal experience essay is your opportunity to create a masterpiece that reflects the colors of your journey."
• 3. "In a world of noise and distractions, our personal experiences are the melodies that resonate within us. As we venture into the heart of this essay, we uncover the symphony of our lives—a composition of highs, lows, and the beauty in between."

Personal Experience Conclusion Examples 🌟

Conclude your essay with impact using these examples:

• 1. "As we close the chapter on this exploration of personal experiences, we are reminded that our stories are the threads that connect us all. The journey continues, and each experience, no matter how small, contributes to the tapestry of our shared humanity."
• 2. "In the final brushstroke of our personal experience essay, we recognize that our stories are not finite; they are ever-evolving, ever-inspiring. The canvas of life awaits, ready for us to create new narratives and continue shaping our destinies."
• 3. "As the echoes of our personal experiences linger, we stand at the intersection of past, present, and future. The essay's conclusion is but a pause in the symphony of our lives, with countless more notes to be played and stories to be written."

How My Life Experiences Have Shaped My Personal and Academic Growth

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Life Experiences: Shaping My Identity

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Motivation Through Failure: My Life Experience

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Senior psychology major reveals how South Carolina Honors College transformed her life

After distinguishing herself as one of the rare transfer students accepted into the highly competitive South Carolina Honors College as a sophomore, Ruth Moniz still had only a vague idea where she ultimately might fit in the wide spectrum of career opportunities for psychology majors. She was hungry for meaningful professional insight, and one Honors psychology course — Research, Practice, and Policy in School Behavioral Health — changed everything.

“Before taking this class, I knew I was interested in psychology, and I knew that I liked working with children, but, other than that, I had absolutely no idea what my future academic or professional path might look like,” Moniz recalls. “I was trying to get as much exposure as possible to different things. I was toying with the idea of counseling but didn’t really feel a strong connection to it. … I also had the opportunity to volunteer with a local middle school and trained in motivational interviewing. It was absolutely amazing and so rewarding to see the impacts of positive behavioral interventions and supports in action in a local environment.”

Finally discovering that school-based psychology would be her niche was not without its challenges. Moniz was initially intimidated by the academic rigor of Honors College courses, especially reading and understanding sophisticated academic articles. However, during the first week of Honors classes, she was stunned to experience a level of enthusiastic participation and engagement that was far different from high school. Soon, Moniz found herself looking forward to the Honors assignments and in-depth discussions.

“I had spoken to other friends who were in Honors and had read many wonderful things online about the enhanced experiences available to Honors students,” she says. “I knew that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take my college experience to the next level. … I had no idea just how impactful it would be.”

I would not be the student or person I am today without my Honors experience.

The psychology course was the catalyst that opened the door for Moniz to pursue her undergraduate research at USC, which ultimately led to her choice of senior thesis topic: “The use of effective health communication strategies to reduce inequitable and exclusionary discipline in schools.” It examines disciplinary practices in K-12 schools that remove students from the school environment as well as reviews the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which is how an individual’s belief systems influence their decisions to behave in a certain way.

Today, Moniz is a part-time research assistant on nationally renowned psychology instructor Mark Weist’s School Behavioral Health Team. As a senior, she was even invited to present her research findings at the 2023 Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference where Moniz networked with top professionals in the field. She will become a full-time research assistant after graduation in May. Beyond that, she is keeping her options open.

Having previously served as a Peer Leader for University 101 programs, Moniz hopes to stay involved in the first-year seminars while preparing to apply for graduate school. She is proud that USC ranks No. 1 nationally for first-year experience and leads the state with 20 nationally ranked health science graduate programs.

“I would not be the student or person I am today without my Honors experience,” Moniz says. “I have gained so much knowledge as an Honors student, but I think, more importantly, I have gained so much more confidence in myself as a student and my ability to chase my dreams and aspirations. Honors will always have a special place in my heart.”

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Diagnostic Essay

I was a Divison III college athlete. Years later, I now see how it ruined my body and my college experience.

• As a high school jock, I couldn't imagine not playing sports in college.
• But at my Division III college, I was forced to focus too much on my sports. 
• After injuring myself for life, I regret being a college athlete. 

I love sports . If you give me a ball and an open field, I'll play for hours. Give me wings and a TV with a game, that's all I need.

My love for sports started when I was young, and I developed my passion as a high school jock . I decided to continue that passion in college when I enrolled in a Division III school. There, I played both soccer and track and field.

But I didn't love my time playing sports in college . In fact, I wish I hadn't played in college at all.

Collegiate athletics was less competitive than I thought

On my first day of soccer preseason my freshman year , I was nervous my new team would eat me for lunch. But once we scrimmaged, I discovered I was among the best players. I hadn't expected it.

I thought playing in college meant playing at a higher level of competition than I ever had, but some players on my team would have ridden the bench at my high school .

I chalked up the level of play to Division III, but I at least thought if the play wasn't as competitive as I had hoped, the team would be more committed since we were actively choosing to continue our athletic careers. But there was never any intensity in our drills or fire in our practices.

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On my team, soccer felt more like an unwanted activity than a conscious commitment. We couldn't even keep people from quitting throughout the season.

I put too much pressure on myself and ruined my college experience

As captain of the soccer and track and field teams — which finished poorly in the conference standings — I felt I had to do something to improve us.

And I tried, but the truth is I tried too hard and gave too much to my teams. That means I didn't study abroad in college because I played sports every semester. I didn't make deep friendships with people in my classes because I had a schedule that didn't allow it. I didn't even party the way I should have. I sacrificed my last chance just to be a kid trying new things and meeting new people because I was too worried about giving my best to a college athletic department that wasn't giving its best to me. I wish I understood that leading my peers wasn't my responsibility.

I spent half my nights in college lying wide awake, replaying practice repeatedly in my head. My worries were never about soccer or track. Instead, I agonized over intense personal dynamics that I was too young and inexperienced to navigate.

Naively, I thought all of this would lead to a better job. But in the corporate world, no one cared about my leadership experience of captaining two college teams. Once I became a manager at a Fortune 500 company, I was dogged by the turbulence and failure I had experienced as a college athlete and struggled to find the confidence to lead a team in the real world.

The physical cost also wasn't worth it

Because I felt a responsibility to improve our teams, I physically pushed myself too hard. During my freshman soccer season , I played every minute of every game and took nearly all our free kicks.

I had pain, but I played through it. I ended up with an overuse injury that nearly ended my athletic career, cost me my sophomore year of soccer and track, and caused me to take toxic amounts of ibuprofen.

After graduation, I never got to compete in the triathlons I always imagined I would because my injury still flares up. I've had to pick hiking over marathons. I've chosen running with my kids over playing in adult soccer leagues. I've found a way to have an active life , but not a pain-free one, and I never will.

I wish I didn't do college sports

As a mom, I don't know exactly what I would tell my daughters if either one of them said they wanted to play in college. I probably would tell them about my experiences and allow them to make an educated choice.

I know there is more than one way to keep playing, and it doesn't have to be at the collegiate level. Local adult leagues, even semi-pro could have been a better option for me, and someday may be a better option for my children.

Either way, playing in college is an experience, but mine cost more than it should.

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