Ex: On the way there, you saw a homeless and someone more fortunate brought them something to eat. During your visit you hear interesting story from relatives, like a war tale and how he/she saved someone’s life. On the way home… you’re staring at the sunset reflecting on everything and finally you have an epiphany. You decide to change the world with your kindness by first mending the relationship with gram and gramps and saying sorry for being so withdrawn and rude (or whatever).

Your paper can be as simple or complex as you like, but the most important thing that teachers like is a genuine tale with lots of insight. Have a common theme throughout. In my example, someone is helping someone else in each of the 3 settings. If you think deeply about your relationships with people, you can always come up with something. Every person who enters our life is there to teach us a lesson. It’s your job to dig deep and figure out what the lessons are 🙂

Good luck!

My daughter had to write a college paper on Child Abuse. She didn’t want to do a “Hundred and One Ways to Hurt Someone” type paper; so, she chose something that affected her and she actually believed. She chose to write her paper on Failure to Pay Child Support Is a Form of Child Abuse.” She’d seen how much better her life could have been if her father had paid his.

She entered an essay contest for scholarship money. The topic was: How my family has affected history. Her title was: I can trace America’s history through the wars in which my family has fought.

The suggestion that you brainstorm events in your life is a good one.

Sample challenges: academic difficulty, social anxieties, moving to a new school, challenges with friends or family members, health challenges…Only you know what you’ve faced in your life and what is meaningful to you.

Good luck with your essay.

Use your imagination.