I have never accomplished something extraordinary, I have never encountered a traumatic event that changed me as a person, I have never moved to a different school, I am not of some exotic race or ancestral background and I don't have any strong religious beliefs; so how, I ask myself, am I, an average seventeen year old white girl from Maine, ever going to set myself as a unique individual upon hundreds of other applicants? I am still unsure, but as with everything I have done thus far, I'm going to give it my best and hope that I will succeed in doing so.

First on the agenda of setting myself unique would be the tellings of my family. My family, well I guess it is only fair to start with the people who had brought me into this world, my parents. My father is a jolly corrections officer at the Cumberland County Jail, and my mother, after ten years as a devoted bank teller, is now a loving nanny to two kids who are not her own.

Then we have my siblings. My erratic twenty four year old sister, skipped second grade and graduated high school in 2000. Despite her academic intelligence, she decided to forgo college and she grasped a great job as a dental assistant right here in Windham. She lived with us until she was 21, then she decided to move out, although only two houses down (we are now awaiting the arrival of my nephew, who by the time you read this will have already been born). Now my twenty two year old brother. He is not a big fan of me, for reasons no one is too sure; I would argue that it is because he and I are the most similar pair amongst the four of us, but he would undoubtedly disagree. He graduated from high school and went to Southern Maine Community College for Criminal Justice, from which he graduated two years later and is now attending St. Joe's of Maine. The last one of the bunch, my kid brother, Gino. Only two years younger than me, we share the closest bond. Growing up it was always him and I together, I guess one could say that we were inseparable. Even now, he and I share similar interests and enjoy each other's company, oh and not to mention, the same after school work place.

Next, I will give it a shot and write about my love for nature, perhaps this will set me apart from the rest. Ever since I was a kid, I loved being outdoors. I am what you would call an on the go kind of girl, I dread having to stay in and sit around. One of my favorite activities is running, I love waking up in the early morning when the sun is just starting to rise and the air is a bit brisk just to spend the time going where ever my sneakers lead me. I love being in the woods and hearing the crunch of the fallen leaves underneath my feet. I love springtime when the squirrels and birds come and play amongst themselves in my backyard. I love the first snowfall of the year, the trees being beautifully ornamented with millions upon millions of snowflakes.

If those two topics are not enough to set me apart I will end this essay, of which I have dreaded for weeks, with characteristics I hold within myself. I asked a few close friends to tell me one word that describes me, of course I received a few asinine ones such as 'gangster' and 'jazzy', but for the most part, the ones received all fit into a general category. 'Quirky', 'Curious', 'Passive', 'Adventurous' 'Spontaneous' and 'Fun'. I feel these adjectives suit me because I am unquestionably full of “off-the-norm” mannerisms. I tend to be more inquisitive than most and end up asking some irrelevant, questions that, I suppose, would only make sense if your brain functioned the same as mine. I feel that everyday is worth living and if one only takes things as they are and does not take the time to look deeper, then regrets will arise. For myself, I am willing to take risks and I am willing to view the world unbiasedly and take the time to learn more than what is superficial.

For my most valued characteristic I view in myself, it would be independence. I am probably the most independent of the people with which I hang around. I feel as though my independence has grown greatly throughout high school, I feel I have a better grasp on reality now than say, freshman year. In turn this leads me to the realization that I am the most independent than I have ever been. I value this quality in myself for I think independence can bring a person far. Independence does not mean doing everything on your own and holding back from asking for help, but rather being able to assess when help is needed. Independence is being aware of and feeling confident enough to not be dependent on others.

So, maybe my sense of independence stems from my family, I mean do I not follow the criteria of the ever-so-lonely middle child? Or perhaps my independence roots from my affinity for nature. Or just maybe, my independence comes from my peers which is, ultimately, what sets me apart from my friends and from the thousands of applicants.