Everyone is born a coconut. I certainly was, but due to self-searching and my upcoming adventure of college I have discovered I want to be a peach. This revelation is recent yet fervent. I have realized that my entire life, my primary goals, have always been centered on myself. What do I need? And how do I get it? I have consisted of a hard shell, which required taking a jackhammer to to reach the meat of my core so that I might serve another. But that will no longer characterize me. I want to be a peach who’s nectar is as accessible as picking me off a branch. I want to serve.
Humans are born vulnerable seeds and as they are exposed to the harsh, competitive world we live in, their shell takes shape. At three years old I went to pre-school and was mocked for the large pink bow my mother forced atop my mop of curls. Voila! We see the formation of the endocarp, the inner shell surrounding the seed of the coconut. It is human nature to protect oneself from disparagement. A few years later I found that I needed to get the right answers at school, and if I failed to meet authoritative criteria, I would be ashamed. This defined the mesocarp phase, the fibrous husk which ultimately surrounds the hard woody layer called the endocarp. The outermost layer, exocarp, formed with the belief that in order to have success (which intailed having straight A’s and going to a great college) life had to be a competition. The more people become self-serving, the harder their shells becomes. The seed has become too enclosed and the next thing you know a trained pig-tailed macaques is required to climb a 30 m tree just to be within reach of the real you.
My newfound purpose is to search for those who are in need and do everything in my power to help. In essence, serving others will free me from my restricting shell. IU is a matchless place of learning and excellence. I have the upmost confidence that is will facilitate my transformation. Through my experiences at the distinguished college I will become best suited to contribute to the world. The beauty of a peach is that it doesn’t take a jackhammer or a tree-climbing monkey. Simply reach, grab, and bite and the peach serves its purpose. Peach trees are 3 meters high.
