Preview

Personal Essay On Overachievement

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
783 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Personal Essay On Overachievement
Determination. Perseverance. Overachievement. These words are just a few of the attributes that encompass my essence as a hardworking, overachieving African American woman and student. Today and decades back to when my ancestors lived, society told me nonchalantly and often times overtly what type of future I was capable of achieving as an African-American woman.
Matriculating from a child into a young lady, the color of my skin often times influenced how I felt about myself and who I could be as an individual in society. As I sat in the front of the class at a predominately white school or walked down the hallways, I anticipated the moment that I would yet again be called another racial name- sometimes from those who looked similar to me but did not understand the essence of their doings. Reaching my final year in middle school, I began to define myself in a way that encompassed the names I was called. Instead of describing myself as the intellect I was or by my astounding level of accomplishments, I defined myself as someone who must be unfortunate to be African-American. Witnessing very few African-American women being presented in a positive manner in the news, learning my entire history and heritage in a single textbook chapter, and hearing demeaning words merely because of my dark skin tone inhibited me from seeing what roles I was capable of having in society. I often times asked …show more content…
They have influenced and inspired me to achieve the accomplishments that society said were not emblematic of African-American women-disproving societies predetermined image of who or what I could become. I refused to permit the color of my skin and what others thought of my ethnicity to hinder me from achieving my goals and
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Personal Narrative: My Identity As A Mexican American
    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Personal Narrative: My Identity As A Mexican American

    Growing up I excelled in every educational aspect of school. However the stereotype for someone of my skin color did not allow for me to be both Mexican and smart. My Hispanic peers began to exclude me; the most common way they did that was by taking away my identity as a Mexican. I heard “Diego you white” an uncountable number of times throughout my schooling. I noticed that my grades and vocabulary would trigger that comment so I began to change the way I acted in order to fit in. It was not until recently that I realized the fault in changing and found a peaceful merge between the two speech communities.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mark Dean, Rebecca Cole And George Washington Carver
    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mark Dean, Rebecca Cole And George Washington Carver

    African Americans have come a long way since they first arrived in America. When African Americans first arrived here they were slaves and treated like dirt. Now days they are treated equally and have the same rights as everyone else. African American scientists and inventors have impacted my life in so many amazing ways. There’s Mark Dean, Rebecca Cole, and the famous George Washington Carver.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Color Complex: How Skin Color Affects African Americans
    • 3571 Words
    • 15 Pages

    The Color Complex: How Skin Color Affects African Americans

    Popular phrases such as, “the Blacker the Berry, the Sweeter the juice,” and “If it’s White, it’s gotta be right,” have held opposing views in the African American community on the concept of skin complexion. This idea of a “Color Complex” has psychologically altered the way many African Americans perceive beauty, success, and their personal identity. Although some would disagree, there seems to be a strong connection between skin color and social status in the African American community. It may appear that African Americans are dispelling this theory of “light-skinned and dark skinned” to become a more cohesive group, but the politics of skin color and features still remain. Skin color variations among African Americans play a major role in how they perceive beauty standards, social status and themselves.…

    • 3571 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Quotes From 'These Are The Times To Grow Our Souls'
    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Quotes From 'These Are The Times To Grow Our Souls'

    “I went through a very long stage of identifying with my oppressors. Wanting to be like, live like, and be accepted by them. Even to the point of hating my own race and myself for being a part of it. Now I am ashamed that I ever was ashamed.”( Stages of Racial Identity Development)…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Personal Narrative: I Hate Oreos
    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Personal Narrative: I Hate Oreos

    I hate Oreos. “Milk’s favorite cookie”? Yeah, right. Do not get me wrong who can resist a Snickers or a slice of cherry pie, I love sweets, but I would pass on a whole box of Oreos for these any day. Being called this sweet name with such a vicious meaning behind it ruined this sugary treat for me. According to my friends I have a severe problem with not being “black” enough, and they claim my numerous track accolades are the only “black” thing about me. I have always been proud of my Caribbean heritage, my parents instilled in me from day one to never shy away from my Jamaican and St. Maarten upbringing, but growing up in white suburbia has made it difficult. Throughout most of my grade school career I have been one of approximately 5 black kids in my grade, and in high school I have been one…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Identity Affect One's Identity?
    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Identity Affect One's Identity?

    First of all, your identity depends on yourself, not others. Although it is obvious that some important parts of your identity such as your name, your race, and your appearance are given by your parents, you could still change your identity and others’ views on you by changing the personality of yourself or getting familiarized by others. Take the story of Rose Park for an example. Back to the 1950s, as a minority group, African-Americans did not have many…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Prejudice And Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Prejudice And Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

    However, I have come to the understanding that being part of a subordinate culture specifically an African one, I have had to deal with a great deal of prejudice and discrimination based on my skin color. Most of my knowledge of my race has come through the focus of black history during the month of February. I remember watching a movie called To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, this movie sheds some light on the position and struggles blacks have had and still face in society, with respects to discrimination. Growing up, my parents were not very vocal about the topic of race in general, noting that, I was always told by my parents and in church, not to use hateful speech, and to treat everyone equally, as we all belong to one human…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Reflection On White Privilege In Class
    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Reflection On White Privilege In Class

    Prior to EDU 211 I did not pay much attention to my race or that being white meant I have a different privilege than other colored skin people. Growing up in a predominantly white community, where I can literally count on one hand the amount of people who are not white, I never felt different. It reminds me of when I graduated from high school and the newspaper had the seniors write a profile about themselves and the first question was describe yourself. I remember writing that I am tall, athletic person who likes to run and make jokes (well something like that), not once did I say that I was a white above middle class female, in fact I didn't even think about it. Over the course of this class I have learned there is a certain level of privilege that I am given based…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Black Girl Stereotypes
    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Black Girl Stereotypes

    Then in sixth grade, I moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk has a large African-American community and I was excited to have friends that looked like me. However, when I was around the black kids in my school I never felt like I belonged. They didn’t do activities I enjoyed and I often times didn’t know the celebrity they talked about. We had completely different personalities. After multiple instances of being called white-washed or an ‘oreo,’ I tried to force myself to fully embody the stereotype of a black girl at my school to find friends.…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Higher Learning
    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Higher Learning

    The character I choose to analyze and associate with a student development theory was Malik; a freshman student-athlete who attends Columbus College with a partial athletic scholarship. The development of identity is a socialization process shaped by experiences with one's family, community, school, group and social affiliations. It undergoes trials and tests to serve to make the owner feel focused and stable by making life predict- able (Cross, 1995). While change in the environment is tolerated and sometimes welcomed, achange in our identity can be disturbing and difficult. Cross (1995) outlines the metamorphic process whereby African Americans "become Black." This developmental process in which African Americans develop a manner of thinking about and evaluating themselves in terms of being "Black" is called nigrescence (Cross, 1995; Helms, 1985).…

    • 1077 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Racial Identity Formation Patterns
    • 2397 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Racial Identity Formation Patterns

    African American teens tend to racially group amongst themselves because race has been a central theme throughout American history; from the Constitution to the Civil War to the denial of African American citizenship and social participation. Tatum (2003) noted in her essay, “Why are all the Black Children Sitting together in the Cafeteria?” an excerpt from our textbook, From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader (2008), that ‘racial grouping begins by the sixth and seventh grades’ (p. 359). Right about the time puberty begins questions of identity for all teens generally surface. For African American teens, these questions also include ‘Who am I ethnically and racially?’ In addition, Tatum (2003) suggests, “African American teens are forced to look at themselves through a racial lens because the rest of the world does” (p. 360 ). For example, racial profiling sends a very clear message. During adolescence, race becomes more personal and noticeable for the African American student. Finding the answers to questions like, ‘What does it mean to be a young African American?’ ‘How should I act?’ ‘What should I do?’ are all important questions, for Black teens, but the last thing they want to do is ask their parents (pp. 359-364). So, they turn to their peers for the answers. Therefore, African American children resort to self-segregation as a coping mechanism against racism. “They turn to each other for support they are not likely to receive anywhere else. Sometimes their White peers are the perpetrators of racism and if they are not; they are unprepared to respond supportively.” (p. 364). Education in African American studies would be beneficial in helping White teens understand their African American peers. Connecting yourself with people who look like you is only natural; it is a part of growing up and important to your identity development process.…

    • 2397 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Being an Outsider
    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Being an Outsider

    Growing up as a child in Anaheim, wasn’t as imagined. The demographics of Anaheim was filled with a Hispanic population accounts for the majority of the community. As a result to the high number of Hispanics in elementary school. Children are very blissful and ignorant when knowing the difference and social standards of race, however my mind was not equipped for my first years of elementary school across my street. The first day of school, looking at my surroundings filled of different ethnicities, I already had noticed that I was the different one, the outcast, the Asian. Of course at that time, my realizations did not have much of an effect on my self-esteem or social status, but as time proceeded, I felt singled out. As time passed to the second and third year I started to feel the racial prejudice as the Hispanic kids referred to me as “china” even though I was not Chinese. At the time, I was even really sure what the word meant but it hurt me that the kids were calling me “China”. The word was muffled almost every corner I turned and the stares of ignorant kids would keep me from being myself. I later came to realization that children can be very nasty and mean but their obliviousness can be cured with knowledge and acceptance.…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Post Racism In America Today
    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Post Racism In America Today

    Racism in schools has historically existed but instead of “putting out its own flame” it is enhanced by discriminatory policies and practices that exist in American schools. Discriminatory policies include ignoring incidents of racism, forming organizations that are not according to all races in the schools, bias in discipline measures for students from different races. Countless times in elementary school I was harassed for my own skin color; I was discriminated against because I had black friends and I participated in "black people stuff" such as playing basketball, listening to hip-hop music, running track and socializing with blacks in general. I was referred to as "white boy" or even a "wigger" by other whites and blacks in my school. This treatment impacted my mindset of participating in these activities, and eventually I felt the pressure of society’s rule push down on me, I soon ceased my involvement in some of these activities and extra-curriculars to put an end to the constant harassment. This non-post racial society that America has does not see different as acceptable. Even as a young child society’s view on stereotypical behavior affected me so immensely. This is not okay. There is no change in society’s eyes. You do what your…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Light Skin Racism
    • 161 Words
    • 1 Page

    Light Skin Racism

    I can never forget comments that were made towards me or behind my back. I felt there was this ticking noise in my head because it just became so exhilarating. I have been in situations in school where I have been surrounded by a group of my classmates who would continuously say something racist, and I would say, “Excuse me, do you not see me? Am I invisible?” and they would be like “Oh well your light skin, so it’s okay.” I never thought “light skin” was a type of category I would be put in, and in my head, I questioned and even knew that’s not even on the U.S. Census Bureau when I have to choose my race. I felt that I had to act like everybody else and go along with these racist comments just to have friends. It made me feel awkward and…

    • 161 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Racial Identity
    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Racial Identity

    The story of Corey Laeblein’s experiences throughout life is a harsh reality of what people face in society. I do partially agree with his argument, “everyone’s been discriminated one way or another”, however, the magnitude in which people have been discriminated against varies so significantly it becomes incomparable on an equivalent basis. His overall argument becomes a humbling reminder the extent in which race plays a considerable role in how we are perceived and/or who we are accepted as. As discussed in lecture, the Thomas Theorem validates this with an understanding that situations perceived to be real, are real, and have real consequences. In Corey’s instance, being bi-racial didn’t allow him to identify with any existing groups within his surroundings, furthering the subdivision of the minority group as a whole. To join the “clique” of black students or to join the “clique” of white students would have neglected half of his own accepted identity in it of itself. As Corey states, “Me and my brother face different problems because his skin is darker than mine. I’m pretty light so people don’t assume that I’m mixed.” This is a great example directly correlating race with being based on the group as defined by outsiders. Perception overwhelmingly outweighed Corey’s self-identity as a bi-racial person because Corey’s light skin was perceived as white.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More