College Essay

At the beginning of my freshman year of high school, I joined many clubs, eager to figure out which ones would suit me best. I tried Student Government Association and went to a few meetings of Chess Club, and though I enjoyed them for a short while, they simply did not feel right. I had always taken pleasure in watching professional ballroom dancing on television and had danced as a young child, so I made the decision to join the new Latin Dance Club. I have never since regretted that choice. I loved learning the new steps and listening to the music; dance club on Friday afternoons became my stress reliever and therapy. The Latin Dance Club soon became so important to me and a few other friends that we decided that our school needed a dance class.
During sophomore year, my friends and I took our idea, along with reasons the class would be beneficial and a list of students who would also like to take part in a dance class, to the school’s Dean of Academics. We explained to her that other students could also find a new and unique way to exercise and decompress through this course while gaining their fine arts credit. The administrator’s approval thrilled me, and I quickly requested a place in Dance Techniques I.
In addition to decreasing my anxiety levels, the Latin Dance Club and Dance Techniques exposed me to Hispanic culture. I learned more about the people, their music, their cuisine, and their relaxed way of life. Learning about the way others lived fascinated me, and it inspired me to delve into the Spanish language. I took higher level Spanish classes so I could learn more quickly, watched Spanish television programs, and began to listen to Spanish radio stations. I loved the idea that, by learning this language, I could increase the amount of people I could communicate with exponentially. Learning Spanish developed into a challenge I fervently attempted to win. In the spring of my junior year, I travelled to Ecuador. This new experience put my dreams and talents into perspective. Although I could understand most of the conversations, I never kept up with our guides and the locals. I realized that if I truly wanted to know the language, I could not give up, even though it sometimes felt as though I could never succeed, and I could not solely rely on my natural affinity for languages. Since then, I have made every effort to familiarize myself with Spanish, and I always seek out and take any extra opportunities to use it.
The influence Latin Dance Club has had on me extends even to my future, as I plan to continue studying Spanish at college. I hope to one day have full command of the language and I may even choose a career that will involve it. It broadened my horizons enough that my desire for knowledge now extends to other languages. I would like to one day study and learn French and Russian, among others. I changed profoundly simply because of a school club, from a young child content with her native tongue, to a young woman yearning to know more.