BGCMC middle school members submitted 37 essays for this year’s Ford Driving Dreams Essay contest. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company, the Ford “Driving Dreams” essay contest reinforces the importance of staying motivated and pursuing higher education. The contest is promoted at Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the nation asking students to submit brief essays on “What Drives Your Dream?”
Contest winners for 2019 are Sophia Z. in first place, Joaquin V. in second place, and Isabel P. in third place. Winners took home a Microsoft Surface-Pro 2 laptop computer and received an Amazon gift card. Thank you to our wonderful judges Susan Meister, Samuel Ruiz, and Gary Tanimura!
The Ford Driving Dreams Essay contest was made possible by our partnership with the Ford Motor Company. Essays were judged on how well the student explains his/her drive, inspiration, and pathway to turning dreams into reality. Read the top two essays below!
What Drives Your Dream?
By Sophia Z.
Colin Powell, an American statesman, stated, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” In the future, I hope to follow this quote by accomplishing both my long-term and short-term dreams through my own efforts.
I will be graduating from middle school soon, and I hope to achieve my short-term dreams during my high school years. In high school, I want to become more knowledgeable in a variety of subjects to receive a good education, GPA, and ACT or SAT score. I will reach this goal by focusing in class, receiving high grades, and studying at home. I will also participate in extra-curricular programs, apply for scholarships, and enroll in Advanced Placement classes. Additionally, I have more short-term dreams outside of my studies. Two of these dreams are driving and working a part-time job. Since my mom has to go to work after bringing my brother and I to school, it would be more convenient if she drove straight to work and I drove to high school by myself. As for the part-time job, I think having a job would be useful if I needed to save additional money for my family or for college.
Speaking of college, enrolling in a high ranked university is one of my long-term dreams. I hope to continue receiving a good education when I am in college so I can have a stable and successful job. Some career paths I am considering include becoming a doctor in the medical field and studying as a software programmer in the technical field. Learning about how the human body functions had always been an interesting topic for me. Hopefully, by studying as a doctor, I will be able to understand more about anatomy and help patients suffering from various illnesses or other problems. Unfortunately, medical school costs thousands of dollars and takes numerous years to complete. Due to these reasons, I am also interested in pursuing another career path; becoming a software programmer. Technology is a relatively new subject in our generation, and there will be several opportunities for advancements in the future. If I become a software programmer, I hope to help improve and go beyond technology’s current limitations. However, this career dream, as well as my other goals, is about the future. What about the present?
As I mentioned previously, I want to participate in several programs during high school. To work toward this dream, I applied for the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science program in Monterey High School this year. Although I do not plan to work in the oceanography field, I enjoy learning about the ocean and science in general. Also, I have been engaging in school classes and studying frequently at home. By studying and focusing in class now, I will prepare myself for high school and college to achieve my future dreams.
Fulfilling My Dream
By Joaquin V.
My name is Joaquin V. and I am a student at the International School of Monterey. I am in the seventh grade. Currently my short term goal is to apply and get accepted to Stevenson High School. In addition to completing my college prep classes (A-G), I want to take film classes and that school has a really great film course. Film making and editing is something that I’ve always enjoyed. I think it is a great way of expressing yourself like your emotions and your thoughts. After high school, I am really considering going into the medical field.
My long term goal is to become a surgeon. I would like to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) because they have a really excellent medical program. There, I will continue going to school for 4 years. I imagine the classes I’ll be taking are Biology, Calculus, Physics and Chemistry. After I get my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UCLA, I want to go to medical school at Stanford University and do my residency at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital. Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital has been close to my heart because that is the same hospital where I’ve had my surgeries. I was born with a cleft lip and palate and have had seven surgeries since birth. Becoming a surgeon and working with children with facial abnormalities is my ultimate goal. I feel this is a way to give back and help kids that are going through the same medical issues I experienced. As a surgeon in this particular field, I will be able to relate more to patients because they will be going through the same surgeries I went through. I also want to join the Operation Smiles group. This group of doctors and specialists travel around the world to provide kids a free operation if they have a cleft lip or palate.
I will continue to follow my path and I know with hard work, I will be able to fulfill my dream of becoming a successful surgeon.
