Ashton's College Application Essay

The following essay was written by me (Ashton) for my applications to college. It landed me a spot at the University of Southern Maine (!) and University of Maine at Augusta. Enjoy.


The first thirty seconds, I’m perplexed. I don’t know how to act or what to say. Very rapidly, it occurs to me that it’s all natural. You treat the dying with respect and dignity. I immediately make sure that the picture of her late husband is propped up, facing her on her bedside table. I fluff up her favorite stuffed animal that she had won during weekly Bingo. I feel my most important role at this moment is to make her comfortable.
Next, I sit down. I gently place my hand over hers and repetitively stroke her bony hand. I continue to dab a cool washcloth on her clammy forehead. I softly whisper, “It’s okay to let go.” I swear I feel her hand give mine the slightest squeeze. I sit here repeating my tender actions for about another 25 minutes or so. It is then that the charge nurse, my CNA instructor, informs me that it is time for me to take my dinner break. I leave the nursing home and grab a bite to eat, certain to be back in the half hour that I am allotted. When I go back on the floor, the nurse informs me that the delicate elder woman that I had just been sitting with had peacefully passed away.
That was my first clinical ever. I was sixteen years old and about midway through the completion of my CNA class. I learned a lot from that first experience on the floor. Dealing with death isn’t always an easy thing, as many people know. But it’s a part of life. You live your life and then you depart this life that you’ve hopefully lived to it’s fullest.
Truthfully, it’s rare that you see a sixteen-year-old working in this type of setting. While most of my peers were partying or shopping, I was taking care of those who were no longer able to take care of themselves. That’s because I enjoy my unselfish job. I feel I’m much more mature than most people my age. I work hard and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that I helped someone out. I deal with the hitting, name-calling, and kicking that Dementia brings with it, and I do it with a smile on my face. It’s not about making money; it’s about the feeling of making someone else happier and more pleasant.
In society today, we all need to remember that it’s great to give back. Today, instead of being hooked on MySpace, Blackberry’s, and iPods, we need to refocus on what’s really important and not just what we desire. When I put each resident to bed at night, I always give them a kiss on the cheek just because I know that it’ll make them rest that much more comfortably. If I was to give one piece of advice to my fellow classmates that are departing into the real world just as I am, it would be short and simple: “Sometimes, it’s not all about you.”