The title of the essay is "sacrifice".This is a college application essay for the University of Miami. In the essay I talked about what sacrifice means to me.

He gazed up at me with the clear bright eyes of a child who was clearly experiencing a rare moment of happiness, and I knew instantly the sacrifice had been worth it. The sacrifice I am speaking of was awaking at five o'clock on a gloomy Saturday morning to take poverty-stricken children in our area shopping at a local department store before it opened. I can't help but to notice life is full of these little decisions. I have longed been plagued by the eternal question of whether to deny myself for the hope future gain or to enjoy the lesser fruits of the present. Of course most people when asked will respond saying the right decision is to deny temporary pleasure for a greater later gain but this is far easier to say than to put into practice.

The story of the little boy resonates so deeply within me because it's an example of a large gain from a minimal act of self-denial.

English: Aztec ritual human sacrifice portrayed in...

English: James Cook, English navigator, witnessing...

Aztec human sacrifice

Unfortunately the light at the end of the tunnel can seem oh so far off when one lies in the midst of a trying situation. In the case of my soccer team (state champions 2003-2004 season) we all are driven by an inbred love of the sport, and a natural camaraderie that comes only from.... . However the very seams of our affection for the game are tested during the "two a day" practices in the scorching early August heat. This very test of human resolve is especially tough on high school boys because these practices require the player to give up of the precious last month of summer. In exchange for this month, one receives a 6 a.m. wake up time for morning practices and a coach-imposed curfew. Five hours later that day the actually...