Pep Week: College Admission Essay Sample

Towards the end of second semester, [Name of my high school] takes pride in hosting its annual Pep Week: a week dedicated to showcasing each class's school spirit and creativity. A great benefit of Pep Week is that it increases school involvement and forms a community through semester-long projects, which translate into both academic and social success for students. Unfortunately, by my sophomore year, support for this event had become lackluster. ASB felt that it was too burdensome and time-consuming, with it taking extensive resources and time to plan and organize. In contrast, the general student population felt that their ideas weren't being heard and that it was becoming an event exclusive to only ASB- allowing little opportunity to participate. This lack of enthusiasm lead the school to consider putting an end to my favorite long-standing tradition.

To prevent a potential cancellation, I took initiative and shared my class's concerns with our ASB and urged them to be more inclusive and offered my help as an artist. Although I wasn't a member, I was given the role of helping delegate a group of artists to come up with mural designs and help with their painting skills. For students who wished to participate but weren't as artistically talented, I taught them basic techniques that allowed them to contribute. I wasn't obligated to lead these efforts but because I was personable, creative, and willing, I knew my class would benefit from my dedication. By the end of the semester, it was commonplace to hear ASB comment that they were "ASB plus [my name]" and called me an honorary member because of my extensive contributions.

At the end of every Pep Week, the administration has to decide which class has the overall best performance, and as always the senior class was victorious. However that year they made a separate category titled "Best Artwork" which my class won and credited to my help. As a result, I became confident in my leadership abilities which inspired me to apply for ASB Publicity Commissioner. As publicity commissioner, I continue to use my skills to benefit my school.