College Essay
Marissa Sandbothe
Prompt: Nearly all of our Presidential Scholarship applicants demonstrate significant
involvement in extracurricular activities and have achieved recognition on a variety of
levels. Bearing that in mind, please discuss what defining characteristic, distinguished
accomplishment or particular aspiration identifies you as a deserving candidate for Saint
Louis University's Presidential Scholarship. In identifying this unique attribute, please
also describe how SLU in particular complements your character.
As I walk into Parkway Southwest Middle, my alma mater, the smell hits me: the blend
between cheap bathroom cleaner, Victoria’s Secret “Pink” perfume, and middle-school boy.
Although years have passed, I can’t say much about the school has changed. I feel as though I’m
stepping back in time; like pictures on a slideshow, snippets of my middle-school self run
through my mind. Click. I am the tall, gawky girl sitting at her lunch table, laughing a little too
loudly, looking around to see if boys take notice of me. (They don’t.) Click. I see myself walking
through the hallways, already heavily laden with school textbooks and a binder, running to my
next class, worried the three minute passing period isn’t enough. Click. I am wearing Hollister
and Aeropostale from head to toe, doing my best to wear the clothes on my athletic, 5’10”
frame just like the small, skinny girls in my grade.
As I walk into my old 7th grade science room, binder and Oreo package in hand, I see
twenty variations of middle-school-Marissa. As their eyes dart around the room, taking in who
is sitting where and why as they itch to get out of their too-tight Abercrombie clothes, I take a
deep breath and smile. I am here because I know how they feel. I was there once. I want to help
them find their true selves, just as I have found mine. I have come as a mentor, a member of
the club “IMAGinE” which is dedicated to educating middle school girls about the media’s
warped idea of beauty and the definition of true beauty and self-esteem using Dove’s Real
Beauty Campaign. I flash two pictures side by side on the front board, a picture of a woman
with and without the use of photoshop.
“Do you see any differences?” I ask. They all shake their head no. “Look closer… Do you
see her freckles? They’re gone in the second picture. And her laugh lines… nowhere to be
found.” Immediately, small “ooohhs” and “that’s so weird!” fill the room as they begin to note
all of the small tweaks done to the picture. “What do you think about all of these changes? Do
you like them?” Raising her hand, one girl replies “No, I don’t think so. Actually, I think she’s
more beautiful in the first picture. It’s like they took her personality away.” As her words sink in,
the girls’ expressions begin to change. They seemed confused, almost taken aback. I could
almost hear their thoughts; Wait, if her freckles make her beautiful… Could I just maybe be
beautiful too?
As our session concludes, I notice all the girls; curly hair, straight hair, glasses, braces,
and all; walk out of the classroom with their backs a little straighter and their heads a little
higher. They seem to speak louder and stronger than before. Seeing this transformation right in
front of me gives me a thrill, a pride that I have never had before.
Upon graduation at SLU, I will change people’s lives for the better because of the Jesuit
mission. Instead of looking back, I look forward, snippets of my future at SLU running through
my mind like pictures. Click. I am serving in the Casa De Salud, utilizing the Spanish and
compassion that SLU has instilled in me. Click. I am attending retreats, offering a hand to
anyone who needs support on their journey with God Click. I am working as an occupational
therapist, being the best that I can be. Click. Because I am a Billiken, I am touching more lives
than ever imaginable.