TFA - Essay

In 500 words, describe a time when you encountered serious obstacles to success while working on a project. You may choose any academic, professional, or extracurricular project you have worked on during the past four years.

Growing up outside of a very small town I always dreamed of living in a big city and just over a year ago I was knee deep in emails searching for an apartment in New York. I'd just accepted an internship with a company unknown to me, Corra Films and was about to move to a city far from anyone I knew. It was a dream come true but a huge challenge as well to make this all a reality, first securing the internship, then a place to live, and finally finding my way in the city.
To complete my degree at Ferris State University I was required to complete a six month internship in video production. My classmates were interviewing for internships provided by the university but I wanted an internship that I received on my own merits and not simply because I was a Ferris student. In September I started sending resumes to production companies in Chicago and New York. I spent countless hours researching companies and scouring job websites for internship opportunities. After several interviews I was offered a position in New York at Corra Films. I was so excited, after living in mid-Michigan my whole life, I was moving to New York!

Now I had to find a place to live. I sent hundreds of email responses to postings on craigslist.com searching for an apartment. Then I was able to spend 36 hours in the city viewing 12 apartments, a marathon of subway rides and getting lost in beautiful neighborhoods. At the last stop, I found my apartment, close to work, the subway, and in a great neighborhood.

I was moving from mid-Michigan to New York on the cusp of a new life and I was just excited. Adjusting to life in the big city was hard at times. I felt alone and overwhelmed many days but I learned to overcome it. First, by exploring the city and its many neighborhoods and eventually by finding people with similar interests through a website called meetup.com.

I've continued on in the city, accepting a full time position at Corra Films. Its given me the opportunity to make further discoveries and the most recent has been that while New York may provide me with exciting opportunities the things I enjoy the most are still the same as when I was living in mid-Michigan. Partially because of this realization, I've come to a crossroads and I don't want to just go on to the next job that comes my way. Teach For America will give me an opportunity to explore a new path while improving the lives of students. I've have always had a support system behind me, I was able to move to New York for an unpaid internship with my mom's support and excitement. Not everyone, or even most people, would have the freedom to make a drastic financial leap such as this without support from their family and friends.