What Inspires You in Life

Share what inspires you in life, and write a great inspirational college essay. Whether your college essay prompt is about what inspires you in life, who inspires you in life, or just a college essay about yourself, if you feel inspired, it will show in your writing. Read some sample college essays about yourself and what inspires you. 

Who Inspires You?

Inspirational College Essay

Michael Jordan

College admission essay written by Sherrondria from Georgia.

What is an inspiration?  Literally, inspire means ‘to fill with breathe’.  To me, inspiring someone is to provide them with motivation to do something positive.

My inspiration is Michael Jordan.  Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. He was considered one of the best basketball players ever.  Jordan dominated the sport of basketball from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s.  He left University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after his junior year to join the NBA.  Throughout his basketball career, Jordan received various honors: Six-time NBA champion, NBA MVP, 10-time All-NBA First Team, All-NBA Second Team, Defensive Player of the Year, Nine-time All-Defensive First Team, Rookie of the Year, 14-time All-Star, All-Star MVP, One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and Two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Michael Jordan is my inspiration for several reasons.  One reason is because of the way he showed me that I can overcome any hardships that may be thrown at me during my lifetime.  He inspires me the most with his relentless attitude in any situation.  Jordan once played in a game while having the flu and still managed to win the game for his team.  That showed that he would not let anything hold him down.  It also exhibited that he didn’t believe in giving excuses for not fulfilling responsibilities and completing tasks. 

Another way Michael Jordan motivates me is by his miraculous positive impact on young adults and teens worldwide.  Unlike some other celebrities, Jordan is not selfish with his earnings.  Somewhere between his busy schedules, he still donates funds to charities, gives back to communities, and helps people in need.  The most important attribute that Jordan possesses that I look up to is his notable leadership skills.  While playing in the NBA, Jordan was noteworthy for being an astounding leader.  In some games he was responsible for carrying the team, especially when they needed it the most.  His drive and ambition were displayed not only in words but in action by how he played with the team.  Because of this, Jordan was well respected by other athletes and common people all over the world.

I believe that Michael Jordan is a magnificent role model.  One day I hope to become as prosperous as he is.  Jordan has motivated me to aim high and reach any goals that I have set for myself.  My favorite quote of Jordan is “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”  Michael Jordan has had an immense impact on my life and for that, I appreciate him

The Hermione In Me

Inspirational College Essay about What Inspires You in Life

Kate from New Jersey wrote this college essay to respond to a prompt - What Inspires You in Life.

The Harry Potter series has been a huge part of my life since I was just six years old. I grew up learning and exploring with those characters, and they have influenced me more than anything else in the world. Hermione Granger in particular has always stood out to me as someone I can relate to and connect with. She has always been here for me, and she has been my motivation to keep moving forward through hard times.

 I always knew Hermione and I were similar. Reading is my greatest pleasure, and the same can be said for Hermione. We have spent so many days in the library together, reading side by side. Hermione was like my best friend, and she and I were happy together, until things took a turn for the worse. In my junior year, I developed an eating disorder, and when it was exposed, I had to go to therapy for many months. I felt like I had lost everything; I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I was alone and scared, and it made me miserable. I didn’t think I could make it, and I just wanted everything to stop. I needed something, anything, to pick me up and make me see the great things I could do with my life if I was able to turn it around.

Hermione was there, even at my weakest points, to pump each breath from my lungs, to support me as I tried to walk to a better life.  Hermione Granger is a proud Gryffindor, which means she is daring, strong, and “brave at heart”. I like to call myself a Gryffindor, and doing so has helped me survive. I just keep thinking, “I am a Gryffindor. Gryffindors can find the power in themselves to keep going. Hermione would tell me to keep going.”  I know that if Hermione could see what I’ve done, she would say that I am a true Gryffindor. That is what keeps me alive, even when it seems like things will never get better.

Hermione will always be the most wonderful person I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. Even if she isn’t right next to me so that I could reach out and touch her, she is always with me, in my books and in my heart. I know to always be myself, but I was shaped by Hermione, and I will continue to let her guide me through every step of my time in this cold but beautiful world.

Inspired

What Inspires You in Life? College essay by Sonni from Montana

Scholarship Essay - This scholarship contains past, present, future goals and my passion for family, academic, and peer to peer ethic. I also state how I would use the scholarship if awarded, which may allow the readers to know the importance of scholarships to students, and identify what they help to promote in society.

My name is Sonni; I am a freshman at Montana State University - Northern. I just registered for the spring semester. My major is Education. I am from the Chippewa - Cree Rocky Boy Reservation here in Montana. I lived on the reservation for a little over ten years. I now live in Havre, Montana to be closer to the college. I am originally from Las Vegas, Nevada… an entire different life to me now. I never knew about Native Americans or reservations until I moved to Montana. My Grandmother told my mother to move up here because she knew how important to us knowing our own culture would be. It took me a long time to understand that, but I am so grateful to her for introducing her grandchildren to our history. In Las Vegas I knew that I was part Native American but as a child living in the city, I didn’t know what that meant.

I graduated from a Native American school in 2008 and a week later I attended Stone Child College, which is a tribal college. I believe that being surrounded by my own culture and people I strongly benefited from the comfort of the community. I knew that I belonged there and all the teachers, staff, and students had that same comfort. Even though I wasn’t ready to tackle college a week after graduation and I did not receive any degree from Stone Child I did learn a lot and changed for the better. High school was a struggle for me; I didn’t know who I was or what direction to take. I had a lot of trouble figuring out where I fit in; sports didn’t work, music wasn’t my strong suit and prom…dear gosh prom was not a marked day in my calendar! Then when I was a junior, I had this history class. New teacher, new syllabus…and I remember when he was going through the plans for the year, he mentioned Native American History… now that was something I liked, something that interested me. I had all these preconceived views and opinions of everything, man, I really thought I knew it all! I remember what I loved most about the class was our main assignments were to identify ourselves with the people. All he asked of us was to compare our lives to how they lived. After a few weeks of doing this it hit me…I finally realized that the history we learned was my history, my family, my ancestors. Now I’m going to tell you, this plays a huge role in where I am at today in my life.

Fast forward a couple of years to when I attend Stone Child…I wasn’t quite prepared for college, I was only seventeen then and fresh out of high school. The entire college was built to express culture from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. I went in to register for classes and ended up walking throughout the college looking at everything, reading everything, to me it was beauty and art, it was incredible. So a couple of weeks later I had now started school and am in a speech class when this young kid comes in with his hat backwards, pants sagging down, and he is obviously angry. He comes in with this very demanding tone interrupting class and goes on about how he needs to register today and right now will work best for his schedule because he is court ordered to attend school, get a job, or sit out his time. My instructor looks over at him and says, “Young man, I am in the middle of a class right now, but that makes no difference to you I see, I’ll tell you what, I will sign your sheet there in half hour you come back and bring me a sheet of paper stating why you want to be here and how you ended up here ok?” The kid got upset but did as she asked. At the end of the semester he had barely passed any of his other classes, but had excelled in hers. So I went back and thought about everything she assigned ten essays, a daily journal, impromptu speeches, research from five different medias…how did he do this?! I asked him and Ill never forget what he said.. He told me, “because she doesn’t get mad at me and tell me what to do. She knows Im here to stay out of jail and she doesn’t make me pay for that, like 

do any more work than the rest of you. Plus, when I need help she just helps me she don’t ask questions about why I don’t already know it. She don’t care who I am she just sees who I can be.”

I now look at that teacher as a leader because the great teachers never judge students by how they dress, but rather by how they listened, waiting for direction, waiting for that approval. I’ve seen that look on kids’ faces that first day of school, that look of fear mixed with anticipation, they are eager to learn which is often unfortunately overlooked, it’s there you just have to see it. She saw that look in him… that’s who I want to be, the teacher that make a difference because I show faith when there is no guarantee of success, faith when they don’t even believe in themselves, and help students find the courage to unlock the ability of their own potential and maybe turn out different then some of their friends. I have this belief that “you have to go through it to preach to it,” which means walking in someone else shoes, have actually been through it and rose above it to successfully tell someone else how to do it. I have been where that young man has been, I was him for a long time. I was angry and made bad decisions in my teen years, but now I see what is important in life. My culture, my family, my traditions, how I treat this Earth and every being in it, shows who I truly am.

My goal after graduating is to be a High School History teacher and who specializes in Native American History. I thought about teaching on reservations solely, but have now decided to broaden that to everywhere. Everybody needs to understand our culture from our point of view. I lived in the city and I didn’t know anything about my people or my culture, I wish someone had told me and I don’t want a young Native out there who is held back by the fact they don’t know who they are or where they came from. I hope to start my teaching career on a reservation to gain more knowledge and tools and then eventually move to a city, where I can help educate people about Native Americans. I think that success is only achieved when one believes that they can do it and is willing to put in the hard work to achieve.

While I lived on the reservation I took part in every “clean up” day, Earth Day, day after the ceremonies, any feast or give aways. My family was taught if everybody does they’re small part for the people the people will do the same for each individual.

Before I enrolled in college, I worked as a hospital housekeeper for over a year. My original plan was to enroll in school part time and work part time but the university had decided to put me on a twelve credit limitation which forced me to resign from my job. I had a pretty decent salary that kept me financially stable and afoot. I graduated in 2008; four years ago and I knew that if I did not go to school now there was a big chance I would not go, so I took a chance and leapt forward. I have the motivation and I have the skills to graduate, my biggest fear is my financial situation will force me to quit school and go back to working as a housekeeper. I enjoyed some aspects of my job but I was not happy there; I know I have the mind to succeed. I want more out of life for me and my future family, they deserve better and I know I can give my children a better start.

If selected for this scholarship I will use the funds for tuition, text books, tutor programs, school supplies, and maybe a laptop so that I can do my research and typed assignments without worrying about public library schedules.

In closing, I appreciate all who have taken the time to read my essay, your time has been graciously accepted and I hope to be a candidate for this scholarship.

The Best Job in the World

College Essay - What Inspires You in Life

College essay written by Ranjini from Illinois

It started one day in fourth grade when my class had moved our chairs into a circle and were reading aloud from The Cricket in Times Square. It was my turn to read so I focused my eyes on the page and opened my mouth to start speaking, but my voice came out as a siren. Dismayed and slightly worried that I was turning into some kind of fourth grader- fire truck hybrid, I furrowed my brow before looking up to see every person in the room stand up so quickly that several children knocked their chairs over. Within seconds, our teacher was ready at the front of the classroom with her keys, her jacket and most importantly, her clipboard full of emergency instructions printed on colorful paper and a class attendance list for her to make sure that we had all made it outside.

Although all this passed smoothly over the course of about thirty seconds, my mind was off, racing in a place where I swear I had at least twenty minutes to reflect and consider the information that my teacher, Miss Long, had given me only a few hours earlier. The rest of my class had been surprised about this fire drill, but not me. I was the chosen one in the class. I was let in on the little secret about the supposedly unexpected fire drill that would occur that afternoon in a top secret conference that had taken place in the hallway with my teacher. Her reason for letting me in on the staff secret was due to the fact that she was going to grant me the noble duty of door holder. When the fire alarm went off and the school erupted into an exodus of panic, I would have to be the cool breath of air that would hold the door and ensure that the other children made it out safely. Once my task was completed and I was satisfied with the number of kids that had exited the building, I could leave my post, walk quickly and safely to join the rest of my class for attendance and bask in the glow of my accomplishment.

When the fire alarm went off, I felt the corners of my mouth lift eagerly to the tips of my ears as I followed the rest of my class, holding my head a little higher because I had a special job that no other student had. When the class turned left out the door, I stopped short and collided torso into face with the tiniest kindergartner in the world. I surveyed the situation, only to find that the small child was holding my door. That door was my job and not something that I was willing to relinquish. In my most stern “big kid” voice, I sent the kindergartner outside and proudly stood with my foot on the edge of the door, beaming as children trudged past me, seemingly envious of my noble post.

At last, I glanced down the hallway and saw no more children coming. With the final student’s footsteps moving farther and farther away, I took one more peek and began striding down the sidewalk with my chin pulled skyward when I felt a sharp tug on the back of my hood. Shocked at the fact that some silly boy would try to ruin my moment, I put on my angry eyes and spun around. I found myself eye to eye with a belt buckle. I let my eyes wander upward to catch my straight faced principal, Mr. Doyle, who without even looking at me, instructed me to go straight to his office.

Suddenly, all the commotion that the fire drill caused seemed to stop. My ears stopped picking up on the sounds in my surroundings and I felt alone standing there on the pavement as the principal walked away. It took a good thirty seconds for me to force my legs to move as I walked numbly and trembling to the office. I turned the knob on the door to the place where the secretaries used to offer me pretzels and stickers, fearing now that all I would ever receive would be detentions and red X’s stamped on my forehead signifying my failure as an elementary school student.

The secretary offered me a friendly smile that made me ashamed to tell her that the principal had told me to report to his office immediately, but I did anyways and she cheerfully escorted me to a comfy chair in his office. I perched on the edge of the chair as I followed her instructions to wait for him to return. She offered me a piece of candy, which I turned down because by that time, I had already decided that I was a bad kid and bad kids did not deserve candy from the principal’s office.

I waited for what seemed like years in that office, retracing the steps I had taken over the past week and finding fault with the most innocent of actions. Suddenly, I considered myself a criminal for leaving the water running while brushing my teeth, for not showing all my work on my math quiz, for not running every step of the mile in gym class. Going through each day, I found a countless number of things that I had done subpar and was sure that Mr. Doyle was stepping in to confront me on all these terrible actions I had committed.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice the 6 foot Mr. Doyle walk into his office, slouch casually on his desk chair 

and begin checking emails while munching on an open bowl of M&Ms. I was lost in my world and he was lost in his. When I finally looked up, I was startled, so much so that I almost started screaming, but luckily caught the sound on the very tip of my tongue. Mr. Doyle noticed my jerky movement, but continued to type. Thoughts flooded my head once again. I was sure that the e-mail he was writing was going straight to my parents, to tell them how their sweet and innocent daughter was turning into a criminal.

Twenty minutes later, a switch seemed to flip on in his head and he looked at me with a confused face, seeming to wonder why I was there. For a second, I was worried that he was going to ask me why I was sitting in his office and that I would have to explain all of the things I had done wrong over the past few days.

The very thought of such torment made me slide further down in the chair, so much so that he had to stand up to see me from across the mahogany desk. He asked what I was doing, and before he could even finish asking his question, I blurted out as much random nonsense as I could get out of my mouth, explaining everything from how sorry I was for wasting water, to how I didn’t deserve to eat his candy to sit in his nice chairs, to how I was sorry for not running with as much passion as I could, and ultimately, my mangled words turned into sobs.

My eruption of emotions was so loud that the secretary came in from next door and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder while flashing a confused look at Mr. Doyle who looked on with the same countenance. When I had finished expressing my grief, there were a few moments of absolute pin-drop silence before Mr. Doyle made the strangest noise. It was halfway between a hiccup and a cough. Then he made it again, and again, and again. He kept repeating this noise until I realized that he was laughing. It started off small but eventually his booming laugh echoed all throughout the office, rivaling the sound level of my previous outburst. The secretary too caught the giggles and sat down to try to maintain a professional air, but it was impossible. The room filled with positive energy from the resounding laughter of two adults, but I simply sat with wide eyes, looking at the crazy people around me in horror.

Once Mr. Doyle was able to speak without breaking down in laughter, he explained that I wasn’t in trouble, and that the purpose of my visit to his office was to ensure that Miss Long was following the proper attendance procedures. When she was leading her class out of the building, he did not see her carrying a class list so he assumed that she was not prepared to take attendance. Almost eerily, the phone rang and from the other end, Miss Long reported that I was missing from her class. Mr. Doyle smiled as he explained my whereabouts and sent me back to my classroom.

As I in the safety of sat in my desk, I couldn’t focus on a thing that Miss Long was saying. The only thing that was on my mind was the immense amount of reflection I had done in Mr. Doyle’s office. Suddenly, I really did feel terrible for letting the water run too long and not showing all my work on the math quiz and walking from time to time while running the mile. I wasn’t sure why it bothered me all of a sudden, because I hadn’t felt any remorse until I got the chance to think about it.

Miss Long addressed me and asked me to stand up and resume reading from The Cricket in Times Square, so I prepared to read, just like I always had. I opened my mouth once again, but no sound came out. Feeling lost in my thoughts once again, I realized that I was faced with two choices in a simple situation. I could either just read the passage, or I could read the passage with more passion that I had ever read with in my life. If I chose the first option, I’d be forced to live forever with the regret that I didn’t devote myself more to the task at hand, and maybe when I needed to reflect again, it would bother me, the same way that it bothered me when I found so much fault with my actions in the office.

If I chose the latter, I might get some weird looks from the other kids, but I would know in my heart that I had tried my absolute best. I looked at the book like it was the door that I had been so proud to hold earlier, and I considered it an honor to be selected to read aloud, regardless of how many times I had been chosen before.

The words came alive as they rolled off my tongue, and despite the awkward glares from my classmates, I continued reading. When I reached the end of the paragraph, I sat down, my heart racing with the joy of accomplishment, a feeling that I realized I needed to experience as often as possible.

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