College Essay

My name is Derrick Anthony Hines. I’m an African-American Male and I’m 18 years old. I lived in Malden for about 6 years. I was born in Boston, MA. Ever since I could remember, I always wanted to work with my hands. My father was good at construction, and my mom constantly reminds me that I have inherited this trait. I used to play with Lego blocks and build anything I could think of. I was always trying to fix things. It seems childish, but it has inspired me to want to build and repair mechanical devices. At first I thought I wanted to work with cars. It was a machine and I thought I could do it. I felt determined to do it. But it was too complicated for me. I felt lost. How could I be like my father if I can’t even fix a car? My attention turned to computers; with I know I can work on them. Hard drive, battery, CPU, I know the locations and want to learn more of them and how to fix them. I’ve just been interested in machines because they looked cool to me.

My old man was dexterous and I wish to be like that as well. I liked to open up any mechanical object I could find and open it to see what the inside looks like. I once fixed my broken GBA. The right d-pad wouldn’t work because of over usage. I didn’t know that at first, so I was very upset that it wasn’t working properly. So, eager to see what the inside looked like (also to play more games) I opened it and fixed what I can. It works perfectly. I want to know that my future will have me working on the things I love and I love the machine. The complexity of it is mysterious. It is like a demigod: all powerful, but can die. It always needs to be improved or upgraded and I want to acquire the knowledge that is needed to repair them. I want to know how they all function and what corrections need to be made.

I see myself as an open minded thinker. I am intrigued by topics with deep meanings. They are like puzzles to me, waiting for someone to see the big picture it desperately wants people to see. They are life long lessons that shouldn’t be taken lightly. They are to help me on becoming wiser in the long run. That’s what I am. A person who needs a logical explanation to why events happen. But there is a fear that I have, that my knowledge will be my down fall. Is it good to know everything? Is it good to know how problems start? If you prevent the cause, what’s to stop the effect from being the problem itself? Most people would say “you don’t know, so move on.” Your biggest enemy is your mind. I won’t lie, me and my mind had a few rounds ourselves, but it’s a sign that I think, and because I think, I’m able to reason, and if you’re able to make reason, you’re in control. To convince your mind that you are in control of it is a step into being an open-minded individual. Also those who are open-minded do have a tendency to talk to themselves. I have no shame of it, because truthfully, it helps me when I need to make a decision. I’ve been mentally preparing myself for when I become an adult. I don’t want to make stupid mistakes, so learn as much as I can right now. I still got a lot to learn and I’m ready for what’s to be taught.