College Essay

Submitted By mmskim3
Words: 716
Pages: 3

As I walk back to the mound, contemplating my next pitch, I take one final glance at the dugout. The consistent expression I read off the faces of my fellow teammates after every full-count never falters: they each show their doubtful and condescending “Korean-can’t-do-it” attitude. I can even hear the hesitation in their shaky voices as they quietly cheer for the pitch that will end the game in our favor. They cheer and they hope, but they would not be surprised to see their fleeting chants and prayers left unanswered. Nevertheless, I assume my tall and confident stance on the mound, appearing to be the hero who can end this baseball game. But despite my strong façade, I feel crushed under the cloud of doubt that plagues my team. At the mound I breathe heavily from my nose and sweat profusely out of each and every pore in my body. I feel the adrenaline flowing through my veins, knowing that I am the only Korean-American on the baseball team, and also one of the few who separates himself from the Korean population in the “Valley”. As my hands clench the beige tinted ball and my fingers weave in and out of the leather as they feel each seam, everything starts to click as I grip the ball with all my might. This final pitch would not just determine whether or not our team wins, but it would also confirm or defeat the doubtful and prejudiced mindsets of my peers. This one pitch has the power to prove everyone wrong. Even outside the realm of baseball, I have always wanted to prove these stereotypes wrong. But in the baseball locker room, where I become isolated as the only Korean-American player, these prejudices impact me the most. When I enter the dark and gloomy locker room reeking of dirty equipment and old laundry, I could feel the cold eyes of my teammates staring at me as if I were an unwanted outcast. With their prejudiced stares come the stereotypical judgments that I live through and attempt to disprove every day. All Korean-Americans are not good at math, speak broken English, and drive poorly. We do not all keep to ourselves and play Starcraft, a strategic computer-game, as our favorite pass-time. We do not study all day, and we certainly are not incapable of playing sports. Every day, I hope my life and my actions prove to break these ignorant stereotypes. I am not in the highest math course that my school has to offer, and I speak English and drive automobiles just as well as any other person. My friends and peers will attest that I am a very outgoing individual, and that I loathe the idea of lethargically