There’s a new issue that has been steadily increasing recently. Action needs to be taken; a solution must be presented. Some will believe this subject is not their problem; or this problem is one that only concerns minorities. In reality, the situation going on affects the nation. The issue affects society as a whole because they have to bear the economic and cultural costs it brings. The controversial topic: teen pregnancy.
Texas has alarming statistics stating “3.7 million students are not provided the most basic information about protecting themselves from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.” The facts get more serious when Texas ranks “the third-highest teen birth rate in the nation.” [1] These statistics are incredible and recent. How did we let things get so out of hand? Teen pregnancy is not uncommon, but it has been put to the side as if its unimportant. Students in middle school and high school deserve to receive sex education. My stretch goal is to start a sex education class in the community I came from. The sight of a young Hispanic girl with all the potential to go to college delayed because of an unplanned child was very common. Abstinence alone is not the only answer anymore to preventing teen pregnancies; it has obviously failed. Starting a program that teaches abstinence, birth control methods and how to use them properly, prevention of sexually transmitted disease, advocate family communication, and teach skills on making responsible decisions is what teens deserve in school. The program in general will help teens understand the importance of an education in all areas and be able to plan a future which they can have control over. This leadership vision will help teens and society in several ways.The program is aiming at Hispanics since they are the largest number in teen pregnancies, however all students will be reached.[2] One of the benefits the Hispanic society will gain is a chance to reduce the constant stereotype of young Hispanic girls having many kids. The more Hispanic students are reached, the more educated Hispanic students will come out of high school and pursue college degrees. The more teens in college will reduce the money spent on teen pregnancy. This should be delightful since it would save the “taxpayers’ (federal, state and local) $9.1 billion annually.”[3] A reduction in teen births will stop teens from dropping out; meaning more educated employees for the employer. We are in a time where money is getting tight for many families. Teenagers will find it extremely difficult to raise a child on their own financially. The money being spent on teen pregnancies could be spent on financial aid for college bound students. Thinking of this issue as a whole can be easily connected to everyone. This increase in teen births is a dire situation that I want to help for the benefit of society, and for me to do so I’ll need to discover myself and realize my goals.
At The University of Texas I want to gain the best education; “the education which gives a man a clear conscious view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them, and a force in urging them.”[4] The university is a place where one can learn who they are through all the different aspects of learning they can come across here. Knowing who I am will better prepare me for who I will become in the future. I knew I had to experience something new to see how I would react. To see who I am as a person outside the normality. Coming here to UT would be an experience of a lifetime that not everyone gets to take. Surrounding myself with different people, the classes, and the new life would help me determine who I really am as a person. Discovering who I am will set me closer to my stretch goal in giving back to my community. However, before I can accomplish this goal, I’ll have to reach my manageable goals to become a good leader.
Here at UT I will volunteer, manage my time better, keep up with my GPA, and learn how to become a better person. Volunteering at clinics and health related events will help me get accepted into the nursing school. It will also help me attain a better understanding of the health care system which I will work in the future. Helping people is an act of selfless human nature that I want to do as often as I can. Through volunteering I will be able to practice this human nature that is dire in nursing. Making time to volunteer at least 5 hours a week or even just on weekends will make a difference. Along with volunteering, managing time is another manageable goal. Time management is essential for me to keep everything balanced. A balanced life is a successful life. Sharpening my skills in time management will help me improve in my classes and in my life overall. Starting with a basic schedule on when to study, when to work, when to volunteer, when to visit counselors will set me up to easily plan events like when to talk to students, when to meet with pregnant teens, and when to help someone’s life. The next four years will be managed efficiently. With these two goals, keeping up my GPA will be easier. In order to stay on top of my GPA as they say, I’ll go to study groups, tutoring when I need it, and attend class. The scholarships I have received need me to stay at a certain GPA, and I will not go below the standard. Having a good GPA will give me a stronger chance into being accepted by the nursing school. These simple, not too far out of reach goals will help me achieve my ultimate goal.
The nursing field has always interested me because I can be able to help many people’s lives. After I complete nursing I’d like to become a physician’s assistant. This class will help me become a leader and better qualify me to reach my ultimate goal. The nursing school is really competitive and for me to learn ethics and leadership, which are two main ideals of nursing, will prepare me for what lies ahead. The courses that I have to take will be somewhat intense since I’ll need 13 hours of biology. Biology has always been an interesting subject to me, but if I do tire of it, I’ll have strategies to help me continue on towards my goal. Just having the idea of impacting a whole community is enough motivation to keep me going towards my goal. As I looked at my degree plan, many of the course I feel I shouldn't bother taking contain a good portion of writing. Writing has lost its value in today’s world; knowing how to write will make me a better candidate for the nursing school. 
The skill of writing is rare nowadays like Professor Bump says. Such a skill is essential in the health field as to diagnosing and treating patients. Writing will be important in my stretch goal because in order to improve society, I’ll have to know how to grasp people’s attentions of my goal through writing. Reading is a part of all the classes I will take for my career path and my goal. Being able to read with understanding is a trait that I need to work on. For the four years I plan to be here, reading skills will be developed to a point that will help me in my stretch goal. These writing, reading, ethical, and leadership traits I learn from the class are a step closer to achieving my goal for the community. The leadership portion of this class is beneficial for me as a person to grow, and to know how to handle people when I am in a leadership position. It is through this class that I am learning wha it takes to be a good leader. Becoming a good leader will take time, and possibly even after I leave UT. As long I am here in this university I will be proactive and pursue my goal for the greater good.
A good leader must be able to “listen with empathy.”[5] For my goal in giving back to society, I must learn how to first truly understand others before I can help them. Without understanding them, I will not get anywhere in completing my goal. To be the leader I want to be, I have to achieve success as a person. Bessie Stanley wrote a poem on success as a person, or leader, should be: 
“Success
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.”[6]
To know that I have made at least a huge difference or impact on someone’s life for the better, I will be proud and feel successful. Luckily my career path will allow for me to be able to accomplish something quite similar. After my career, the first leap of realizing my stretch goal would be complete. To make my goal of a program that will help reduce teen pregnancies, this class, as well as the nursing courses, will help me become the leader I must be to fulfill the change I want to see. For me to accomplish and continue the program I would have to have achieved an awareness of what a good leader is, sharp writing and reading skills, and a strong sense of ethics.
Teen pregnancy is an issue that society is affected by whether they realize it or not. My goal of the sex education program will benefit everyone involved. I will be able to help teens’ lives daily by leading them towards the right path to improve society. Here at The University of Texas, the education and experience I gather, I will use to its full extent to change lives for a better tomorrow.
Word Count with Quotes: 1, 827
Word Count without Quotes: 1, 737
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[1] Leticia Van de Putte, “Viewpoint: A new approach for teen pregnancy prevention,” SACommunities, September 24, 2009, http://www.mysanantonio.com/community/Viewpoint_A_new_approach_for_teen_pregnancy_prevention.html
[2] Liz Sabatiuk, Ruthie Flores, “Toward a Common Future Latino Teens and Adults Speak Out About Teen Pregnancy,” NCLR, n.d., http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/commonfuture.pdf
[3] Saul Hoffman, Ph.D., “By the Numbers: The Public Cost of Childbearing,” n.d., http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/costs/pdf/report/BTN_National_Report.pdf
[4] Newman, Paul. “The Idea of a University, 1852.” Leadership, Ethics, and Animals: A Signature Seminar. Ed. Bump. Austin: Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2009. 170. Print.
[5] The 7 habits of highly effective people restoring the character ethic. New York: Free press, NY. Print.
[6] Transcendentalists, “Success,” http://www.transcendentalists.com/success.htm
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