50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays

Tying an Event from the Past to the Present
“My essay was about a presentation I helped to give to the Cerritos City 
Council about a book that my elementary school had written about the city. 
I chose this event because I felt that it showcased all the qualities that I was 
proud of—my flexibility, my ability to communicate well with others, my ease 
at public speaking, and my ability to work well on a team. I was able to weave 
these qualities into my telling of this story very well. My one concern was that 
the event took place too long before that time--so I was careful to emphasize 
the importance that this event had in the shaping of these qualities in me, and 
I also emphasized the fact that these qualities are still present and an impor-
tant part of my life.”
—Michael Ayoub, Harvard University