American Public University System Life Is A Journey of Events Not A Destination Essay

*Autobiography: This essay is a 750-1000 word personal autobiography. The purpose of this paper is to historicize your own life. Therefore, it should delineate important events in your life as well as explain how your personal experiences have connected to key moments in the state’s history, the nation’s history, or the world’s history.
You are not writing a comprehensive summary of your life history. Rather, you are writing a summary of your life in terms of three key historical events. For example, I may write how my life and perspective of the world changed on September 11, 2001 as a result of the terrorist attack. Or I may talk about how the Great Recession impacted my family and, potentially, my life course as a result of the downturn in the housing market or economy. You might even discuss how an event opened your mind to greater national/world affairs. For example, the space shuttle Challenger explosion is one my earliest memories and was both a national tragedy but also the first time I grasped the word hero or comprehended the magnitude of the risks that some people take for their jobs. Nelson Mandela being released from prison might be the first time you heard the word apartheid or
No matter what you choose, make sure that you clearly connect your life to the events that you choose —how you were influenced by them, how they changed your perspective/family dynamic/life course, etc.
At minimum, you should discuss three events, explaining how they relate to your life. The events you choose should be from your lifetime with rare exceptions (any exception should be discussed with me first).
These events should be world, national, or state historical events. These are not meant to be personal events (birth of a child, death of a relative, etc.). While those events are certainly distinct and important, we are trying to focus on connection to an event that impacted the larger community (even national community or worldwide).
Spelling, grammar, and structure do count as part of your overall grade (no more than 10 points). Therefore, please include an introduction paragraph, separate your writing into paragraphs by topic, and proofread to ensure you have corrected any grammatical errors.
Note: try to take some time to think through, or even research, events from your lifetime that may have impacted you. If available, talk to your parents or relatives as you may not be fully aware of some of the events that had a significant impact on your life. You could also Google major life events from different years and see what comes up. Some of the most significant events in your life may not come to mind easily but when you see them listed you may go “Oh, of course!” A few examples include:
*Events from 2020, including the Covid-19 pandemic, recession, protests, presidential election, etc. should NOT be utilized as they are not yet concluded and true impact/analysis/reflection cannot be determined.