Kristofer Richard Loynd
Application Essay
"My life is a prism, stretching, bending, reflecting, interesting from every angle. Each day dawns with memories of yesterday’s experiences and promises of today’s adventures. The blessing, I think, is acknowledging the joy and wisdom as well as the disappointment and challenge that cause me to grow each day into a more responsible and compassionate human being.
At seventeen, I am the oldest of six children. My parents were blessed with four more boys before they adopted our twelve year old sister from the Ukraine. As the oldest, I am a role model for my siblings, and therefore held to fairly high standards. I am also their protector, their mediator and sometimes their conscience! As the oldest, I am the first to experience the many benefits of first-born: skiing at age three, camp at seven, driver’s license at sixteen.
Some of the opportunities I’ve been afforded have been shared with my siblings. We all either ski or snowboard and so part of every spring break is spent at our family’s condominium in Beaver Creek. I was sixteen, my brother was fifteen and my cousin was sixteen when we spent two weeks snowboarding in Argentina. We boarded during the day and had total Spanish immersion at night. It was an awesome experience, allowing us to make choices that could benefit or hurt us.
My sixth grade science teacher takes a group of students and parents to a rain forest each summer. My dad, brother and I accompanied her to Belize the summer I turned twelve. We lived in a camp and spent every day studying the fauna and flora of Belize. That experience changed both my attitude and behavior. The rain forest is a microcosm of life’s fragile balance and we are its caretakers. I am hopeful that we use our intelligence and overcome our indifference to protecting our environment.
For ten consecutive years I spent the last week of July at Kamp Kanakuk, a Christian sports camp in Branson, Missouri. Many of our activities focused on trust and cooperation and the greatest emphasis was placed on each person doing their personal best. At the end of the session, awards are given to each camper. I have annually received the leadership award. The goal, however, for each camper is to be third and the “I’m Third Award” is the most prestigious because it acknowledges life’s priorities: God, others, and then self. It remains one of my personal goals.
Educationally I’ve experienced private grade school, home schooled middle school, both parochial and public high school as well as online courses. I’ve learned to appreciate each experience. Montessori grade school stretched learning far beyond the boundaries of text books; home schooling gave our family the opportunity to travel and spend quality time together; parochial high school allowed me to play sports such as soccer and bowling; public high school opened my eyes and mind to the incredible diversity of our nation - economically, morally, socially, ethnically, educationally, physically, and religiously. Just being a part of this each day is an education alone.
My single regret, my sole dark hour resulted from a series of bad choices I made when I convinced myself that smoking pot with my friends was O. K. It wasn’t, but six months of my life reflect that sorry attitude. I had, in fact, decided that the life of a pothead really wasn’t for me, but before I acted on that decision, my parents intervened. It was the love of my family and their willingness to confront me that redirected my life. One day I woke up in my own bed at home and the next day I woke up in a bunk at Eagle Ranch Academy in St. George, Utah. Dave and Paul Arslanian, both former college football coaches, direct the program. The turnabout started with my willingness to take a vow of integrity - to myself and those around me. Honesty is the core of any relationship and without it nothing can or will grow. At ERA I regained my footing, raised my head and looked with confidence toward the future. I am, today, a man of integrity, bound for achievement.
All of this growth, these experiences and my increasing compassion I offer you as a student at Colorado State University, Class of 2011. In exchange, I will be able to study business and art at a nationally recognized university where student-teacher relationships are valued and achievement is expected."