High-school seniors are currently applying to college. They are trying to figure out how to write that perfect essay with the strange power of showing who they really are as well as showcasing ambitious aspirations. It is no secret that writer's block haunts the vast majority of applicants at least once as they seek to nail that essay.

In my case, I was not only tormented by writer's block but also by the tendency of being overly harsh on myself. As a result, I often committed the capital sin of comparing my essays to those of other applicants. It took me several months and essays to reckon that the best approach, the most effective strategy to defeat writer's block and insecurity, was being as a genuine as possible. I ultimately did so by trying to offer a glimpse into how I envision my world: Colombia's Caribbean Region.

Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

German philosopher Max Scheler believed that every individual is a microcosm inscribed in a macrocosm –a surrounding environment. He stipulated that from the wide spectrum of stimuli the macrocosm offers, we develop our own microcosm or personal world. My macrocosm –the world I come from– is the heart of Colombia’s Caribbean Coast. I see everything around me through the lens of its beauty and kaleidoscopic complexity. The values and principles it upholds shaped my character and personality traits. I was nonetheless only able to notice my macrocosm's significance as I realized its role in the shaping of my dreams and aspirations of becoming a leader.

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It was a breathless night in Cartagena. The grand Caribbean Sea flanked the city as its implacable waves impacted the seawalls strenuously with the strength of the cannons of a British privateer vessel. The puddles that the waves created on the streets sparkled in the surrounding night as they reflected the tenuous city lights and the blissful moon. As I toured the Colonial Spanish fortresses that once defended the city from legendary corsairs like Sir Francis Drake, the vibrant sound of accordeons captivated me and drew me towards a group of traditional performers –a vallenato. An accordion had the lead voice, its sound was refreshing, intrepid, soothing and nostalgic all at once. The guacharaca and the conga marked the tropical rhythm with great determination and sabor. And, an impassioned singer chanted beautiful verses that delineated the warmth and soul of Colombian people. Cartagena’s beauty blossomed as the lively melody and the city’s romantic aura became one. It was sublime. The masterful juxtaposition of the wide cultural palette that the accordion and the percussion elicited revealed the cultural potpourri that the heart of the Colombian Caribbean treasures. I could not help but listen, awestruck. It was a known sound, and yet I was noticing something novel to me. It was a sound through which I was perceiving not only the essence of my roots but also different facets of myself and Colombia in general. I was grasping effervescent joyfulness, drive, everlasting hope, and infinite warmth.

Gabriel García Márquez once wrote, “El Caribe es el único mundo en que no me siento extranjero, y donde pienso mejor [The Colombian Caribbean region is the only world where I do not feel like a foreigner, and where I think better].” And, it is true. There is nowhere in the world where I can feel the way I feel when I am in Colombia. However, as I ponder on the wonders that shaped who I am and captivate me, I am also looking forward to being an ambassador of my macrocosm –Colombia– to the world and sharing with it one small and unique nuance of humanity. I am looking forward to becoming a builder of bridges across the cultural divides that separate people from the world of vallenatos, magical realism, cumbias, enchanting colonial cities and beautiful people.