“Hi, what can I get for you?” the attractive girl behind the ice cream shop counter asked me.

I put my hands on the counter and looked over the selection of ice cream. “Yeah, I’ll take two scoops of you in a waffle cone, please,” I said with a polite smile.

She did not return the smile. Instead she came back with an instantaneous, “No.”

Ouch. I was rejected like a can of Slim-Fast at a summer camp for the obese. “In that case I guess I’ll go with the cookies and cream.”

When we set foot outside, my friends burst out in laughter. “Shut up,” I chuckled.

“You know, that’s why we love being around you so much, Jake,” one of my friends told me with a pat on the back.

I went and sat on a bench to enjoy my cookies and cream in a waffle cone. A minute later the girl from behind the counter walked out the back door and to her car. On her way back to work she glanced over at me, so I put on a smile and waved in her direction. Her cheeks became red and a smile crept across her face as she shot back a quick wave. That completed the day.

My friends say that these spontaneous moments happen often with me. I can take an ordinary day and turn it into a memorable one. The day of the “Ice Cream Shop Incident” was an ordinary day—there was nothing special about it. We were just hanging out and decided we wanted ice cream. Now that day is talked about nearly every time we hang out.
So how will my presence enhance the community? I believe I will not only bring my academic accomplishments, but also a fun, outgoing personality that will radiate to others making the college experience a great one. I can make days memorable—just like the day of the “Ice Cream Shop Incident.”