Gibbs Cultivate Garden Essay

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Caitlyn Clark
CULTIVATE YOUR GARDEN
Caitlyn Clark

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Caitlyn Clark
“We can each be a new life to someone who thought they were already gone. And if you
are there, being torn apart by some unforgiving evil, please know there are lives that will
love every broken part of you.”
-ISIS, ANNY MINER

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Caitlyn Clark
DEDICATION
For my mother, who taught me everything I know about being a woman.
Special Thanks to:
1. Patrick Clark
2. Shannon Clark
3. Halmoni Soon-Ok
4. Youth Speaks
5. Michelle “Mush” Lee
6. Dennis Kim
7. Brandon Santiago
8. Simone Crew
9. Susie Lundy
10. Sarah O’Neal
11. Chinasa Porter
12. Ivori Holson
13. Jesse Crawford
14. Charl’e Bishop
15. Mara Guerin
16. Isa Nakazawa
17. Gabriel Cortez
18. Billy Cruz
19. Barbara Clark
20. Patrick Clark Sr.
21. Anne Amann
22. Don Amann
23. Ployprajan Loprasert
24. Kyla Stowell
25. Karli Kissling
26. Madison Ordiway

4. TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Caitlyn Clark
TABLE OF FIGURES

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Caitlyn Clark
Chapter One
ver since I was young, I’ve known
that the one thing in this world that
will make me feel like I have lived
my life to the fullest is looking back on my
existence and knowing that I somehow
improved the wellbeing of others. My
mother taught me that the greatest virtue is
to be able to find joy in helping others.
When I started thinking about how my
future will pan out, I didn’t know from the
start that I wanted to be a poet and/or a
social justice lawyer. The only thing I knew
for sure was that I wanted to spend as much
of my life as possible being happy. I have
finally come to the conclusion that the best
way for that dream to come true is to follow
my dreams of being a freelance spoken word
poet, published writer, and social justice
lawyer.
In order to become a lawyer, one
must have excellent oral and written
communication skills, be highly self-
motivated, and pay attention to detail, et
cetera, as described by online resource
Cypress. Additionally, I have acquired a
generally knowledge of the practice of law
through a law class for high school students
within UC Berkeley’s Academic Talent
Development Program that I attended in
summer of 2014. The class taught me the
proper way to represent your client in court,
filing or defending a suit in both torts and
criminal law.
This summer, I can apply for an
internship at a law firm. The Social Justice
Collaborative, located in Oakland, focuses
on immigration rights and accepts high
school interns ("Human Rights
Organizations around the Bay Area").
Additionally, I have previously been in
contact (through poetry) with members of
the Equal Justice Society, a law and social
sciences firm based in Oakland that focuses
on racial justice (“Legal Program”). I greatly
admire the work that they do and hope to get
in touch with my contact in the EJS to see if
I would be able to intern there. The Equal
Justice Society was the first firm that got me
interested in social justice law, and I hope
that I may one day get a job as a trial lawyer
there.
In preparation for my career, I hope
to first get my bachelor’s degree from
Stanford University with a major in Political
Science and a minor in either Comparative
Studies of Race and Ethnicity or Feminist,
Gender, and Sexuality Studies, all which
would tie in with both law and poetry. While
I do believe that college is an essential
launch pad for a successful career, I want
my college education to teach me what I am
passionate about and want to learn more
about, not something that will only allow me
to get a high-paying job. I chose Stanford
because it is a great place for opportunities
to rub elbows with the innovators of Silicon
E

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Caitlyn Clark
Valley and get a great education.
Additionally, I am enrolled in a financial
program through the U.S. military in which
the government will pay for about 75
percent of my tuition to undergrad school.
After that, I plan to attend law school at
either UC Berkeley or Columbia University
("Diversity in Law School"). Both of these
schools are among the top law schools in the
country and are in living locations that are
close enough to home for me to feel
comfortable, but not so close that I am not
able to have my own experiences.
According to Columbia University’s
website, the average yearly salary of their
employed graduates is $135,986
(“Employment and Salary Information”).
While many people accredit many lawyers
to have selected their careers based on
salary, the money is the least important part
of why I want to become a lawyer. I want to
do something I love--give a voice to those
whose words have been drowned, and bring
justice to as many people as I can.
Figure 1: Law Career Progression
Stanford
UC
Berkeley
Equal
Justice
Society

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Caitlyn Clark
Chapter Two
n the 8th grade, I performed slam poetry
for the first time at the Youth Speaks
18th Annual Teen Poetry Slam. I placed
first in the preliminary bout, second in the
semifinals, and first in the grand slam finals.
I became the youngest person to ever win
the slam and the first person to win the slam
on his or her first time. Every time I touched
the stage and shared my work with
thousands of hungry eyes, a rush shivered
through my body like no other. The
happiness that slam brought me is something
that I never want to sacrifice in my
adulthood, which is why I plan for slam
poetry to become a big part of my future.
Many of the skills required to be a
lawyer are very easily transferrable into the
field of poetry, such as writing
comprehension and expression, public
speaking skills, critical thinking, and fluency
of ideas. According to Forbes, journalism or
creative writing is one of the top alternative
careers to do with a law degree (Sylvestre-
Williams). Because I have already began to
establish my career as a poet through the
Bay Area nonprofit organization Youth
Speaks, I plan to continue working
alongside them as I go on to publish a book
of poetry. Many of the skills needed to be a
spoken word poet, I already have. I am
comfortable speaking in front of large
crowds, shown by the many poetry
performances that I have done, including a
feature performance with Grammy Award-
winning singer John Legend in front of a
crowd of 18,000.
I also plan to enter my chapbook
manuscript to the Button Poetry Annual
Chapbook Contest, in hopes of publication
and a cash prize. Next summer, I am going
to coach the Bay Area’s representative
I
Figure 2: Audre Lorde Quote

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Brave New Voices slam poetry team, which
I was on last summer. I will be able to guide
other young poets like me as they compete
in an international poetry slam in
Washington, D.C.
In adulthood, I could work at Youth
Speaks in either San Francisco or Seattle. I
plan to continue working with Youth Speaks
throughout my high school years doing
whatever odd job opportunities they would
be able to offer me. Youth Speaks has had
many students who have become restorative
justice lawyers, and those who do not go on
to work for law firms are able to return to
Youth Speaks and put their skills to work.
Being a published author and an outspoken
performer is something that I have strived
towards ever since I first learned to read,
and it is something that I am serious about
pursuing.
Assata
Shakur
Audre
Lorde
Park
Geun-
hye

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Caitlyn Clark
Chapter Three
rom a young age, my parents instilled
in me the importance of exploring
new places and being adventurous.
My dad has been active duty Air Force
personnel for over twenty years, resulting in
my family frequently moving houses all
over the world. I was
actually born in
Landstuhl, Germany, as a
result. My family and I
lived in Europe for the
first year of my infancy,
and ever since then my
mom and I have always
wanted to go back
together, now that I am
old enough to truly
experience the rich
culture of Europe. My
mom and I recently
decided to plan a trip to
travel the Mediterranean
for my high school
graduation present. We
want to visit Mykonos to
view the beautiful white and blue
architecture and watch the sun set over the
beach in Santorini (Lim, “My Greece
Diary”). The way that architecture and
artifacts can give us information about
cultures that died out thousands of years ago
constantly amazes me, and to see the
Pantheon and the Roman Coliseum with my
own eyes would be a surreal experience
(“Italy”).
In college, I plan on
attending a Korean language
school in Seoul for Korean-
American students who want to
visit their home country and
learn more about the culture of
their ancestors. The program is
an enrichment class in which
you learn Korean and travel the
country. This is an important
journey that I would like to
take because I place a lot of
importance on learning more
about the culture and history of
my Korean ancestors. Much of
their history has been erased
through genocide and war
during World War II and the
Korean War. Sometimes, I feel a severe
longing for a country that I have only visited
once, and it would mean a lot to me to truly
F
Figure 3: Santorini, Greece

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Caitlyn Clark
understand where I come from and what it
means to be Korean-American.
Another place that I would want to
visit is the tropics of Southeast Asia--Bali,
Singapore, India, Thailand, and the
Maldives. Tropical countries have beautiful
landscapes and rich, bright cultures that
would never grow dull. Each country has a
unique story to tell about the journey of
ancient spiritual traditions within their
culture and how it still
plays a role in modern
practices. While
visiting countries in
this region, I could see
the Damnoen Saduak
floating market in
Thailand, the temples
and palaces in Bali,
and visit the Taj
Mahal and Lotus
Temple in India. One
thing that has been on my bucket list for
years is to visit the many beautiful
swimming pools in Southeast Asia, such as
the Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool in
Singapore (“25 Stunning Infinity Pools
Around the World”).
When I am older, I think it would be
an amazing adventure to go backpacking in
Iceland. For years, I have been fascinated by
the breathtaking natural scenery of Iceland,
its small villages, and its amazing modern
architecture, displayed in manmade
landmarks like the Harpa Concert Hall. Of
course, the biggest attraction of Iceland
remains its undisturbed nature, like the
Gullfoss Waterfall and the Blue Lagoon, a
geothermal spa whose water is naturally a
very bright, almost opaque blue. In certain
parts of Iceland, like Kirkjufell Mountain,
you can see the aurora
borealis at night (“Top 10
Things To See and Do In
Iceland”).
Traveling the
world is my biggest goal
in life. I want to engage
in the cultures of as many
different countries as
possible. I believe that in
doing so, you are given a
new perspective on the
way that you live. Some people never leave
their home countries, and to me, that is the
saddest fate imaginable. To never become a
stranger, to never find yourself while getting
lost, seems to be an unbearable life to live. If
life is less about the destination and more
about the journey, what better journey than
one that spans the entire world?
Figure 4: Alila Abud, Bali, Indonesia

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Caitlyn Clark
Chapter Four
he patriarchal society that we live in
teaches little girls to dream about
their weddings before they can dream
about growing up and being astronauts, or
writers, or people who can change the
world. I think that this idea that the most
important role that women play in society is
to raise children is
completely absurd.
Honestly, if I ever
became a stay at home
mom, my brain would
slowly melt inside my
head until my insides are
all mushy goop made out
of crushed dreams and
regrets that I was never
financially independent.
However, I am a strong
believer in the ability for women to raise
children and support a family both
financially and emotionally. My mom has a
full-time job as a business professor at St.
Mary’s College, and still manages to take
care of my sister and I. She constantly
inspires me to be the best woman I can be.
An interesting concept that I have
come across recently is the idea that while
romantic relationships are generally helpful
and fulfilling in nature, marriage as an
institution is more destructive than it is
helpful. According to a TED Talk by Merav
Michaeli, marriage is an outdated practice
that is incredibly sexist in its origins that it
was created as a contract between the
woman’s father and her future husband,
basically transferring the woman from one
man to the next as a piece
of property (Michaeli,
Merav “Cancel
Marriage”).
Whether or not I
want to get married and
have children is not
something that I have
decided yet because I don’t
think it’s something that
you can decide at this age.
You can never tell who
you might meet in the future and what turns
your life will take. Relationships are messy
and unpredictable, and trying to determine
how they will turn out ten years down the
road or more is completely unrealistic.
Getting married and having children is
definitely not a priority for me, but if I get
older and realize that that is what will make
me happy, then I do not want cynicism due
to my own family’s experiences to keep me
from doing what will make me happy.
T
Figure 5: Austin, TX

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Caitlyn Clark
I have always been fascinated with
big, urban cities, where you can look up at
buildings in wonder and be amazed by every
street corner. When I grow up, I want to live
in a loft apartment with huge windows from
which you can see parts of
the city, exposed brick
walls, and industrial design.
I don't think that I would be
very happy staying in the
same place for too long. I
find the most happiness in
travel and seeing new
places, so I would want to
live in many different cities
in the U.S. or abroad, as
long as I have a stable job
there. The top four places
that I would like to live are
Seattle, WA, San
Francisco, CA, Austin, TX,
and Portland, OR. All of
these locations have unique
factors that make them
great places for young
adults to live, according to
Business Insider (Stone, “The 35 Best Cities
For Young Adults”).
In young adulthood, I think it’s
important to spend time with yourself to
truly find who you are. I would like to live
by myself for at least a couple of months
just so that I can ensure that I’m able to be
comfortable with only myself as company.
Being by yourself is the best opportunity to
understand who you are and who you want
to become. I think the best
places for me to live alone
would be Austin and San
Francisco because they both
have a plethora of activities
for single people and I have
spent several years living in
areas around both of those
cities.
I would also like to
move to new places like
Seattle and Portland with a
significant other. If I were to
ever settle down and start a
family, those two cities
would probably be good
choices for me to do so.
Much of my future is
uncertain. Family choices is
one of the most
unpredictable parts of life,
but I know that no matter where I go, who I
fall in love with, and what I do, I will hold
on to my values, beliefs, freedom and goals
and never compromise my own happiness
and wellbeing for someone else.
Figure 6: Dream Apartment

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Caitlyn Clark
Lack of Mental
Stimulation
Ennui
Mental Health
Problems, i.e.
Alzheimers
Physical Health
Problems
Chapter Five
once spoke to a family member who
told me that he felt that retirement
should be backwards; when you are
young, you should be able to not worry
about working and should try living in a way
that you think will make you the most
happy, regardless of
outside forces, and once
you get older, it should
be time for you to settle
down and truly get to
work. The conversation
that I had with him
resonated with me and
made me realize that I
would much rather be
having fun when I’m young as opposed to
when I’m older, because when you are older
your options for adventure are more limited
because of health problems, family
obligations, etc. I have made the conclusion
that retirement is not necessarily the best
option for my personality type, and I should
consider other options (Skerrett, Patrick J.
“Is Retirement Good for Health?”).
One option that I have thought about
the most is opening my own cafe. I realize
how stressful that could be, but I also know
that the work will be well worth the
satisfaction. Being my own boss would
decrease any job discontentment and stress.
When many people retire, they can easily
become depressed because they don’t spend
their time wisely and can
begin to feel like their
days are pointless
(“Participating in
Activities You Enjoy”).
Running my own business
would ensure that I have
something to do every
day that results in visible
pay off.
Other things that I could do in
retirement are try to learn a new language,
take art classes, and volunteer. Retirement is
important to me because I think it
determines the way that you live, think, and
feel in the last years of your life. Having a
happy retirement or later in life plan will
allow you to close the final chapter of your
life on a high note.
I
Figure 7: Retirement Downsides

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