As the beast ran rampant through the streets, I couldn't help but wonder if my work had been for naught. Trying to salvage any remains, I chased my dog from the room and stared at the havoc left in his wake. The city lay in ruins; the buildings were razed. The prospect of beginning from scratch was ponderous, but I instantly welcomed the challenge. With patience and determination, I began returning the small plastic bricks into their former glory; and then greater glory. Block by block I rebuilt my cities and block by block they built me. From these Legos I learned valuable lessons in versatility, creativity, and tenacity.

The sheer vastness of possibilities that Legos present is both intimidating and exhilarating. The colorful blocks lay strewn about in no particular pattern and no particular order. From this chaos virtually anything can be created. As a child I gradually learned not to be intimidated by the endless possibilities but to embrace them, to relish the opportunity to create something from nothing.

A preschool teacher recommended holding me back one year. Because I preferred the challenge of Legos to running about with the other children on the playground, she believed that I was socially and psychologically unprepared for school. Little did she realize that the creativity these blocks taught me became a cornerstone for the rest of my life. The seemingly insurmountable challenges gave me confidence and taught me to value cooperation. Watching my Lego edifices grow slowly but surely skyward taught me patience. Watching them fall again taught me the tenacity to continue onwards. Remembering how each task was created piece by piece allowed me to, line by line, memorize the works of history's greatest playwrights. I was able to join MEChA and help lead the Latino community as co-president, arranging events with our two hundred members. My organizational skills were further utilized as the commissioner of elections.

Legos also taught me to help others and to ask for their help. I realized that with the creativity another person at my disposal, we could build things we had never even dreamed of on our own. During my senior year of High School I was introduced to crew. I was enthralled by the rhythmic grace of the sport. My dreams soon had me breathing the early morning air nearly flying over the surface of the water. This dream seemed destined to die unfulfilled because I grew up in a part of the country where "crew" refers to the roadside construction teams, but before the year was out I had convinced one of the Olympic coaches to take me under his wing. This interest is one I would like to develop further.

As the years went by, my Lego blocks made way for the blocks of my future. But just like my experiences with Legos, I continue to choose individual blocks from chaos, each one bringing me closer to the life I dream of. The spires lead up to a diploma, the drawbridge leads to a family, and the buttresses support my lofty aspirations.