(contributed by Darren Crovitz)

Write a 1000-1500 word essay that recreates an event or experience that represented an initiation, a ritual, or a passage into adulthood for you. There are many common rites of passage that people experience--such as graduation, getting your own car, or going to college. The focus of this memoir, however, is a life-changing event that may not be so obvious or typical. Your task will be to bring meaning to an event or experience that may not seem to hold meaning for the reader at first glance. You'll use narration and vivid sensory details to describe this experience and its impact, and explain how it has influenced or changed your thinking, your beliefs, and your life.

The specific event you choose to describe is up to you, but you must incorporate the following in the essay:

• Your personal experience, from your point-of-view, in a personal voice.
• First person narration ("I")
• A chronology of the event
• Reflection: why does this experience represent a passage into adulthood for you?

Your essay must succeed in communicating what you mean, and why you think as you do.