Johanna made sure to let colleges know she has surmounted major challenges to make it to college. She spent significant time writing her essays. She told powerful stories to help convince major top colleges to accept her. Tell Your Story in Your Application Essays.November 19, 2010 in News tagged College Access / college applications / college essays / college students / First Generation / first in college / High School Seniors / Latinos in College / obstacles / penn / success / university of pennsylvania by rjoseph