As a child, the idea of higher education was simply a figment of my imagination. People I crossed paths with didn’t anticipate academic success for me because of my upbringing. I come from a split family home in Compton, California. Despite the adverse connotation this city holds, I learned to overcome adversity and treat obstacles as stepping stones, leading me to a greater purpose. I remember that even at a young age my potential was overlooked and expectations were set quite low. I allowed the negative opinions of others define me. I was told once by a teacher in secondary school that I would amount to nothing, which resonated with me. In my youth, I found encouragement through interaction with different professionals I personally identified with. I endeavor to be the inspiration these professionals were for me, to other children. The negative feelings people had about my abilities continues to drive my advancement of my education and academic success. …show more content…
Kinesiology became my choice of study, as I have an interest in how the body works, from aspects of body kinetics to the breakdown of our mental processes.
It has always been an interest of mine and I genuinely enjoy learning about human anatomy. Understanding how we execute the movements that we make fascinates me. Being emerged in the health field at a young age sparked my interests initially. My grandmother is a nurse who runs her own home health care agency and I would accompany her on many of her home visits. These visits made me realize that I wanted to be like my grandmother and help people who lack the ability to do so themselves. Therefore, Kinesiology seemed to be the perfect fit for me as with furthering my education at the UCI Master of Science in Nursing program, I will be able to become a Nurse who will better assist others with health and understand their body
mechanics. During my undergraduate course of study in Kinesiology, it was never far from my mind that I was a representative of the two percent African American population at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Being the only African American student in most of my lecture halls generally brought on an uncanny feeling. Despite this realization, I strived to demonstrate academic merit amongst my class and for the youth from my hometown. I believe in representing myself as a figure that will influence young people by advocating excellence and aligning my words with my actions to become a positive influence. Entry into the UCI Master of Science in Nursing program would be an opportunity to showcase my capabilities and demonstrate that a byproduct of an underrepresented community can amount to a nursing professional. A career in nursing would be my way of giving back to my community and those that have supported me along my educational journey.
However, my dedication to my education and my diverse experiences in my youth are what have allowed me to overcome systematic barriers and get accepted to UCLA. The world I come from has not only propelled me get to college, but has shaped my understanding of the inequities and injustices of America’s educational system. I realize how socioeconomic status can hinder the capabilities of people because knowledge, opportunities, support, resources, and guidance are not always available to those who come from underserved communities.
The reason that I fell in love with Kinesiology was the broad career options. If I want I could work alongside children, or take my education a set further and become an Occupational Therapist. Since childhood I have known that I wanted to help people with their physical being. So naturally, it has leaded me to explore the medical field, and participate in clinical rotations. I was able to distinguish that my love would gear more toward helping the elderly restore their mobility in their day to day lives. I have chosen Kinesiology because it will give me the foundation of how the body moves, that way I can take that knowledge to Occupational Therapy school.
Given away by my name, I am not an American; I was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam - a dynamic city with over nine million people squeezed into roughly the size of south Bay Area. It was towards the end of my third year of high school that my family immigrated to the U.S. Leaving my hometown behind, at seventeen, I started a new chapter of my life.
Every part of our body is a science. I never imagined the hidden science in the movements of the body. The science of kinesiology is the science of body movements. I grew up watching my grandma and the changes in her body as both of us got older, I could walk and balance properly while she lost it. I always felt bad when she was not able to get up and walk properly and as caring grandson I always gave her my hand. It was a great feeling for me to take care of her in her last days. Her difficulty in moving always pointed me to do something for her and I landed doing kinesiology- the science of human movements. I completed my high school at Cathedral High School in West Texas. I was an active member of National Honor Society as well as Spanish Honor Society. I held the treasurer position for one year in the society, which I felt proud of. I was not excellent at my academics, was just an average student struggling with the subjects of chemistry and anatomy. It is strange at one point of time suddenly when u come across a certain situation or an accident and u just realize your dream and...
I dreamt of walking on Commonwealth Ave. I envisioned myself entering the Morse Auditorium, books in hand, eager to learn. Ever since I had visited the eclectic city of Boston in 2006, I knew it was the right fit for me. I knew that the city itself, along with the remarkable academic resources that Boston University offers would allow me to grow socially and mentally. Until this day I ask questions on end from my comrades at the BU, impatient to learn more and more about their lives on and off campus. From all the feedback I have received I have come to one conclusion: BU is the place where I will get a rich, broad background in all my studies. BU will give me the foundation and preparation I will need to enter any field of study.
The personal challenge that I faced mainly dealt with my health. Ever since I was child, I was very sick physically. The doctor recommended that I not play or participate in any type of sports because of my poor health. This led to a lack of confidence in myself to perform my best. I have always thought that there was a barrier somewhere in my life, and I could not pass that barrier because if I did then my life would certainly be in ruins. I was raised with the philosophies of the Chinese. I was told that no one could perform many tasks at once and be successful. Ever since, I always have an image that if I participated in activities at school then I would do poorly in my school work. I never pushed my limits to the maximum to challenge myself. It was as if there was a wall standing in front of me blocking me from being successful. I was always afraid that the consequences might be permanent and my grades would drop.
You may not look at my transcripts or my application and know that I am a perfect student, but you should know that I am determined and I do not stop trying until I reach my goals. I have overcome many obstacles to get where I am today. It took over four years for me to earn my Associate in Science from City Colleges of Chicago. On the surface, it may seem like I was procrastinating, but I completed many extra courses and went back to better my grades after personal circumstances made it seem impossible. At times, I repeated courses simply because I knew I could do better. I suffered illness, injury and personal loss, but I never gave up on my desire for higher education.
I have always been someone that is afraid to fail. From such an early age as I can remember I didn’t like to be the loser in games or get questions wrong on my school work. To me failure meant that you weren’t good enough. My parents never really taught me otherwise. I don’t think my parents really felt that they had to go over failure with me even through college. I encountered many coaches throughout my soccer career and I was always the outstanding player on the team. I was used to winning, winning in games and in the classrooms.
Soon enough I found myself again, I found that I could push myself and I luckily found OneGoal. I sought out support, connections, networks to achieve my dream to attend and graduate college. This year, junior year has tested me mentally, emotionally and academically. However, I used that to change myself to be someone stronger. As an assignment, I visited UChicago and it was then that I become determined to apply and attend this school - the school of my dreams. “It may be out of your reach.” My PD said, but I stayed set on this dream of mine. I stuck through hard classes, two after school activities and lots more. I refuse to not at least attempt to make it to the university that’s pushed me to push my limits and be the young woman I am today. I believe that UChicago can only help me persevere my dreams to help improve the communities in which I grew up in. I recognize I can be a leader with guidance from others and I can make a difference even if that difference is only in my local community. That is what I seek to become - a leader - one that can push people to look beyond their limitations and labels to achieve any dream they
It took me approximately six years after high school graduation to finally figure but what I wanted to do with my life. Those years in limbo were trying and difficult, but I learned who I was and what I wanted; to say it was a waste of time, would be a gross understatement. I am not proud of the way some of the events in my life have unfolded, but as a result of my hardship I have become a more engaged learner. At the end of my six years of folly, I started my vigorous pursuit of the communication studies major. This education has been helpful to me, not only in making me an attractive candidate for the future job market, but also in shaping who I am and who I will become. I have become a better person through the concepts and principles
showing me the real deal about college and that it will not be easy later, but
My parents were not able to obtain a good education and due to that, they have faced many struggles throughout the years, therefore they taught me the value of education from a very young age. They have always done whatever it takes to make sure I understand how important my education is and to understand the struggles I will face if I don’t receive an education. I received all of my education from Elementary through High school in Conroe Independent School Districts. My parents started to leave to Louisiana for short periods of times to work as farm workers so I was often moved back and forth from Conroe Independent School District to Evangeline Parish School Board. It was very difficult getting used to two very different school systems but all my effort I would always get the hang of it. Once my dad found a good job in my hometown, Conroe, TX, I would stay with him rather than move back and forth because I really loved my school district and there was nowhere else where I could’ve received a better education other than in Conroe ISD.
It is often said that education should come before anything else. “Education is the most important factor in the development of the country” (“Education”). However, this is not always true in terms of the success of one’s collegiate career. Education is not every student’s top priority, and there are many ways to live successfully after college without focusing on the academic part as your top priority. Only about 30 percent of Americans complete a bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s, with another 10 percent completing an associate’s degree by then (Paulson). Not everyone’s top priority is academics, with many alternatives and goals to pursue, many people drop-out or simply stop trying and eventually flunk out. H...
Future goals a daunting yet exciting word one everyone asks you from the first day of school to a conversation starter. This question was always hard for me to answer, it always made me ponder what do I want to achieve with my life. Although the answer was always right in front of me. The summer after sixth grade my mother forced me to participate in a Vex robotics class through College of the Desert even with my strong protests. A few hours in I felt as if what I was doing just clicked. And I could visualize in my mind what I wanted to create before creating the robot in mind. My first robot I created without instructions was a two wheeler robot and much to my surprise the instructor informed me that I was his first student to construct a
As I look back on my life, I can truly say that I am grateful for the opportunity to start again. My family flied our war and politically torn country of Eritrea four years ago, seeking shelter here. Through my parent's struggles to build a better life for all of us, I have gained a deep appreciation for hard work and dedication which I applied to my education to achieve my dreams.