Throughout my whole life, I have always been sort of a lone wolf. As a child of two immigrant parents, I have often felt the struggle of feeling alone and without guidance in American society. Both of my parents are Mexican immigrants that came into this country during the 1990’s looking for a better place to start a family. Ever since I was a young boy, my parents have repeatedly told me that being a hard worker and taking school seriously were going to be vital ideals that I needed to follow to achieve success. Neither of my parents had the opportunity to study at an institution of higher education, and their dream had always been for their son to be the first in their family to do so.
So far, I have done an excellent job at making my parents proud both in my academic life and overall work ethic. Currently, I am among the top in my class at IC
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After doing some research and a little bit of self-examination throughout high school, biomedical engineering seemed to be the perfect medium between engineering (my interest and forte) and medicine (my passion). One of my main goals in pursuing a college education is that I want the ability to be in control of dictating what I want out of my life and how I am going to achieve it. Along the way, I want to build up knowledge, skills, and abilities that can help me discover new passions and learn more about myself. Of course, I expect college to be a difficult challenge, and I can already imagine the tireless nights of studying and drinking coffee. Nevertheless, I am fully prepared to accept that challenge and begin putting my best foot forward in excelling in academics and getting involved in the community. My dream in life is to work in a hospital or company where I can do research on medicine or help develop new technologies to help those who are
Every day, multitudes of things are competing for our attention. Billboards line every street, commercials interrupt every enticing program, and our phones are constantly beckoning us to check them. And no, this is not the beginning of another trite piece of literature that is going to complain about how the growth of advertising and technological innovation is the decline of the human race. In fact, I embrace it. The world is changing, and with so much to be involved in, competition for our attention is healthy and necessary to keep things that we want to see accessible.
Four years ago, I left the shores of Nigeria to pursue a higher education at the University of Ottawa. I know most people when they are younger are not sure of what career path to follow, ye I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. Ever since I could remember, I have always felt deep compassion towards other human beings. It is disappointing to watch people lose their basic human rights. My program has educated me and changed my worldly views.
The dream of going to college has been present since I remember. However, I lived in a low income household in Spain, and at that time my family was going through a great depression, lack of financial stability, and my parent’s relationship was not at its best; consequently, the idea of having another expense was not a priority for the family, needless to say that college was not an option. Nevertheless, life has given me the opportunity to review my priorities, make new choices and as a result, I decided to pursue a higher education. I became a displaced homemaker after my divorce in 2008 in Washington State, when I decided to move away and start a new life in Colorado. We were only us, my daughter and me.
When I was younger, one of my favorite things to do was to hop in my grandpa’s old, red Chevy pickup and ride down to our family’s farm with him. We would spend all day doing various jobs including scouting crops. Each summer I would spend more time scouting crops with my grandpa. He would share stories about particular growing seasons that he remembered and he shared a vast amount of agronomic knowledge with me. Over time, scouting with my grandpa turned into a passion.
The University of Pennsylvania promotes this wondrous idea that students should be free to explore, and in the process innovate something amazing. Simply the thought of unrestrained inquiry titillates my expansive curiosity. Just as Magellan, Cabot, and famed explorers of the new world had been fascinated by knowledge beyond their boundaries, I am a conquistador. But rather than pursuing the riches of the Fountain of Youth, I seek the treasures of fruitful study and intellectual endeavors.
When I enrolled into University of Connecticut in 2009, I was living my life conforming to other people's goals and not my own. Life purpose and life intentions are rich and valuable. It can also be helpful in aiding us to move through the challenges life brings us. Self-discovery is an evolving process. Sometimes you have to take a detour in life.
There are many attributes that I could bring to the UW Platteville campus. To start, I am a Christian and I put my faith and my family above everything else. This means that I also uphold the morals and standards set by my faith and family. I love my family and both my parents and my siblings have helped me grow tremendously. I have four siblings ranging from four to fifteen and helping them grow up has also helped me to mature as well.
When I first came to the United State, I did not speak any English, but I had the desire to continue my education and to learn English. Growing up as a child, I only had one dream to become a chemical engineer. However, there have been many different challenges have been part of my journey. I remember starting school when I first came to the United States, at a local community center. Young and dedicated, I decided for the first six months that I would not speak any of my native languages and only focus on English.
Ever since I was seven, it has been my goal to attend college; now that goal will come true in only a few months at the University of Tulsa. While I did not know what I wanted to study then, I developed a passionate curiosity that has allowed me to succeed in school because it gave me a love for learning that continues today. Since then, I have become a dedicated student who is still constantly questioning everything, which has encouraged me to pursue a career as a neuroscientist. My career goal is to get a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry with a minor in neuroscience from the University of Tulsa and then to earn a Ph.D. in neuroscience to conduct research.
Shanghai is my homeland, which is a worldwide global financial center. Due to its geographical location and historical background, citizens are easily exposed to Western culture. Although all of this information can be seen in books and films, I wanted to explore and experience this first hand. My two passions in life drew me to America.
Ever since grade school, I was passionate about working in the field of medicine, and science. I enjoyed anatomy, medical spelling and terminology, and reading about the healthcare industry. Because of my passion for healthcare, I decided to to attend Health Sciences High. There, I was given the best opportunities, such as, medical internships and college health courses. My plans and goals had turned me into a mature young adult.
Throughout my educational career, I have worked to balance scientific and liberal arts thinking because both are crucial to fully understanding the world. My interest in pursuing this path developed during my high school career, and drove me to apply to Cornell. Upon starting here, I continued pursuing that path, and I want to continue increasing my exposure to these two ways of thought through entry into the Concurrent Major program. By entering this program, I hope to attain degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Government and learn what opportunities emerge from this diverse educational path. When I was in high school, I tried to keep an academic balance between social studies – with classes like AP US Government and AP World History – and the sciences – taking Physics, Chemistry, and Principles of Engineering.
However, this path was not as smooth as I thought. The reality is that life for immigrants like me is very tough and full of challenges. I faced educational and financial challenges in the USA, especially the first six months with sudden changes. However, these barriers affected my personal character by making me a hardworking, mature and manageable person.
Considering myself a polymath, CU Boulder’s eclectic student body helped me develop and mature in many aspects of my life. To further my work at the middle college, I expanded my interests in academia and healthcare leading me to my current interests - research and patient education. Working multiple jobs to support myself, I practiced the synergistic balance of patient care and research that I will achieve as an MD/PhD. My work on Cannabis genomics taught me skills such as bioinformatics programming and PCR primer design, but also the invaluable ability to design, fund, and lead research. Simultaneously working in an Optometry office, I recognize both the researcher’s and clinician’s perspective that is essential as a leader of academic medicine.
Making the decision of what college was best for me, was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I was torn betweeen a private university and a public university. Each school had different things to offer me and seperate characteristics that I loved. My decision was made a lot easier once i discovered that Old Dominion University was more cost effecent, has newer dorms, slightly larger, and has more availabe recources to ensure success. Due to lack of Government funding, attending a private school is much more costly than a regular four year university.