Undergraduate / Oscar Luis Puelles "My Journey started in Peru" [18]

My life changed completely when I came to America to study. I was born in Peru, and although my life there was not easy, it was not as difficult as it became here/as in here. I came to study, with a student visa, the Associate degree program at Hesser College in Manchester, NH. It was harder for me than it was for the average student(I could understand this sentence that It was a harder problem for you than any other student???). Due to my legal foreign student status, I could not apply for any type of financial aid, scholarships, student loan or grants.

In order to obtain a student visa in Peru, I needed to prove to the American embassy that I had enough economic resources to pay at least half of the two-year program, which totaled US$18,000. To get that money, I had to work and save for 7 years. Saving US$18,000 in a third world country, like Peru was back then, would be like saving 3 times that amount in America just to go to college.

Although I faced (will 'had to face' be better?)many challenges when I arrived to America, I did not get discouraged. I remembered the previous difficulties I had already overcome. I remembered that after much struggle I found a job after High School, and I wanted to enjoy some of the money I earned, but I could not because I had to save that money to pay for college. I remembered when I was a teenager in Peru and studied English after high school every day in an institute 20 miles away from my home and how hard the commute was. I needed to do this, as Peruvian high schools did not have after-school programs like American ones do. I remembered when I was a kid child and I had to carry water in buckets from blocks away from my home because of water shortages in my town. I thought if I was were able to overcome all that, I would be able to accomplish/achieve my goals here.

The biggest challenge of studying in America was not the classes or subjects, but instead it was dealing with the pressure that my student visa could be revoked and that I could be deported if I could not save enough money to pay for my remaining tuition. That is why after having to get a job in the College cafeteria as cook, a more beneficial job for the hours and free meals than the math-tutor position I could have got, I also had to get a dishwasher job on weekends All the 'had to get' you used should be replaced by to have/get job/a job. I was a full-time student working fifty hours at per week, living on only $40 at per week and also paying rent, because I could not afford to live in the dormitories. At that point, that was the most difficult time of my life, but I am proud to say I succeeded, because I finished the Associate degree program debt free, on time and with 3.8 GPA.

I said that was the most difficult time of my life until that point, because after finishing my studies, I got married but unfortunately divorced soon after, it means thatmeaning that once again I had to face I again faced the problem of being deported. My marriage had made me a temporary alien resident, but since the marriage was over, the INS assumed I had no reason to continue living in America. After a long legal process, during which I had to pay almost $15,000, I finally became permanent resident. During that time, I worked 65 hours at... week on two jobs and lived on only $70 at week after expenses to save as much as possible to have money available in the event I got deported.

Because of the financial responsibilities I had after finishing my education, my marriage and the legal processes of paying lawyers and papers fees, I could not be too selective on the jobs I took. That is why after becoming a permanent resident I quit (tense) quitted my night-shift job and started working at Bank of America, which required a 67-mile round trip commute. It was a job I had to leave because soaring gas prices and the expense of maintaining my car gas price soaring/rising and car expensesno longer made the job financially possible. I could not move closer to work because I had to stay in New Hampshire, where I had started the legal process to become U.S. resident, and eventually U.S. citizen. Had I moved closer to work, it would have delayed my citizenship process.

Looking back at all the challenges I have faced, I can say I want to face even more It sounds so strange!. I like overcoming challenges that seem formidable. I will not say I succeed on all of them since I could not get a 4.0 GPA in College and could not make my marriage work. But I do my best, and my best has brought me here: becoming U.S citizen without having any family family relatives in America to rely on. I know I can succeed at in almost all the challenges I face )verb tense in this sentence) by working hard as I did during my studies study, and making intelligent decisions, much like I did while saving money and choosing jobs. Since my childhood days, from carrying water in buckets, to today, applying to one of the most prestigious Universities in the world, my journey, my American journey is not over. With new advantages and new challenges, it is just in another phase.

Undergraduate / Interest in how money flow - why you are transfering and your objectives to achieve [2]

I want to transfer because I have always had an interest in how money flows and after entering the work force I developed an interest in how the overall economy functions. My American objective, my American dream, has been coming to America, mastering economics and being part of a banking institution, a financial or consulting firm like Boston Consulting Group. After the recent financial collapse, a new part of that objective became influencing those enterprises to keep them productive without causing economic havoc, contributing to their success with financial regulation that does not suffocate business, through fair trade with China and other nations, and through innovative methods I will develop based on expertise I will gain at college. My search for that dream has become harder than I thought, but regardless of that I continued.

I also want to transfer because my objectives are achieving an education and a career which will give me options and facilities I did not have growing up. I was born in Peru and my life there was not easy. An example of that is when finding a job with a lot of struggle after high school, I wanted to enjoy the money I earned, but I could not because I had to save that money to pay for college. Another difficult time was when I was a teenager in Peru and studied English after high school every day in an institute twenty miles away from my home. The commuting back then was very hard. I needed to do this, as Peruvian high schools did not have after-school programs like American ones do. I had a difficult life since I was a child because I had to carry water in buckets from blocks away from my home due to water shortages in my town. At an early age I learned that to move forward in life, a person must make sacrifices. If I could to overcome all that, I am convinced I can achieve my objectives in the U.S.A.

In addition, I want to transfer to a 4-year college because I want to complete my educational process which started when arriving to America. But I had to postpone it because of the legal and financial responsibilities I faced after finishing college classes. I came to study, with a student visa, the Associate degree program at Hesser College in Manchester, NH. When finishing that program, I first started working as a temp because my student visa allowed me to work only one year after finishing classes. Even though I enjoyed that job, I could not be there too long because I needed a higher income to pay for my marriage expenses. Unfortunately, I divorced soon after. That meant that once again I faced the problem of being deported. My marriage to an American citizen had made me a temporary resident, but since the marriage was over, the INS assumed I had no reason to continue living in America. After a long legal process, during which I had to pay almost $15,000, I finally became a permanent resident. During that time, I worked 65 hours at week on two jobs and lived on only $70 per week after expenses to save as much as possible to have money available in the event that I got deported.

When I was relieved from my legal and financial responsibilities by becoming a permanent resident, I finally could choose jobs which I wanted. That is why I did not retake my night-shift job, which had laid me off and later recalled me, and stayed working at Bank of America, where I had started right after being laid off. Working at Bank of America required a 67-mile round trip commute. I had to leave it because soaring gas prices and car expenses no longer made it financially possible. I could not move because I had to stay in New Hampshire, where I had started the legal process to become U.S. resident, and eventually U.S. citizen. Had I moved, it would have delayed my citizenship process.

Because of all this, I feel capable and willing to tackle any new challenge and objective. I like overcoming challenges that seem formidable. I do not guarantee success on all of them. But I will do my best, and my best has made me become U.S citizen without having any family or relatives in America to rely on. I know I can succeed in almost any challenge and objective I take by working hard as I did after classes, and making intelligent decisions, much like I did while saving money and choosing jobs. Since my childhood days, from carrying water in buckets, to today, applying to one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S.A., my American objective, my American dream, is not over. With new advantages and new challenges, it is just in another phase.