Undergraduate / Becoming Someone by overcoming insecurities - UC Prompt #1 [3]

Thanks for your time, and be harsh. I know I'm not a strong writer, but I want to improve.

"Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations."

As a kid, I grew up in a middle class family. Like many other families, we had our own dysfunctions. My parents fought often, which also contributed to my slow development as a person. My main struggle was overcoming my insecurities in order to become who I am today.

Ever since I started attending school, I had always felt that I was not normal compared to every American student in my classes, even though I was also American. I felt like the oddball since I grew up in a city that had a small Asian community. Although I felt different, I had still done exceptionally well in sports and was fully engaged in school sports until the end of 7th grade. That's when I was discouraged because I had seen myself inferior to the other ethnicities when it came to sports. The idea may have derived from my mother because she had always discouraged me from pursuing sports since she believed that "Chinese people cannot compete with larger Americans." She stood firmly by that belief and did not allow me to play for teams because I would not be strong enough and will get crushed by these "big Americans." Instead my mom wanted me to portray the typical Asian stereotype; that I must become a doctor and get straight A's in school. Thus resulted in constant scolding since I did not meet those expectations.

Along with lack of self-confidence, I was also very insecure because I had been diagnosed with eczema since I was an infant. That had also played a part in not being as active since I did not want parts of my body exposed to my peers and was very embarrassed by the scars, scabs and dry skin, so I isolated myself more. By the time I entered middle school, I was socially behind most of the students and tried to hide myself in my jackets. However I was not affected academically, but I was punished by lack of social skills. As years passed, my eczema slowly calmed and by sophomore year of high school I had finally been able to be more confident and less insecure. Finally by junior year, I was more comfortable in wearing t shirts and participating more in school. A t shirt may not seem like a big deal, but it was a huge step since I had finally embraced my eczema and put aside my insecurities. Now as a senior I have been actively engaging socially and am confident in most situations. I now realized that my insecurities and lack of self confidence stems from not having someone to talk to. My parents had no sympathy for my struggles and I don't blame them since they were constantly fighting, but worked hard to support me and my little sister to ensure that our family was financially secured. Not having a person to confide in and talk to about my problems had been a burden and slowed my progress in growing into the person I wanted to be.

In the future, I envision myself being a psychologist who helps children with their problems because I do not want them to have a worse future. I believe that everyone has the chance to live up to their full potential, and the first place to start is with children.

Undergraduate / Becoming a Leader through the gaming world - UC Prompt 2 [2]

Please give as much feedback as possible, I appreciate it.
Prompt- "Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?"

"Go initiate on him and we'll follow up!" I commanded my cousin. My adrenaline began rushing. With a large sum of money at stake, the final fight would determine the victor. The countless hours of preparation for this tournament would not be wasted. The enemy retreated as my team decimated their most valuable player. I then decided that it was best to destroy most of their base, finishing the rest after replenishing our supplies to ensure a victory. Moments later, their player revived and the enemy team grouped together for their final attempt at victory. They suddenly appeared, and the words, "Your team has scored an ace!" showed up on the screen. We had won. My passion for gaming is no longer just a secret hobby, but an opportunity to develop my skills as a delegator, communicator and model.

Initially, playing video games was just for fun, but over time it developed into a daily activity. Overtime, I stopped playing just for mindless activity, and instead began to build a competitive network that required work and effort. Being the captain of a team includes great tasks and responsibilities. With each member of the team having an assigned role, we are able to cooperate and function efficiently. In order to assemble the best team as possible, I put each player in a role according to their specialty.

Occasionally a teammate would struggle with their role, so I would have to find a way to make it work out. When the problem arises, I gather the team to discuss possible solutions to the problem. Also, one of my team members, Victor, always feels nervous before tournaments. I would always respond with, "You play your role the best, now take a deep breath and concentrate." Just acknowledging him, boosted his confidence, enabling him to perform well.

Along with communication, my team will only be as strong as our weakest player, so if anyone starts to struggle, I work with them to improve. The same concept applies to myself. Whenever I struggle, I strive to progress by practicing more. I set up friendly scrimmages against teams that are more skilled than us in order to inspire everyone to push themselves.

I am proud of the all the dedication I put into gaming. Overtime, my gaming experience slowly allowed me to be more comfortable in a lead position. I became ready to accept the consequences of being a leader: the risks, the failures, and the improvement process. These leadership skills have broaden my work ethic not only in group tasks, but also individually, constantly employing the strategies to be successful.