Undergraduate / I thought I was tough; " What Tough is " - TULANE PERSONAL STATEMENT [2]

Help is this essay an awful idea and if its not should I change the ending. Thanks in advance

I thought I was tough. I've gained a hard exterior in the past few years and little fazed me. This past summer I learned that I knew nothing about being tough. I was given the opportunity to intern at the San Francisco District Attorney's office. I took the train in from where I was staying with my mom and I knew not to interact with strangers and keep my head up. While there I cataloged thousands of convictions; however I was also able to experience what court was really like. I typically saw trials where hardened criminals were accused of heinous crimes and usually were convicted. I of course was pleased when justice was served, especially for the victims' families because I was in their shoes some years ago. One day I went to see a sentencing for attempted murder of a "snitch" and the convicted were two gang members. I never thought I would ever feel empathy for criminals but as their public defenders started to speak about the difficulty of their lives I began to learn more about these men. They were only a few years older than me but one already had a little baby girl. They were both honor students until they dropped out of high school and joined a gang. Their mother was usually not around and when she was she was usually high. They were cared for by their older sister, who sat in court unwavering even when the prosecution attacked her after she gave her character statement for her little brothers. I found myself siding with the defense, hoping these young men were not going to have to spend their lives in prison. I sat there frozen while the judge banged her gavel, sentencing them both for 45 years to life with a chance for parole for a crime that was common in the projects, attempted murder with gang affiliations. The prosecution congratulated themselves and the detectives who worked on the case. Both convicted men began to cry, as they turned to say goodbye to their family. Their older sister hugged them both and said a prayer. I later found out from one of the detectives I worked with that the older sister was a single mother who had taken care of her siblings for most of her life but she was also putting herself through college. I learned what tough really was that day. Tough is being able to not only survive but to be the difference when it seemed like life was trying to break you.

Undergraduate / The community service - Why Tulane? ; Major - Political Science/ International Relations [3]

Is this okay?

The first thing that attracted me to Tulane, was the community service aspect. Community service has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was a little and my mom traveled to Asia after the tsunami in 2004. After my mother returned she encouraged me to help my community in any way I can. I have volunteered in soup kitchens and hospitals. I also lead with a new service initiative at my school called Stop Hunger, which is a global project that packages food to send to developing countries. Furthermore, I have been to India several times as the daughter of Indian immigrants and every single time I have seen a malnourished child begging on the street. My dream is to allow children in India the same privileges children have in the United States so they never have to live on the streets. I have seen firsthand the terrors poverty and hunger bring and I never want any child to have to experience that. My intended major is Political Science/International Relations because I want to help people on a global scale and I believe that Tulane will help me succeed.

Undergraduate / Describe the parts that add up to the sum of you - first generation Indian-American [2]

The first thing people see when they look at me is my skin, probably because I am a first generation Indian-American. My cultural identity is so obvious in my physical appearance, that people often make incorrect assumptions about me. Don't get me wrong, I am immensely proud of where my family comes from, however, I am so much more than just an Indian. There's a running joke in the Indian community that the children of immigrants are known as ABCDs, or American Born Confused Desi, which basically means that we have no idea who or what we are. For a long time I believed that description was perfect for me. However, for the past couple of years I realized that I didn't want to be that Indian girl who didn't act Indian. I decided to embrace the things I enjoyed about the different cultural influences in my life. Being an Indian has taught me to respect the differences in all cultures. My parents taught me to appreciate diversity and treat it with respect. I learned not to be judgmental about the traditions, clothes, or food of other cultures. However, being an American has taught me to have pride in myself and the people around me. There is no one I respect more than my family, friends and fellow Americans. I love the opportunities given to me that I wouldn't have anywhere else. I love America's determination to succeed, but most of all I love my country and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Trying to figure out who I really am has taught me the greatest lesson of all, I am an individual and my identity is unique to me.

Has to be less than 300 words and is currently 280. Thanks in advance