Undergraduate / 15 minutes of fame; NYU COMMON APP [2]

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New York University- Andy Warhol said that we are all famous for 15 minutes. What will your 15 minutes be?
Looking at the dark stage of Stockholm concert hall, I felt each and every wing of the butterflies swarming inside my stomach. With countless intimidating eyes in the audience, I was sitting backstage waiting for the words "Vishal Sunkarapalli" to be heard. It was then I saw the winner of the physiology and medicine department walk back in a mature manner until the spotlight was off of him. Then I directed my ears to focus to only hear the upcoming words: "Next, we would like to introduce our winner for the newly established business department. Not only is he responsible for creating the world's largest business empire, he also discovered the factors that contribute to the economic cycle. I am proud to announce the recipient of the 2035 Nobel Prize for outstanding contribution in business, Vishal Sunkarapalli!" Calm as the night breeze, I rose to enter the spotlight. With applause louder than thunder, I knew my fifteen minutes of fame had finally come.

As the attention fell on me, I entered as the professional Vishal took control inside my body. As I was giving my thank you speech, the "other" side of me realized how far I have come since my teenage days in Troy High School. I still remember how I launched my exploration in the field of business. At first, I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. However, after taking many science classes, I realized that even though I was interested in this area, this is something that I would not want as a job. My first taste of business was in my economics class during summer school. Here, I instantly fell in love with the way both finance and economics governed the lives of us common people. Wanting to strengthen my understanding in this region, I took Financial Management and Economics AP as my courses in school. Ironically, it was my Physics teacher who suggested that I attend a summer program called "Planning for Business Success" at Michigan Technological University. Seizing this opportunity, I quickly signed up to attend. I even convinced two of my friends to accompany me. During this week long class, I explored the tactics to another business component, Entrepreneurship. With a team, I created a plan to start a new business and attempt to persuade potential investors to my business. With the skills obtained from this class, I learned the process of starting and keeping a successful business, tactics used to influence prospective investors, and methods of campaigning to your target audience. Lost in my thoughts, I came back to senses and professional Vishal just ended the fourteen minute speech. "Wait! Fourteen minutes? Where's my other minute?"

I returned behind the scenes and was congratulated by the other elite winners who represented their respective departments. After these awkward conversations, I felt relief when I finally noticed my parents. Their face was a clear evidence of how proud they were of me. I walked up to my dad and said, "Thanks for giving me my fifteenth minute."

Undergraduate / MOVING TO AMERICA; "Challenging Experience" [3]

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"America is much more than a geographical fact. It is a political and moral fact - the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality"

- Adlai Stevenson

It was quotes like this that pacified my fears of moving to a new country from my homeland, India. I could still remember that feeling I had experienced when my mother had told me we were moving to America. I felt as if time had stopped and I didn't know what to think. I couldn't decide whether this life-changing sentence was something I should look forward to or something that will cause me to face more problems than rewards. However, to tell you the truth, I was more excited rather than being in a panic. Nevertheless, I could not bear the fact that I will no longer be able to stroll along the beach minutes away from my house or watch my favorite cricket players dominate the teams of other countries.

Even after I realized the objects and people I will miss, I developed a strong feeling that my family's move to America would welcome me with a better future. Little did I know what I would have to endure to experience the future I had wished for.

After spending nine years in India, I moved to an environment that was totally different from the one I came from. I knew that this would be my biggest hurdle I would have to overcome. As a new 4th grader in a place where Indians were rare, I felt as if I was invisible in the classroom. Being a novice in English, I was looked down by other students and was not well received. I sat quietly in class and tried not to look at anyone; yet, the others talked to each other while watching me and started to laugh. I can still hear that evil laugh. I could still remember the times when the teacher used ask, "Who doesn't have a partner?" and I would be the only one to raise my hand. I was often upset, feeling that there would be no light at the end of the tunnel. I started to question the truthfulness of the quotes like the one in the beginning of this essay.

However, I continued walking through the tunnel, knowing that light will finally be visible. As the second semester approached, my communication skills slowly started to improve. As a result of this progress, I started to enjoy the ability to converse with my classmates. Soon, I made more friends and noticed that I actually enjoyed going to school. Cricket was no more my favorite sport; now, I enjoyed playing the "American" football and basketball. To this day, I continue playing these sports and supporting the Pistons and Lions.

The doors finally opened for me, but it took effort. Life was complicated during the transition stage when I was learning to accustom myself to a new language, culture, and customs. There were times in which I did not want to go to school, times I did not want to face humiliation, and times I wanted to return to India. However, as time passed, I soon discovered that America is exactly as Adlai Stevenson portrayed it in the quote. There wasn't a better place I could have moved to.

In America, I decide how my future will turn out to be. It is up to me to use my independence with responsibility. My journey across the dark tunnel has taught me a priceless lesson: "Confidence is the result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication." I have used this lesson in my adapting to a new environment as different as the USA and I expect to use this lesson as my light to direct me when I stumble upon new tunnels in the future.