Undergraduate /
From Germany to Florida - UBC Personal Profile: "Tell us about who you are..." [3]
This is what I have so far for the first question on the UBC Personal Profile. I´m not sure if this is good. It´s hard to squeeze in all the things I would like them to know about me in 250 words. Any feedback is appreciated.Tell us about who you are.
How would your family, friends, and/or members of your community describe you? If possible, please include something about yourself that you are most proud of and why.My identity is a product of moving across four continents and attempting to adapt to different cultures and languages.
When I moved from Germany to Florida, I had to give up my horse-riding lessons at the farm next door, but invested my efforts into the Drama Club at my new school instead. The leadership skills I picked up as Junior Thespian President, I then applied during my time in Chile. When the rug was pulled out from under me, I learned to optimize my strengths and create opportunities for myself.
My move to Santiago was the most challenging. I had to learn Spanish while studying at a school where I could not understand the content taught in class, nor communicate with my teachers. I joined intensive courses and studied most of my subjects independently. My transcripts show my progress. What the numbers can only imply is the work ethic I developed, and the ownership I learned to take over my education.
It was challenging to create spaces for myself in this context. I grew the most when pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I improvised speeches in Spanish at school assemblies about my initiatives, knowing that many of my 500 classmates might make fun of my accent. I managed stressful situations, such as giving my Individual Oral Commentary while being evaluated alongside native speakers.
I became an independent learner and leader, and am confident that my perseverance, optimism, and strength will allow me to contribute to our global community.