Undergraduate / 'MEDICAL BRIGADES' - UC Transfer App - Intended Major [3]

Prompt: What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field - such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities - and what you have gained from your involvement.

Medical Brigades
My decision to pursue an education in health sciences is a choice that I am sincerely pleased and passionate about. My motivation to pursue an education in this field is derived from a few personal experiences, as well as the realization that as an individual, I have the potential to create a positive difference in an individual's life. A majority of my inspiration comes from my own mother. As a hairdresser, she labors for ten hours a day in order to make ends meet for our family of six. With my father out of a job, it is apparent that my family is not the wealthiest. Despite this fact, my mother still manages to frequently donate to charities and to the poor out of the warmth of her own heart. Having been raised by a woman as selfless as my mother, there is not a doubt in my mind that inhibits me from making a career out of what I have witnessed her doing my whole life.

As cliché as it sounds, I indubitably had my heart set on a career goal at an early age. My mother would frequently purchase videos from our church that portrayed mission trips to third-world countries and I would find myself curled up on the couch watching them with her. I thought the concept of these trips was amazing and after paying a visit to Viet Nam the summer before my sophomore year of high school, I was able to see the reality of third-world countries. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to seek out a profession that would help those living in poverty. I have since made efforts to be proactive in the health field by volunteering in hospitals, taking up internships and participating in clubs on campus.

One particular club that I am thrilled about is a newly established chapter of Medical Brigades on my college campus. Medical Brigades, a branch off the non-profit organization Global Brigades, aims to target countries where access to health care is limited. Although I have been affiliated with the organization for only a few months, I have developed a strong appreciation for their mission statement. Medical Brigades plans to mobilize thousands of student volunteers over the next five years on 7-10 day trips to Honduras, Panama and Ghana in an effort to relieve the strong need for health care in rural areas. As volunteers, students have the opportunity to shadow licensed doctors and assist license pharmacists during their stay.

My involvement in Medical Brigades has opened my eyes and helped me view my world from a different perspective. I appreciate the smaller things in life a great deal more now than ever before and I try to donate to non-profit organizations whenever I can. Since my involvement, I have gained friendships with amazing people who share the same interests as I do and I look forward to chances to potentially collaborate with these individuals. What Medical Brigades wishes to accomplish is a mission I hope to achieve with my own career in the future. I look forward to one day be able to travel on these mission trips and I am overjoyed that I have the privilege of becoming a part of this remarkable movement.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance to those who take the time to read this.

Undergraduate / 'The Vietnamese generation' - Personal Statement #1 - Personal Quality [2]

Hi, this is my answer to prompt #1. I would like to have this revised by tomorrow so any help will be greatly appreciated! Thank you :)

Although I am now twenty years old, many individuals belonging to the older Vietnamese generation are still shocked to hear me speak Vietnamese fluently after discovering that I was born in the United States. I have taken offense to this in the past, assuming they thought no one belonging to the younger generation had the ability to speak their native tongue. However, what I have realized now is that unfortunately, many individuals belonging to the younger Vietnamese generation actually do struggle with the Vietnamese language or do not know how to speak it at all. I had always believed that being able to speak and understand the Vietnamese language was an essential part to understanding the culture as well.

The fluency I have attained in my native language is attributable to my parents. For seven consecutive years, I dreaded waking up early on Saturdays to attend Vietnamese classes that, at the time, I thought were completely pointless. For four hours a week and 28 weeks a year, I was expected to attend Vietnamese school on Saturdays. For the first two hours, I was required to sit through Bible class and for the last two hours, I was educated on the history and phonics of Vietnam and the its language. These classes enabled me to be able to communicate with not only my family in the United States but also my family in Viet Nam. Though I may not have been grateful for the education I received during the years I was forced to attend, I have come to the realization that attending Vietnamese school is perhaps one of the best opportunities that my parents have given me.

Not only did Vietnamese school allow me to learn my native language, it also served as a bridge in allowing me to connect with my religion as well. Apart from church school on Saturdays, I have also involved myself in a chapter of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society, otherwise known as TNTT, at my church on Sundays. This global-wide youth group, exclusive to Vietnamese communities, aims to educate youth in both social and spiritual life. Since becoming a part of this organization, I have been able to participate and organize many different events for my youth group that allow me to reach out to the Vietnamese community here in northern California. I especially enjoy working with my youth group once the Lunar New Year rolls around. Around this time, Vietnamese families in come together to celebrate the wonderful occasion by lighting firecrackers, watching lion dances and distributing lucky money in red envelopes to all the children.

The young woman I have grown to become is a quality that I am undeniably proud of. I take pride in what I offer my community and I take pride in knowing that, although the environment I was raised in is different than that of my parent's, I have not strayed too far from my roots. My culture is a way of life that is inescapable. It is an ethos that has been embedded in my blood and therefore, does not relate to the person that I am-it IS the person that I am.