Undergraduate / 'a successful computer programmer' - UC Berkeley - 1st Prompt [2]

I want to bring my parents back home. That's my ultimate goal.
At the age of 12, I was forced to make a choice between moving to the United States or staying in Venezuela with my parents. As a young child, it was hard for me to make such a significant choice, because I knew that this choice would change my life massively, altering the way I look at the world and my personality. I was not certain what the best decision was for me until I realized that leaving Venezuela would keep me safe and give me the opportunity to explore the world. Living in Venezuela taught me resilience in the face of adversity but moving to the United States showed me the importance of becoming an individual and the power of education.

Before moving to the United States, I experienced a robbery. For a twelve years old girl, it was a scary experience. I still remember the incident vividly - there were eight robbers with no mask. They did not look suspicious at all, they looked like normal people. Among them, two were police officers. While I was helping out in my mother's restaurant, they pulled their guns out and shoved it next to my head and into my mouth. They demanded money. I gave them all. Fortunately, they all fled once they heard the sirens of the police cars. However, my family and I were hurt. My mom was tied on the floor and my dad was knocked out. Seeing this scene, it made me feel useless because I could not protect my parents. Although I became more reserved and reticent after the occurrence, I am now very resilient and cautionary because I know that in order to protect my parents, I have to first protect myself. It was then when I promised myself that I have to study hard because I needed to earn a college degree, get a high paying job and bring them to a safe place.

As a result, I made the choice of moving to the United States. I feel very fortunate that I moved because the education system in the United States pushed me to work harder academically. Attending school in Venezuela, I adopted the lethargic attitude of students there - that school was just something to pass the time. But after moving to the United States and being surrounded by my academically motivated sister and fellow students, I have focused on preparing myself for college, including taking advanced classes and involving myself in students activities. Since I was exposed to so many resources, I took advantages of it and enrich myself with different knowledge. Although I moved out of Venezuela, my parents are still in that perilous country. I need to have the resources to bring them to the United States and live as safely as I am. Therefore, I want to gain the ability to protect my parents through the power of education. In order to pursue that, I need an education at a college where I can attain the resources that I need to become a successful computer programmer.

Being able to become a computer programmer not only will benefit my parents but also the people who are still living in those dangerous places. I want to use my degree in computer science to design a program or machine that can help each individual to protect themselves. This new technology will ensure that no criminals can hurt anyone. It will make sound as soon as someone is feeling endangered. It will provide the victim with a powerful weapon that would scare away the culprit. While it seems like a lofty goal, there are many advantages to the people who are in need of protections, and I plan to be part of this growth and process. I was powerless to stop the robbers at the age of twelve, but now I see that I have the ability to finally bring them home.