sgilbert
Nov 30, 2014
Undergraduate / I was going to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and pursue a degree in Business Administration [2]
Please please please let me know if I should add/ change anything
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
I was originally going to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and pursue a degree in Business Administration. Having a grandfather as a CFO of a local bay area company, and my mom as a real estate assistant and pool service provider, I looked up to my family as role models in the business world. However, after I managed my mom's business by running my moms pool Service Company at such a young age, my interest in economics surfaced.
Living in the Bay Area and after becoming a single mother due to my father abandoning us, my mom found it necessary to acquire a second job in order to make ends meet. Having the experience of previous pool cleaning company along with my father in the past, she decided to open up one herself.
Throughout Middle School, my daily routine consisted of working with my mother cleaning pools after school and on the weekends until dark. Besides actually cleaning the pools, I began to manage finances and a plan to expand the company. During my sophomore year of High School, my mother obtained her real estate license which meant that from that point onward I was in charge of taking care of all aspects of the pool company while she focused her time on being a realtor in attempt to bring us out of poverty. Within three years of managing the company, I was able to expand it three times its original size. While I was happy that the company was doing well, I realized that after college I wanted to do something that not only made profits, but helped society too.
Since I was little, I loved helping people which led to my involvement in charity work. From the time in first grade where I encouraged my teacher to start a drive at school in order to buy animals for people in third world countries, to the multiple events I chaired in my youth group International Order of Jobs Daughters, such as: collecting change for Shriner's Hospital to organizing a Pancake Breakfast in order to send children with cardiac disease to Camp Taylor, among other events.
Taking an economics class at San Ramon Valley High as a senior helped me realized that economics was right for me as it appealed to both my interests in business and being able to help people as part of my profession. I was fascinated by how economics applied to not only money, but also so many aspects of every day life. Becoming more excited about the material, I would catch myself looking at sales as I walked around the mall and being proud to know the reasoning behind the pricing of those items. In addition, I also began to apply economic concepts to my desire of helping others.
Working with an organization called Project 41, I was able to help people in other countries while implementing the economic principle of incentives. I spoke with pool supply distributors and convinced them offer incentives to service providers for donating pumps to this organization. In addition, I offered discounts to my pool customers that upgraded pumps while donating the old ones. Through this project, I not only put an economic principle in effect but also was able to join in on an effort to help people in remote villages be able to pump water from the ground for agricultural use. This helped to improve their quality of life, while implementing a seed for economic development.
These priceless experiences have fueled me with the determination to continue my education in economics. I believe that my experience and skills have provided me with the necessary qualifications to become a valuable member of the UC educational system where I aspire to one day earn a degree from as my grandfather once did.
Please please please let me know if I should add/ change anything
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
I was originally going to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and pursue a degree in Business Administration. Having a grandfather as a CFO of a local bay area company, and my mom as a real estate assistant and pool service provider, I looked up to my family as role models in the business world. However, after I managed my mom's business by running my moms pool Service Company at such a young age, my interest in economics surfaced.
Living in the Bay Area and after becoming a single mother due to my father abandoning us, my mom found it necessary to acquire a second job in order to make ends meet. Having the experience of previous pool cleaning company along with my father in the past, she decided to open up one herself.
Throughout Middle School, my daily routine consisted of working with my mother cleaning pools after school and on the weekends until dark. Besides actually cleaning the pools, I began to manage finances and a plan to expand the company. During my sophomore year of High School, my mother obtained her real estate license which meant that from that point onward I was in charge of taking care of all aspects of the pool company while she focused her time on being a realtor in attempt to bring us out of poverty. Within three years of managing the company, I was able to expand it three times its original size. While I was happy that the company was doing well, I realized that after college I wanted to do something that not only made profits, but helped society too.
Since I was little, I loved helping people which led to my involvement in charity work. From the time in first grade where I encouraged my teacher to start a drive at school in order to buy animals for people in third world countries, to the multiple events I chaired in my youth group International Order of Jobs Daughters, such as: collecting change for Shriner's Hospital to organizing a Pancake Breakfast in order to send children with cardiac disease to Camp Taylor, among other events.
Taking an economics class at San Ramon Valley High as a senior helped me realized that economics was right for me as it appealed to both my interests in business and being able to help people as part of my profession. I was fascinated by how economics applied to not only money, but also so many aspects of every day life. Becoming more excited about the material, I would catch myself looking at sales as I walked around the mall and being proud to know the reasoning behind the pricing of those items. In addition, I also began to apply economic concepts to my desire of helping others.
Working with an organization called Project 41, I was able to help people in other countries while implementing the economic principle of incentives. I spoke with pool supply distributors and convinced them offer incentives to service providers for donating pumps to this organization. In addition, I offered discounts to my pool customers that upgraded pumps while donating the old ones. Through this project, I not only put an economic principle in effect but also was able to join in on an effort to help people in remote villages be able to pump water from the ground for agricultural use. This helped to improve their quality of life, while implementing a seed for economic development.
These priceless experiences have fueled me with the determination to continue my education in economics. I believe that my experience and skills have provided me with the necessary qualifications to become a valuable member of the UC educational system where I aspire to one day earn a degree from as my grandfather once did.