Write a short essay on a subject of personal importance to you ( 300- 500 words ). You may choose any topic. Examples include : an event which has influenced you, why you want to choose an Engineering career, or a family member/friend/person who had a significant influence on you
"Stay hungry. Stay foolish"
Steve Jobs had said that to all seniors in 2005 Stanford Commencement. That saying has significant influence on the way I pursue my passion and step out of my comfort zone, fueled my eagerness to live to the fullest and sacrifice my time and effort in order to contribute to my community.
Since I was in secondary school, I took a keen interest in social issues, which seems to be considered boring and beyond most of my peer's concern. Watching diplomats representing their countries of NGOs in conference to discuss and then develop solutions to world problems had kindled my aspiration to be like them in the future. However, not everything lived up to my own expectations. When I shared this wish to some of my classmates, they made fun of me and told me that my expectation was totally unrealistic and impossible. Worse still, they insisted on teasing about my accent when I spoke English and also imagined how ridiculous I would be if I stood in front of hundreds of people giving speech or express my ideas. Having been bombarded by bitter criticisms, needless to say, I felt hurt and very discouraged. I realized that limitations in my ability to use English fluently might be a hindrance for me to achieve that goal. I used to think of myself as an incompetent and that the door of hope seemed to slam in front of me, but eventually my ceaseless effort told a different story.
I always bear in mind that the only way to improve is through hard work and dogged perseverance. At that time, with wholehearted support from my parents, I myself set a challenge to learn English diligently, particularly speaking skill, so that I could be eloquent in English. Practicing as much as I can in front of a mirror on a daily basis and reading many articles in English not only helped me build better vocabulary but also broaden my knowledge about international affairs in which I greatly interested. All my efforts have been rewarded when I passed the gifted high school entrance exam in order to study in specialized English class. Three years as being the vice-president of school's debate club and got some academic merits in English competitions has proved that I could do things what people ever said that I could not before.
"Curiosity leads us new paths, we keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things" ( Walt Disney) so I always push myself trying new things, grasping my chances in order to turn my dream into reality. This summer was such a memorable summer for me when I was selected as one of 36 participants in U.S Embassy Hanoi Model East Asia Summit. I was assigned to be Delegate of Singapore Committee, together with other students discussing the management of Mekong River. I could not express how happy I was because this was the first time I participated in a big youth forum, having chance to utilize critical thinking skills and practice public speaking skills to debate regional issues. Indeed, I have stepped out of my comfort zone to follow my passion.
No matter what, I think I will pursue my major in Art and Social Science when I start my college in order to realize my dream in the future. Knowing what I want to do, be passionate about it and determined, I believe I will be successful.
This is my scholarship essay. Please revise it for me ( ideas, grammatical errors, vocabulary, paragraph ). It seems to be a bit long ( over 500 words ), so could you tell me what is unnecessary that i could cut ? Thanks a lot
