Hi!
I'm from the Philippines, and already a GKS-U scholar at Konyang University. I've decided to give my passing essay here because, tbh, I truly owe this site a lot to formulate mine. I studied pretty much all of the GKS-U essays posted here and noted all the advice provided below each essay.
As a passer, I believe it would be helpful to share this for all those future GKS applicants out there who are working hard every day for this prestigious scholarship.
If you are Holt, or anyone eligible to give tips, advice, and ratings of my essay, you can all still feel free to provide them. Let's all help those applicants out there improve their profile :)
All the best to all of you.
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FORM 2. PERSONAL STATEMENT
Facing challenges in life, I draw strength from my commitment to fighting oppression and injustice. This resolve was forged through my own experiences of inhumanity.
My struggles and the principles I protect foster my resilience and cultivate my competence, believing in the values of truth, service, and humanism. Growing up bound by poverty, I faced ostracization and abuse from my relatives. Despite these challenges, I became my family's breadwinner, balancing my university studies by day and working as a call center agent by night. During this time, I also endured violence both in cyberspace and in my workplace, which further compounded my struggles. When financial burdens intensified, my hope for a better future seemed distant. This caged me in a place where I lost myself for a prolonged period. Fortunately, this has given me time to stabilize my well-being after my two lives had caused me to only sleep for 4 hours at maximum in the company's nap room and eat once daily. I was on a solitary journey of saving up funds for my tuition fee until I realized that being an academic achiever and a family breadwinner are two birds that can be hit with one stone. This is a chance I stumbled upon when I proactively searched for ways to resume my studies, coming across this program. It shaped my newfound medium of redemption through this fruitful educational opportunity.
Recollecting my academic memories, there was a time when the entire classroom described the person's name on the paper we passed to each other. I was candle-lit after reading the words "all-rounder, adventurous, smart" and the statement "So hardworking, I am inspired by her!" under my name. Seeing myself from those I inspired was the core of my epiphany that education has always found its way to give life to my purpose besides my thirst for wisdom. I thought it was only the bare minimum to provide what they asked to borrow or assist as a walking manual during computer classes when they encounter errors on the website we are tasked to code, or complex processes in the different interfaces of PowerPoint, Photoshop, Flash, etc. Simple but consistent, my service earned me the trust of my peers to be among the circle of student leaders in research projects, and significant extracurriculars that substantialize my worldview and crystalize my goals.
In Grade 9, my research group and I were nominated for publication in Bato Balani, a local science and technology magazine, for our study on a water-safety prototype for infants. I focused on product design, sketching, finding eco-friendly resources, and building. Despite inconsistencies in our data which challenged our study, I contributed to finalizing the title and objectives to resolve such issues. Although the pandemic discontinued the publication, it prepared me for my next major research project in senior high school. This study focused on the experiences of a queer-Catholic youth in a Catholic household, aiming to expand the limited database on queer experiences. My original idea and the significance of the research led me to win the Outstanding Capstone Research Award. These experiences boosted my confidence in engineering and social science, guiding me toward degree programs like Smart Security.
We organized a cultural exchange program with Australian students in Grade 11. I oversaw arranging a package filled with artifacts that allowed them to interact with our culture like short story booklets of Filipino legends, keychains, and postcards of tourist attractions. Likewise, we have felt theirs from the package they shipped to us. Our lines of communication to discuss the aspects of our cultural identity took place online on a forum site called Padlet and a conference app, Zoom, strengthening our friendship with Australian youth. Speaking of communication, in 2023, my Filipino-Japanese cousin visited our family in the Philippines for the first time in almost 15 years. He cannot speak Filipino, but I broke the language barrier between us and nourished our familial relationship even with the partial knowledge of the Japanese language I learned from my mother who used to work in Japan. Honing my Japanese literacy with him while formally studying Japanese has aided me in realizing my passion for languages and opening a gateway to help him get in touch with his Filipino culture and connect with our family through his native language, exchanging his Japanese culture with me.
Korean culture significantly influenced my cultural identity ever since I was a child. In preschool, I was a dancer for a K-pop group dance competition and performed during Christmas in our local diocese. I also ran into a rare chance to connect with a Korean at work who shared much about their culture in my attempt to build rapport with their unique name. Learning new languages and being interested in Korean culture motivated me to understand its language. With my salary, I enrolled in a school specialized for EPS-TOPIK to comprehend the basics of the language, constructing the road to bolster my bond with the culture as I learned about the Korean working environment and its relationship with overseas Filipino workers which is essential to me in my future in the UIC track. As a Filipino student, what interests me most is exploring the similarities in our socioeconomic histories and how technology has impacted these. It is most prevalent to unveil this and bridge the gaps through research. In my journey of immersing deeper in Korean culture from being a delegate of the Philippine-Korean Youth Forum to attending relevant programs, it has become a foothold for me to explore a bigger world through this culture. As such, hailing from one nation promoting goodwill with "Mabuhay!" to a nation greeting peace with "안녕하세요?", I am more than lionhearted to embark on this scholarly quest in South Korea to enhance education exchange and fuel the mutual fellowship braced with all my involvements in these relevant forms of globalism in commitment to the objectives of the Global Korea Scholarship.
While my studies were abruptly halted, I fixated on providing corrective solutions for the wronged within the vast cyberspace as I continued working in the BPO industry. This increased my skills in communication and problem solving while understanding the value and strict laws of data protection with my access to customers' personal information and confidential lease contracts of tenants with landowners' properties. In this process, I was also exposed to recognizing cyber security attacks in our system and responding professionally until I became a top agent before being tenured. As an employee, I explored more learning opportunities through my company's open university. I took that chance to attend a cyber security audit, studying the fundamentals to reinforce the company's cyber protection structure against cybercrime incidents. With all the time on my hands for my advocacies, it led me to discover how the current state of the Philippines' government is at risk due to a national security threat involving cybercrimes linked to incidents of money laundering, human trafficking, and torture associated with gaming operations managed by foreign nationals. This is alarming to my fellow countrymen and even the other foreigners subject to the harm as it can trigger tension between nations which may escalate to war and its consequences. Subsequently, these issues concern me as a campus journalist in high school focused on human rights and cyber security, given their terrifying aftermath on various facets of the institutions that build our society. My scars and the state of my homeland fuel my determination to seek bloodless justice through my zeal to learn cyber security for my country in danger of its weak protection system with the privilege of being educated with South Korea's leading-edge education. The resolve I grasped from this makes me believe that nothing can scare me anymore even if it means I will study abroad independently. This has redirected me to belong on the future's front lines, maximizing my potential to defend the violated with my passion for technology and social sciences as my weapons in this digital era where we can make or break the means of violence and the progress of humanity.
These experiences have prepared me to thrive at a university identical to my values: truth, service, and humanism. With this, I am eager to contribute to and benefit from a community dedicated to these ideals. Konyang University is the perfect ground to nurture my future with its rich engineering and social science curriculum. This is also for justice to the violated in the cyber world intertwined with our real world. This application to a degree program that combines technology and social sciences with an additional prerequisite year to study Korean bridges my mission and passion to pave my testimony of bravery and commitment to my advocacies. I strongly believe that this is a path worth fighting for a chance to reach for the moon, satisfy my insatiable curiosity in my pursuit of knowledge, and unlock what I envision to be the highest version of myself: a guardian of cyber security protecting justice with my capabilities that will set a difference on the international level.
To be given a shot in this scholarship program would surface the passage to manifest such a vision to reality as a future bachelor in direct collaboration with the industry fortified by my battle scars, my abilities, and driven by the principles I'm committed to. Finally, I sincerely honor the Korean government for its kind consideration in providing this opportunity and this platform to express my statement. 감사합니다!
I'm from the Philippines, and already a GKS-U scholar at Konyang University. I've decided to give my passing essay here because, tbh, I truly owe this site a lot to formulate mine. I studied pretty much all of the GKS-U essays posted here and noted all the advice provided below each essay.
As a passer, I believe it would be helpful to share this for all those future GKS applicants out there who are working hard every day for this prestigious scholarship.
If you are Holt, or anyone eligible to give tips, advice, and ratings of my essay, you can all still feel free to provide them. Let's all help those applicants out there improve their profile :)
All the best to all of you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FORM 2. PERSONAL STATEMENT
Facing challenges in life, I draw strength from my commitment to fighting oppression and injustice. This resolve was forged through my own experiences of inhumanity.
My struggles and the principles I protect foster my resilience and cultivate my competence, believing in the values of truth, service, and humanism. Growing up bound by poverty, I faced ostracization and abuse from my relatives. Despite these challenges, I became my family's breadwinner, balancing my university studies by day and working as a call center agent by night. During this time, I also endured violence both in cyberspace and in my workplace, which further compounded my struggles. When financial burdens intensified, my hope for a better future seemed distant. This caged me in a place where I lost myself for a prolonged period. Fortunately, this has given me time to stabilize my well-being after my two lives had caused me to only sleep for 4 hours at maximum in the company's nap room and eat once daily. I was on a solitary journey of saving up funds for my tuition fee until I realized that being an academic achiever and a family breadwinner are two birds that can be hit with one stone. This is a chance I stumbled upon when I proactively searched for ways to resume my studies, coming across this program. It shaped my newfound medium of redemption through this fruitful educational opportunity.
Recollecting my academic memories, there was a time when the entire classroom described the person's name on the paper we passed to each other. I was candle-lit after reading the words "all-rounder, adventurous, smart" and the statement "So hardworking, I am inspired by her!" under my name. Seeing myself from those I inspired was the core of my epiphany that education has always found its way to give life to my purpose besides my thirst for wisdom. I thought it was only the bare minimum to provide what they asked to borrow or assist as a walking manual during computer classes when they encounter errors on the website we are tasked to code, or complex processes in the different interfaces of PowerPoint, Photoshop, Flash, etc. Simple but consistent, my service earned me the trust of my peers to be among the circle of student leaders in research projects, and significant extracurriculars that substantialize my worldview and crystalize my goals.
In Grade 9, my research group and I were nominated for publication in Bato Balani, a local science and technology magazine, for our study on a water-safety prototype for infants. I focused on product design, sketching, finding eco-friendly resources, and building. Despite inconsistencies in our data which challenged our study, I contributed to finalizing the title and objectives to resolve such issues. Although the pandemic discontinued the publication, it prepared me for my next major research project in senior high school. This study focused on the experiences of a queer-Catholic youth in a Catholic household, aiming to expand the limited database on queer experiences. My original idea and the significance of the research led me to win the Outstanding Capstone Research Award. These experiences boosted my confidence in engineering and social science, guiding me toward degree programs like Smart Security.
We organized a cultural exchange program with Australian students in Grade 11. I oversaw arranging a package filled with artifacts that allowed them to interact with our culture like short story booklets of Filipino legends, keychains, and postcards of tourist attractions. Likewise, we have felt theirs from the package they shipped to us. Our lines of communication to discuss the aspects of our cultural identity took place online on a forum site called Padlet and a conference app, Zoom, strengthening our friendship with Australian youth. Speaking of communication, in 2023, my Filipino-Japanese cousin visited our family in the Philippines for the first time in almost 15 years. He cannot speak Filipino, but I broke the language barrier between us and nourished our familial relationship even with the partial knowledge of the Japanese language I learned from my mother who used to work in Japan. Honing my Japanese literacy with him while formally studying Japanese has aided me in realizing my passion for languages and opening a gateway to help him get in touch with his Filipino culture and connect with our family through his native language, exchanging his Japanese culture with me.
Korean culture significantly influenced my cultural identity ever since I was a child. In preschool, I was a dancer for a K-pop group dance competition and performed during Christmas in our local diocese. I also ran into a rare chance to connect with a Korean at work who shared much about their culture in my attempt to build rapport with their unique name. Learning new languages and being interested in Korean culture motivated me to understand its language. With my salary, I enrolled in a school specialized for EPS-TOPIK to comprehend the basics of the language, constructing the road to bolster my bond with the culture as I learned about the Korean working environment and its relationship with overseas Filipino workers which is essential to me in my future in the UIC track. As a Filipino student, what interests me most is exploring the similarities in our socioeconomic histories and how technology has impacted these. It is most prevalent to unveil this and bridge the gaps through research. In my journey of immersing deeper in Korean culture from being a delegate of the Philippine-Korean Youth Forum to attending relevant programs, it has become a foothold for me to explore a bigger world through this culture. As such, hailing from one nation promoting goodwill with "Mabuhay!" to a nation greeting peace with "안녕하세요?", I am more than lionhearted to embark on this scholarly quest in South Korea to enhance education exchange and fuel the mutual fellowship braced with all my involvements in these relevant forms of globalism in commitment to the objectives of the Global Korea Scholarship.
While my studies were abruptly halted, I fixated on providing corrective solutions for the wronged within the vast cyberspace as I continued working in the BPO industry. This increased my skills in communication and problem solving while understanding the value and strict laws of data protection with my access to customers' personal information and confidential lease contracts of tenants with landowners' properties. In this process, I was also exposed to recognizing cyber security attacks in our system and responding professionally until I became a top agent before being tenured. As an employee, I explored more learning opportunities through my company's open university. I took that chance to attend a cyber security audit, studying the fundamentals to reinforce the company's cyber protection structure against cybercrime incidents. With all the time on my hands for my advocacies, it led me to discover how the current state of the Philippines' government is at risk due to a national security threat involving cybercrimes linked to incidents of money laundering, human trafficking, and torture associated with gaming operations managed by foreign nationals. This is alarming to my fellow countrymen and even the other foreigners subject to the harm as it can trigger tension between nations which may escalate to war and its consequences. Subsequently, these issues concern me as a campus journalist in high school focused on human rights and cyber security, given their terrifying aftermath on various facets of the institutions that build our society. My scars and the state of my homeland fuel my determination to seek bloodless justice through my zeal to learn cyber security for my country in danger of its weak protection system with the privilege of being educated with South Korea's leading-edge education. The resolve I grasped from this makes me believe that nothing can scare me anymore even if it means I will study abroad independently. This has redirected me to belong on the future's front lines, maximizing my potential to defend the violated with my passion for technology and social sciences as my weapons in this digital era where we can make or break the means of violence and the progress of humanity.
These experiences have prepared me to thrive at a university identical to my values: truth, service, and humanism. With this, I am eager to contribute to and benefit from a community dedicated to these ideals. Konyang University is the perfect ground to nurture my future with its rich engineering and social science curriculum. This is also for justice to the violated in the cyber world intertwined with our real world. This application to a degree program that combines technology and social sciences with an additional prerequisite year to study Korean bridges my mission and passion to pave my testimony of bravery and commitment to my advocacies. I strongly believe that this is a path worth fighting for a chance to reach for the moon, satisfy my insatiable curiosity in my pursuit of knowledge, and unlock what I envision to be the highest version of myself: a guardian of cyber security protecting justice with my capabilities that will set a difference on the international level.
To be given a shot in this scholarship program would surface the passage to manifest such a vision to reality as a future bachelor in direct collaboration with the industry fortified by my battle scars, my abilities, and driven by the principles I'm committed to. Finally, I sincerely honor the Korean government for its kind consideration in providing this opportunity and this platform to express my statement. 감사합니다!
