You are making a good point about accessibility to higher education in the US and how one can take it for granted (until personally experiencing what it is like for the rest of the world.) I think you can say it with fewer words for more impact and less repetition. Examples follow:
I graduated high school in 2000 and worked full time for some years thereafter.
Why not state specifically how many years you worked full time after highschool?
with in this seven-year window during which I got those experiencesexperienced what I was lookinglonging for
higher education itis readily accessible here
I yearned to experience these other parts of our world I was learning so much about
overkill and repetition with the following phrase...
my curiosity to explore these differing, worldly realms was becoming fierceincreased .
It was in Laos that my eyes opened to the blessing of education in the United States .
They lacked adequate school supplies and their classroom they had was run down.
an education is the only means to a better liveili hood
There was too much pressure on them from their families to succeed. My educational opportunity was encompassed inonly required me saying yes and applying accepting to apply to my college of choice.
Why do monks' families pressure them to succeed? Does not sound right...
the academiaacademic life that was once not there before
I view college now as portal that I canenables me to delve deeply into differing worlds and realms.
I am so grateful for the time out I took to experience the world (a small part of it) before committing myself to the academiaacademic life.