Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
A soothing breeze gently licked my face as I rolled the windows down. Laughter and screams filled the air as we drove through the neighborhood. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed the cheery faces of the neighborhood children, which warmed my heart. My mind was at ease, yet clueless of what life would have waiting for me.
Leaving the car, I approached the serene building I call home. As I nudged the doors open, my heart dropped. As if a tornado had hit, furniture were misplaced, drawers were emptied of its contents, and blotches of dirt were spewed across the entire house. As I glanced around the house my beloved bicycles, laptop, and sentimental valuables had been taken. My house had been robbed.
In my household the family room, the room where families get together and spend quality time, never truly existed because I spent little time there. My appreciation towards home was minimal, and I never learned its true value until this incident. My passions conflicted with my parents' traditional views of what was acceptable, resulting in a very distant relationship with my family. They wanted me to play piano and to earn perfect grades, but I invested in my own interests, such as playing sports, running a business, and volunteering. However, the robbery opened my eyes to my ungratifying attitude towards my parents and home. This understanding gave me a new-found incentive to improve upon my relationship with my family and help others strengthen their relationships also.
With this aspiration, I took charge of a group called the Rainbow Lamppost. Along with other students from the Bay Area, we gathered donations through raffle tickets and small robotics projects to fund our endeavor of constructing a home with the hope of building a relationship for a loving family.
Through a charity organization called DOXA, I soon found a family in desperate need of helps in Tijuana, Mexico-a family of a single mother and two sons. The task given was daunting, requiring us to build a house in just three days. But I was determined to provide a place of security and love. By reviewing the building procedure and creating a plan to include the family's needs in each room, I ensured that this place would be the home. Our schedule required us to wake up promptly at 6 and be at the construction site by 8. As the captain, I slept late by spending extra time with our general contractor Eric to plan for the construction details and materials to bring for the next day.
My hard work and leadership earned me the honor of handing over the keys to the family. As I welcomed them to the new home, I also passed on my blessings to the family. I hoped the small role I played in rekindling their family relationship would help them achieve their ambitions. I went to Mexico building a house for a needy family, but returned to rebuild my own family relationship.
