Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
I met Fernando, a recovering drug addict, while stocking food at a homeless shelter in Chicago. I was attending a three week long service-learning camp, the summer before my junior year.
He openly described to me his misfortunes back in Puerto Rico, the insufficient minimum wage, and lack of government aid. Bewildered and mournful, questions began spurting out of my mouth. What about healthcare? Immigration policies? Drug rehabilitation support? Funding for the shelter? Through Fernando's hardships, I was finally recognizing the need for social reform. Why did I get access to free education when people like Fernando simply needed assistance for a second chance? Where was his American Dream? After this fateful encounter, a new passion was ignited and I knew that I could no longer stand idly aside in this faulty social system.
I pushed myself to stay involved with the disadvantaged in my own community. I began teaching violin lessons for low-income children at a Hispanic cultural center. My friends and I drafted a proposal, wishing to start a tutoring program at one of the local homeless shelters. As my junior year began, I decided to switch into Government as well as Economics.
I've discovered that my creative mindset and tenacity now belong to the world of humanities and social sciences. No longer will I be unearthing the cure for AIDS, or creating new nanotechnology to fight disease. Instead, I will be upholding the values of society, and bettering the lives of people like Fernando through civil justice.
I met Fernando, a recovering drug addict, while stocking food at a homeless shelter in Chicago. I was attending a three week long service-learning camp, the summer before my junior year.
He openly described to me his misfortunes back in Puerto Rico, the insufficient minimum wage, and lack of government aid. Bewildered and mournful, questions began spurting out of my mouth. What about healthcare? Immigration policies? Drug rehabilitation support? Funding for the shelter? Through Fernando's hardships, I was finally recognizing the need for social reform. Why did I get access to free education when people like Fernando simply needed assistance for a second chance? Where was his American Dream? After this fateful encounter, a new passion was ignited and I knew that I could no longer stand idly aside in this faulty social system.
I pushed myself to stay involved with the disadvantaged in my own community. I began teaching violin lessons for low-income children at a Hispanic cultural center. My friends and I drafted a proposal, wishing to start a tutoring program at one of the local homeless shelters. As my junior year began, I decided to switch into Government as well as Economics.
I've discovered that my creative mindset and tenacity now belong to the world of humanities and social sciences. No longer will I be unearthing the cure for AIDS, or creating new nanotechnology to fight disease. Instead, I will be upholding the values of society, and bettering the lives of people like Fernando through civil justice.