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.
"Think globally, act locally." These words have had a great effect on not only my personal life, but my dreams for the future. Being immigrants from Iran, my parents never had much of anything, but what they kept with them at all times was their religion. This set of basic morale values helped them raise a family through hard times, and helped build their own religious community.
I was raised in an environment where charity played a major role in my everyday life, giving food to the homeless was our family activity. For the longest time I thought that I was doing the best for my community, working at homeless shelters through my mosque, doing volunteer programs through my mom's work, and heading the recycling program at my school were all the things I did to prove it.
My perspective on what community really was all changed though, when my sister moved to India in order to teach kids basic educational skills. I realized that my own little bubble was not the only place where giving back was relevant. There was a whole world out there that required aid, and the amount of aid I have given in my community was miniscule in comparison to the amount of aid needed in the world. I asked myself, why did people help only those in their immediate vicinity, instead of helping those who are truly in trouble on the other side of the world?
The answer came from my US history teacher, who recited a quote from one of Roosevelt's speeches during World War II, "If your neighbor's house is on fire, you don't think about how much the water is going to cost, you just put out the fire." You This was my moment of enlightenment, as I realized people tend to give to others they can relate or sympathize with in some way. For example, we gave food to homeless people in our own community because we knew it was easy to fall into financial hardship due to the recession. People are hesitant to give aid to others that are foreign and far away because they will never be able to see the direct result of their actions. If I give a sandwich to someone who is hungry they will smile, but if I put money in an envelope and send it to someone far away I won't get the same amount of satisfaction.
This is the reason why I am so interested in technology, because it breaks the communication barrier that separates people of different origins, nationalities, and locations. I want to be a part of this new era of technological advancement, and be able to make a difference in the way people interact with each other on a global basis. By doing this, I will not only be able to live up to my parent's example, but utilize my own strengths towards helping people act on a more global level.
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Anything and everything that you point out is appreciated :]
Hi,
my parents are also from Iran :D
I really liked your essay, I thought it showed how much you care about the community and addressed the issue of helping others, which not many people choose to put in their essay.
"This set of basic moralemoral values..."
"...you just put out the fire." You This was my moment of enlightenment,"
-i assume that was a typo.
Check your use of commas again here. some of it works but there are some places where you just might need to separate the ideas with a period.
great essay! very interesting topic. overall you did a really good job!
