Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
My ambition and self-confidence are traits that I discovered from a brief yet memorable encounter with an exchange student named Farah. When we first met, it seemed impossible to find any similarities besides our shyness. Farah was self-conscious of her broken English, and I was abashed by my mediocre French. On top of that, I feared that she was hoping for an All-American experience that I could not provide. But as the host, I took the initiative to abandon my insecurities so that I could get to know her. When Farah noticed my carefree openness, she too began to let her guard down. Gradually, the divisive wall between us disappeared as we conversed in Frenglish and if needed, used Google Translate. We discovered a mutual taste in music and a love for shopping. On weekends, I gave her tours of Atlanta. We ate at Burger King and KFC, but I also introduced her to bubble tea and Chinese dishes. All the while, Farah told me stories about Toulouse, shared her culture, and taught me colloquial French.
In those two weeks with Farah, I realized that she did not judge me for my Asian American background and instead appreciated the additional cultural experiences that I could share with her. In order to communicate, I set aside my shyness and obsession with grammatical accuracy so that I could convey the meaning of my words. Meeting Farah pushed me to become more fluent in French, so that bit by bit, I could transcend another language barrier and better connect with people like her. Through our interactions, Farah helped me sculpt a sense of pride in my identity, find courage to openly express myself, and spark a passion for improving my French. I had never before imagined myself hosting a foreigner, but the reward of taking that risk and trying has given me a newfound ambition to explore uncharted terrain and learn from fresh experiences. Getting to know Farah made me realize that the whole world is out there for me to grasp, and all I have to do is reach out and touch it.
I'm kind of afraid that my essay doesn't touch on the topic enough. Comments?
