College of Arts and Sciences:
Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.
Tktktktk...tktktktktktk" The wheels of the eight black immigration bags moaned loudly on the floor of the entryway of the airport, and almost automatically, all eyes within fifty feet turned to see the ominous 5-foot-tall monsters my family was carrying. These bags easily towered over the eight year old me at that time, but I could still see the stares of people of all sorts of colored hair and the most electrifying eyes I had ever seen before. Thinking about it now, we probably looked like the crazy ones, lugging eight bags of who-knows-what. However, looking at eyes and hair that were far too colorful to be human, this was the first time I truly felt like I was different. I was afraid, but all the same, I couldn't get away from their mesmerizing faces. Strangely, I yearned to connect myself with them, and the differences only made me want to learn more about them.
On the first day of school, I met a girl who epitomized my fantasies and my fears - a natural chatterbox with blonde hair and blue eyes. She talked to me incessantly, personally making it her responsibility to teach me English. I soon realized that even though we looked different and had different cultures, there was a hum of harmony between us as we started to blend our lives together. I slowly evolved to a Korean American, and my knowledge and interest for the global world deepened with this change.
Fascination with foreign people only sparked my interest in government and international studies. This spark smoldered as I soon learned about discrimination through middle school, where I was shunned because I was Asian as well as a pastor's kid. However, the hurt I felt turned into a connection with others who were also suffering from their own circumstances in life - whether that was discrimination or loneliness. I want to help these people, as others helped me in my time of need. I remember a quiet Hispanic girl who invited me to sit at her lunch table, whose simple gesture of kindness showed me the importance of selfless giving.
Likewise, I agree with Mario Einaudi's mission that "we humans need to understand each other better." If someone did not help me in my time of need I would be here today; there are many more around the world who need help. I have only experienced a small bit of the suffering that goes on, but I want to use my experiences to help others. Cornell's Center for International Studies constantly strives to improve people's lives through transnational education, and this is the type of environment I want to learn under. I believe that it is my calling and my mission to use my passion and interest in the global world to make a difference. I will fight alongside Cornell in the front lines battling international problems, and through its principles of serving the community through higher education, I have no doubt that I will truly become a person that contributes to doing good in the lives of the global world.
Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.
Tktktktk...tktktktktktk" The wheels of the eight black immigration bags moaned loudly on the floor of the entryway of the airport, and almost automatically, all eyes within fifty feet turned to see the ominous 5-foot-tall monsters my family was carrying. These bags easily towered over the eight year old me at that time, but I could still see the stares of people of all sorts of colored hair and the most electrifying eyes I had ever seen before. Thinking about it now, we probably looked like the crazy ones, lugging eight bags of who-knows-what. However, looking at eyes and hair that were far too colorful to be human, this was the first time I truly felt like I was different. I was afraid, but all the same, I couldn't get away from their mesmerizing faces. Strangely, I yearned to connect myself with them, and the differences only made me want to learn more about them.
On the first day of school, I met a girl who epitomized my fantasies and my fears - a natural chatterbox with blonde hair and blue eyes. She talked to me incessantly, personally making it her responsibility to teach me English. I soon realized that even though we looked different and had different cultures, there was a hum of harmony between us as we started to blend our lives together. I slowly evolved to a Korean American, and my knowledge and interest for the global world deepened with this change.
Fascination with foreign people only sparked my interest in government and international studies. This spark smoldered as I soon learned about discrimination through middle school, where I was shunned because I was Asian as well as a pastor's kid. However, the hurt I felt turned into a connection with others who were also suffering from their own circumstances in life - whether that was discrimination or loneliness. I want to help these people, as others helped me in my time of need. I remember a quiet Hispanic girl who invited me to sit at her lunch table, whose simple gesture of kindness showed me the importance of selfless giving.
Likewise, I agree with Mario Einaudi's mission that "we humans need to understand each other better." If someone did not help me in my time of need I would be here today; there are many more around the world who need help. I have only experienced a small bit of the suffering that goes on, but I want to use my experiences to help others. Cornell's Center for International Studies constantly strives to improve people's lives through transnational education, and this is the type of environment I want to learn under. I believe that it is my calling and my mission to use my passion and interest in the global world to make a difference. I will fight alongside Cornell in the front lines battling international problems, and through its principles of serving the community through higher education, I have no doubt that I will truly become a person that contributes to doing good in the lives of the global world.