UVA Supplement: My favorite word- Sankalpa (Determination)

What is your favorite word and why?

Sankalpa.
Translation: Determination.

When I visited my dad's hometown over the summer before seventh grade, it reminded me of how much I really cared about service to the common man. When I entered the small town in Jaleshwar-10 in a rickshaw, a three-wheeled means of transport, I noticed that the lean and poor rickshaw-puller had caught the flu virus.

I asked my dad out of curiosity, "Where's the free public hospital?"

"It's a mile away," my dad replied. "And it's not free."

I stared at him with disbelief as several questions flooded my brain. What if there was an emergency condition? What if a life was lost simply because the treatment was unaffordable?

That was when I knew I wanted to be a doctor and save money to establish a free public hospital in my poor town. But in ninth grade, I realized that biology is very difficult.

"It takes a lot of hard-work to become a doctor. Will I be able to do that?" I hesitantly asked my dad in Nepali, my mother-tongue.

"Kunai kaam ma dil ra dimag rakhyo bhane je pani sambhav hunchha. Ani khane mukhlai junga le chhek daina," my dad replied.
Translation: Anything is possible if you put your heart and mind into it. Plus, a moustache cannot obstruct a morsel of food.

So, I decided to stay determined. And if it weren't for the sankalpa, I would never be where I am today; a step closer to my attainable dream.

hey, i am applying UVA too. You reveal a very persuasive story about the word, i like it!!!!
the only suggestion, though i am not sure, is to say more about the word itself in addition to your experience related to the word, it might make the essay sounds more to the point of the prompt