I've added both my first and second UC Prompts. Please help me out on them! Thank you! :)
UC Prompt 1 Question:
Describe the world you come from ď for example, your family, community or school ď and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
All by herself at the age of 19, a woman, with no guarantee of acquiring success, flew in a plane across the country from Vietnam to the United States as an immigrant. Alone, poor, uneducated, and inarticulate in English, she worked her way up to becoming the most hard-working and persevering person I've ever met. Back in Vietnam, she was financially trapped in her own home along with her nine siblings, hiding in fear from a war of malevolence. Today, she currently manages her own nail salon for the past 8 years while supporting her three children here in America. Yes that woman is my beautiful mother. She brought me here to this world with given opportunities and chances that she never had. I am proud to say she reflects the way I think today, thanks to her personality and the addition of allowing me to flourish and make the most of life in the United States since birth.
I grew up with her telling me, "All I want you to do is to be happy". At first, I felt thankful that she wasn't expecting a lot from me. But as I grew up learning more about who my mother was as an individual, and watching her consistently perfect her daily tasks, I gained respect for her astonishing efforts and she continues to be my main inspiration to working hard. Her perseverance, dedication, and confidence it's what I'm looking for; it's what I want to become.
With my mom always supporting my decisions and financially aiding me towards my future, I have opportunities as a low income, first-generation college student who has grown up educated in the US with English as my primary language, to become something more than what she couldn't be herself. I don't want to be working under someone; I aim to be that someone, to manage my own company or business, or to major in economics and become a banker.
However, I also want to live the life my mom never had the chance to be part of. In the US, where democracy and libertarian ideals are strongly supported and where opportunities are immense, I have a strong enthusiasm for finding and understanding as many different careers that my world can offer, experiencing life to the fullest. Adopting her qualities and skills, I not only want to be as successful as my mother, partially as a way of gratitude, but I want to be happy. With that, I hope to find a passion of my own that I will pursue along with business or economics and at the same time, make my mother proud of my accomplishments and achievements.
UC Prompt 2 Question:
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution, or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
My experiences from soccer tell a story of how I grew as a person and a teammate.
"Christine, I didn't decide this, someone informed me to tell you. They decided that you're not going to be in the Athletics class next year; however, you have the decision of moving in to JV Athletics next year if you'd like."
After the confrontation from the boy's soccer coach, I sat down, sniffling, telling my curious soccer peers about the news, while getting the fake pouts and the fictitious expressions I had expected in return.
"Kick me out of the class without even giving me a chance to improve; they don't know what's coming!" I complained.
Although I was in the Girl's Soccer Varsity Athletics class, I did not make it in the varsity team. I was excluded from the team as they took off to games and practiced together during class. This occurred during my sophomore year.
Defeated, I accepted the offer for JV Athletics. I'd take any opportunity to play on the field because I love soccer and the concept behind the game. I practiced and improved every class, soon realizing that playing as a forward tended to be my favorite role. More confident than ever, I tried out for the team for the third year in a row. I made the team in my Junior Year. Excitement and happiness rushed through my body, feeling accomplished of my efforts. However, the story doesn't end there.
"Ouch! What was that for? Are you going to say sorry?!" I exclaimed in anger to a team mate. Untroubled, the girl disregarded my anger, continuing her given task after she had stepped on me with her cleats, allowing me to fall to the ground.
The team gave off a merciless aura, where no one cared about feelings, only performance and improvement. We were competing against each other. As well as being the only Asian-American girl on the team, I immediately felt excluded and different from my team mates in terms of personality and skill. The skill I gained in JV wasn't good enough compared to the Varsity team. Lacking the endurance and stamina in running, my coaches would make me run more than others, threatening me to aim for more. After practice, I'd often cry to myself in frustration, mad at others and myself. I felt defeated again.
But my dedication, my motivation to strive, and my love for soccer kept me going. I gained experience; started believing in myself again. I became starter as forward for games, and by the end of the season, I had made four goals, an accomplishment I thought I'd never attain. By then, I learned how to cooperate with my team mates on the field; some were even complimenting my efforts and supporting me from the benches.
I was proud of myself. I turned the tables around, proving others that I'm capable of more than they thought. But I also proved myself, that with perseverance and effort to fight through the rough times, I could unlock a better and stronger me: confident, skilled, and tolerant. I consider myself part of the team now and my passion for soccer only grows stronger. Senior year remains, and my excitement for the new season has kept me pumped! "1, 2, 3, Tritons!"
Things I need to edit/work on:
No tips as of yet.
Thank you very much. ^_^
