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.
Sleeping soundly I woke up to the sound of soft knocks. Eyes straining, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was seven. In a groggy voice I weakly yelled "Its Saturday!", but instead of hearing my expected mother's voice, my brother opened the door. He hesitantly stood there and as I came to my senses, I noticed that his face seemed to convey heavy sadness. Worried I asked "What happened?" He hesitated for a moment, and I could see that he was struggling for words. He fixated his gaze on the ground and softly explained to me that he hadn't applied to medical school this year.
This news was disastrous to my parents, who had as immigrants come to this country for their children's education. I still vividly remember that night. My parents sat still, and surprisingly did not yell or get mad, but the brokenness in their eyes spoke for them. My heart was broken. I wanted to stand up for my brother and tell them that he had applied to med school for the past two years, but I couldn't. His own actions had brought this on him after all. What then could I do? He was their first son, their pride, and joy. How could I replace that? The more I thought about it the more I was determined to repair this tear in my parent's lives.
I stubbornly decided that no matter how hard I had to work, no matter if it killed me, I would never bring that same look back to my parents faces. The problem was that, as most would have put it nicely, I was a below average student. All through primary school, I had barely scraped through my courses. I often took home papers with red F's on them dreading to show these to my expectant parents who put so much faith in me. What was I doing wrong? The impact that my brother's decision had on my family would lend me the solution. I was lacking the one ingredient behind every successful individual in the world, motivation.
As a high schooler I was determined to be a top ranker in my school. I didn't know if I had the capability to do so, but I knew that I had a valuable purpose. I took hold of all the opportunities I could: AP/honors classes, tutors, hours upon hours of time dedicated to studying, and as time passed I saw results. Through the late night cups of coffee, and cry sessions over projects, I became a top ranker. I was warmly rewarded for my accomplishments with the bright smiles on my parents face as they saw me succeed. Those were the moments that I strived for as a student and daughter. Those were the instances when I knew that, at least momentarily, I had mended the tear.
I had transformed from being the girl who had no clue of her future, to the one who imagined a future in pediatrics. Not for the sole sake of pleasing my parents anymore, but in the hopes of experiencing that happiness that I had saw in my parents face through others as I helped their children overcome obstacles. As my brother had changed my life for the better, I now study to make the lives of others better.
I think it is good, encouraging, and meaningful. At first I could not make sense and could not find any relations between the topic, you, and the story; however, at the end everything was concluded wisely.
