My Ultimate Dream Essay

Grandpa said, “Strive to shape your life. Knock down all of the obstacles in your way.”

As a kid I didn’t know what he meant, but as time went by, my grandfather’s words started to make sense. I come from the island of Lanai with a small town with about 3,000 people. There are no traffic lights or fast food restaurants. But, Lanai represented hope and opportunity for my family. I would be the first in my family to attend college. My family comes from humble beginnings in the Philippines. My grandparents would work from sunrise to sunset every day in the hot, humid farmlands. There was no such thing as a day off. My father and his siblings would come home from school and help their parents plow farmland. Every day was a work day. When my family moved to Hawaii, they had to rely on other family members. Life was just as hard in Hawaii, but the sweet

After gaining real world experience in the field, I plan to become a computer hardware engineer. I’m also interested in taking online classes to fulfill a Master’s degree in engineering management. My ultimate dream is to move back to Lanai and work as an engineering manager for Oracle, which is founded by Lanai’s new owner, Mr. Ellison. I’m looking forward to seeing Lanai as a place of technological innovation and sustainable growth.

Initially, I struggled on Lanai because I felt like we were secluded. I worried about the economy, how people would survive, and if our plantation town would be able to transition into the future. I even thought about leaving the island. I later realized that leaving this beautiful place wasn’t the best thing for me. The late Philippine President, Ferdinand E. Marcos once said, “There are many things we do not want about the world. Let us not just mourn them. Let us change them.” My heart didn’t want to leave Hawaii. My heart would rather change this place that I call