There has always been a predominant belief in my household that it is important to help others- whether it be volunteering at a food pantry or just keep an elderly neighbor company when no one else is around to do so. The main takeaway from this was that one couldn’t receive good in their life if they never gave any. I have been more eager to follow this through, not necessarily in the spirit of receiving some good in return, but because it gave me a good feeling to know that I was impacting someone’s life in a positive manner. I wanted to be able to foster this feeling and incorporate it into my everyday life, so I could carry that feeling with me wherever I go.
I see my life as a series of experiences that build upon one another and, through my hard work and determination, lead to overall long and short term goals that I have set for myself. There are thousands upon thousands of things that affect my life both directly and indirectly all of which have varying degrees of influence on me. Three areas of my life that most certainly have had a profound impact on me are scholarship, spiritual formation, and service. These three areas have affected me positively, and have motivated me to pursue higher levels of education, and have challenged me to set my lifetime goals higher. Though I'm not exactly sure where I will end up in life, I know that if I let my academics, spirituality, and service guide me, I will end up somewhere that I want to be.
“To whom much is given, much is expected.” This quote exemplifies my own personal philosophy on community service. Service is the greatest gift one can return to their community. When an individual takes their personal time and effort to help others in need, it helps progress not only the community they live in, but multiple communities ; ultimately promoting unity and teamwork. People gather together to work towards a common goal: building the people and organizations they are directly and indirectly affected by so that the next generation will be stronger than the previous one. Community service is but is not limited to monetary and material donations, housing reinforcement, neighborhood clean ups. It is as simple as holding a toy drive for
I have always had a passion to learn. My interest is in political theory and economics, hoping someday to become a lawyer and stateswoman. I realize that in order to reach any of these goals, a college degree is vital. When I in turn reach my goals, I will use them to encourage and uplift my community by investing my time, money, energy, and influence to become a stepping stone for others.
My semester of study abroad is best described as an intense learning experience, without which I feel that my education would have been incomplete. The lessons learned were far different from those I encountered in high school, but of equal or greater importance. I gained new perspective about international affairs and also found I was challenged as an individual to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally. There is no doubt that this experience has changed me, and I am certainly better for it.
After studying the Old Testament chapters assigned this week, wisdom was clearly displayed through the life of Job. The Lord proclaimed to Satan in Job 1:8 what a “perfect” and “upright man” Job was, “one that fears the Lord.” Satan answered the Lord saying that Job was only good because he had been blessed with so much. The Lord told Satan that he could test Job to prove the love that Job had for the Lord. Job was tested many times, but through it all Job continued to pursue wisdom by fearing God and straying from evil. In Job 28:28, Job communicated his understanding of just how important it was to be diligent and faithful to the Lord when he said to the human race, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Job understood what it meant to be wise, and God was pleased with the way Job reacted to the tests. God ended up blessing Job with twice as much property as he had before, returned his good health, gave him new children, and an exceptionally long life. Job’s life is a testament to just how important it is to be diligent and faithf...
Though King Richard II and King Henry V are both highly theatrical figures in their public performance as kings, both monarchs exemplify different “fictions of kingship.” In the two plays, Shakespeare effectively conveys divergent means by which a king can be a bad and tyrannical leader and by which a king can be a good and just leader. King Richard II proves to be an unsuccessful ruler, because he is too preoccupied with his own wants and desires and shows no redeeming qualities of suitable king. Contrarily, King Henry V proves to be a successful ruler, for his motives and actions are driven by politics and the overall well being of the common folk. While both monarchs are men of words, they use their rhetoric for profoundly different purposes. In contrasting the two men, it can be seen with clarity the distinguishing characteristics that separate the two kings from one another.
The college education that I am seeking goes beyond credentials in that it must first and foremost enrich my mind and spirit, and support my belief in continuous learning. My desire is to be challenged and to gain an experience that I can build upon for the future.
My family owned and operated a jewelry business for 8 years, since I was 10 years old. I grew up with this store, among the earrings and ornaments, always surrounded by things made from a unique substance called gold. Gold is a well-known element, atomic number 79; of course, everyone knows of its international monetary value. However, gold also has a deeply personal resonance; and upon closer examination, this material provides an emblematic picture of my past, my future, and what I offer Harvard University.
In the historical play Henry V by William Shakespeare, we are introduced to the story of a young and influential King Henry V of England, and his quest to conquer France under the ruler ship of Charles VI of France. This play details Henry’s life leading up to and following the Battle of Agincourt in the year 1415, which according to the “Hundred Years’ War”, was fought between England and France from 1337 to 1453. Now, in the source “William Shakespeare Biography”, it was found that Shakespeare lived from “c. 1564-1616” and is “widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time.” He too is of English descent, which suggests the bias that is present in this play, as according to “Henry V List of Characters”, Shakespeare’s primary purpose
Confucius compares education to the sculpting of marble. He said, "Just as the sculptor is to the marble, so is education to the soul. It releases it. For only educated men are free men." I see college as an irreplaceable time in my life when I can begin my journey to find the freedom that Confucius so eloquently describes. While in college, I want my education to bring me face to face with the awesome power of the human spirit and the human mind working together to achieve the beautiful and the revolutionary.
The meshing of characters between Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein’s West Side Story formulate significant similarities between the two. In Romeo and Juliet the story of “Two households both alike in dignity,” (Montagues and Capulets) who have been feuding is parallel to the two gangs in West Side Story (Jets and Sharks). This grouping of loyalties keeps the segregation of the two groups at a dead lock, thus producing the tension that keeps the two lovers in each play (Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria) in the unattainable, intangible realm of their idealistic love. It is these two groupings that cause the star-crossed lovers to forfeit their lives in Romeo and Juliet’s instance and costs Tony his life in his and Maria’s love. Why do these groups feud and keep love bound by hatred? How are these groups alike in their intent? What are the similarities between the leaders of the groups or gangs in both Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story? The hatred of diversity is what created these groupings, binding them to love their hate.
The experience of the APEC Youth Science festival was incredible. It has had an enormous impact on me in many ways, changing the way I look at the world and connecting me with people and events far beyond my formerly limited experience. I am extremely glad to have had this opportunity. It was a wonderful experience on multiple levels. It challenged me and expanded me intellectually and socially. I feel that this experience has had an immense impact on me.
For instance, it was an extremely sunny day in Ghana, West Africa, and I had gone out to the well to fetch water. It was while carrying the bucket of water on my way back that I noticed my neighbor’s children fighting over the insufficient amount of food that they had to share. My family and I were not rich but from what I saw, I knew that we were better off than other people I knew. I carried the bucket of water inside the house and came back outside to call the two youngest children that were fighting over the last grain of food. I shared my food my food with them and though it was not sufficient for all, feeding the younger ones alone was better than not helping any one of them at all. There was only little that I could possibly do but by sharing, I had helped them in a great way, even if it was just for the time being.
These experiences have afforded me opportunities to demonstrate my gifts and talents that had previously gone undiscovered. Through different community service opportunities, I either learned something new about myself or I was reassured something. These qualities include that I am creative, reliable, open-minded, passionate, and an effective team player. Community service changed my life by developing my character through enhancing my transferable skills, which allowed me to see the world differently. Everyone, from all walks of life, needs to in some way, shape, or form give back to the community because it will not only benefit the less fortunate but it will benefit the volunteers as well. Additionally, I learned about the wide variety of resources available to help the community. There are so many resources out there that people are ignorant to like certain shelters and food banks. Ultimately, community service taught me the greatest gift I could ever receive, how to be