I was born and raised in rural Oromia in Ethiopia. My mother did not receive any formal education. My father had to quit at third grade because he did not have any support. I had to move away from my family when I was about 10 years old and live with relatives so that I could attend school. Life away from home was very difficult. Early in the morning, way before school starts, I had to go to the river and fetch water for the family I was living with. Every day after school I had to go to the nearby forests to collect fire wood and carry it home on my head. Every Saturday, I had to go to the open market, half an hour away, to purchase and carry home items needed for the household. Every weekend I had to hand wash clothes for all members of the household and iron them. In short, I had to endure humiliation, hunger, and abuse in order to stay in school. Regardless of the difficulties, though, I was always one of the top students. In college, I relied on the assistance of strangers and summer job to stay afloat. At the end, I graduated as the top student of the year and was awarded the President’s Cup. Thus, I became the first in my family, both on my father and mother’s side, to earn a college degree. During my high school years, I had to walk more than two hours each day to and from school on most days because I did not have money for the city bus. I lived with relatives, friends, at a youth hostel to attend school. My parents did not have the resources to support me in college. So, I relied on the assistance of strangers and summer job to stay afloat in college. Regardless of the difficulties, though, I graduated as top student of the year and was awarded the President’s Cup. Thus, I became the first in my family, both on my fath... ... middle of paper ... ...ing and administrative computing, database and network management. Later, I went back to school and earned a Master of Science degree in information science. After coming to America, I earned certifications as Microsoft Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Network+ from CompTIA. In addition, I earned an MBA from Morgan State University in May 2013. Over the last 28 years, I have had work experience in numerous areas such as an accounting, information systems, database management, network administration, and financial management in a not-for-profit, research, insurance and educational organizations. I am convinced that my life and work experiences and the teaching and research at Michigan State University PhD in Accounting Program would enable me to integrate my knowledge of business to be a successful and effective teacher and researcher.
I am the product of divorced parents, poverty stricken environments, and a blended family, but I refuse to let that dictate the outcome of my life. At the age of ten, I had to assume the role of a fatherly figure to my three siblings, so I missed out on the typical childhood most would have had. I grew up in neighborhoods where gangs and criminal acts of violence were a pervasive occurrence, but I resiliently did not allow the peer pressures of others to force me to conform to their way of life. By the age of 15, I received my worker 's permit, and that allowed me the ability to help my mother financially in the absence of my father’s income. I worked the maximum amount of hours I could while balancing my academics and extracurricular school activities. I was a scholar athlete and triathlete in high school, and although I continuously faced much adversity, I still managed to be accepted to the University of California State, Bakersfield after I graduated from high school in 2005. Sadly, after
In the essay “Achievement of Desire”, author Richard Rodriguez, describes the story of our common experience such as growing up, leaving home, receiving an education, and joining the world. As a child, Rodriguez lived the life of an average teenager raised in the stereotypical student coming from a working class family. With the exception, Rodriguez was always top of his class, and he always spent time reading books or studying rather than spending time with his family or friends. This approach makes Rodriguez stand out as an exceptional student, but with time he becomes an outsider at home and in school. Rodriguez describes himself as a “scholarship boy” meaning that because of the scholarships and grants that he was receiving to attend school; there was much more of an expectation for him to acquire the best grades and the highest scores. Rodriguez suggests that the common college student struggles the way he did because when a student begins college, they forget “the life [they] enjoyed
Having a family of low socioeconomic status inevitably leaves me to reside in a low-income neighborhood which makes it more likely for me to witness the tragedies, adversities and hardships that people go through [not excluding myself]. Being conscious of this kind of environment, and these kinds of events, creates a pressure on me for having the aim to achieve social mobility in order to escape the aforementioned environment so that my own children could witness one less abominable aspect of life. Moreover, my family’s low socioeconomic status does not authorize me the privilege of being raised with the concerted cultivation method that kids of high socioeconomic status are more prone to being raised in. My family did not have the financial resources that granted us access to extra classes or lessons of instrumental classes, swimming practices, karate practices, or any other extracurricular activities that people of high socioeconomic status would be able to afford. This invisible fence that prevents me from these extracurricular activities enables me to having more appreciation towards the hobbies and talents that other people have. Plus, the fact that my family’s low socioeconomic status acts as a barrier from enjoying expensive luxuries in life creates a yearning [in me] to enjoy them later on in my life, in addition to acting as the fuel to my wish of achieving social mobility in anticipation of providing my own children with the luxurious vacations, gadgets, beachhouse, new cars that I could not
I was born in the Republic of Congo, where my family fled from Rwanda to escape genocide. Growing up as a refugee in Congo was a daily hardship. My parents struggled to provide the basic necessities for my four siblings and me. The stress of living as refugees began to tear my family apart. My parents divorced in 2005, when I was only five years old. My mother struggled to keep our family together and to provide for all of us. She passionately believed in the power of education. She would try to scrape together enough money to send us to school. There were many times when me and my brothers would help sell jugs of water in the streets of Brazzaville to make enough money for school fees and lunches.
I was raised in an encouraging household where both of my parents greatly valued education. Although they were high school graduates, neither could afford to attend college; a combination of family and financial woes ultimately halted their path. As a result, my parents frequently reminded me that getting a good education meant better opportunities for my future. To my parents, that seemed to be the overarching goal: a better life for me than the one they had. My parents wanted me to excel and supported me financially and emotionally of which the former was something their parents were not able to provide. Their desire to facilitate a change in my destiny is one of many essential events that contributed to my world view.
Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria is one of the most difficult obstacles I have ever gone through; education is limited due to poor developmental formation. I did not receive the best learning experience. Nigeria is one of the toughest places to live, especially during an economic crisis. In Nigeria, when parents cannot afford to pay for their children’s education, the principal of the school stops them from attending classes. So imagining or comparing that with college, it would be worse because there won’t be any financial assistance from no one, you have to fight for yourself. As a child, I remember the principal of my school asking if I had paid my school fees. My reply: no. He whipped me five times on both my hands and butt. Then sent me home. I cried all the way home to my mother. She couldn’t believe what happened. If she chose to quarrel with the principal, she wouldn’t gain anything from it because I would be rejected from attending school. She had no money and even my dad, who struggled as a bus driver, could not provide the money needed. My parents are the ones who make sure I’m on the right track and concentrating on education. “Heaven helps those who help themselves.” My Dad always uses this phrase whenever he is serious about education. If I really want to succeed in education, I should keep on trying to help myself and be dedicated in whatever situation I find myself into. Coming to the U.S. gave me a lot of hope to be like other kids. It gave me the desire to believe in myself that dreams never die. I was shocked on my first day of school (middle school) in the United States. I asked my dad, “How much did you pay in order for me to get into this big school”? “Zero,” he replied. I could not
I have always grown up around the influence of hard work. My mother and father’s life together began off to a rough start. My mother got pregnant at the age of 20 with my brother. Her family was not very supportive of it; therefore, she was on her own. She used to tell me about how she would sit and cry in a one bedroom apartment that she lived in with my brother wondering what she was going to do. Although she had to grow up faster than she
My story began on a cool summer’s night twenty short years ago. From my earliest memory, I recall my father’s disdain for pursuing education. “Quit school and get a job” was his motto. My mother, in contrast, valued education, but she would never put pressure on anyone: a sixty-five was passing, and there was no motivation to do better. As a child, my uncle was my major role-model. He was a living example of how one could strive for greatness with a proper education and hard work. At this tender age of seven, I knew little about how I would achieve my goals, but I knew that education and hard work were going to be valuable. However, all of my youthful fantasies for broader horizons vanished like smoke when school began.
When I was born, my family had just migrated to California from Mexico. In a new country, my father worked in landscaping earning less than $4 dollars an hour, while my mother relied on public transportation to take her newborn child to and from doctor visits. In the land of opportunity, my family struggled to put a roof over our heads. But never discouraged, my parents sought to achieve their goals and worked tirelessly to raise my younger brother and I. From a young age, I was taught the importance of education; this became a major catalyst in my life. My desire to excel academically was not for self-gain, but my way of contributing to my family’s goals and aspirations.
As the youngest of five children she was often overlooked. The pride of the family often overrode the opportunity to receive health care, handouts and a decent chance to become something. My mother spent her childhood in a tiny house with her family and many relatives. She was never given the opportunities to excel in learning and life like my generation has. My grandfather was a carpenter and on that living fed many hungry mouths. But despite this already unfortunate lifestyle my mother maintained good grades and was on a path to overcoming her misfortune.
Award-Winning author Laura Hillenbrand writes of the invigorating survival story of Louie Zamperini in her best selling book, Unbroken. Louie Zamperini was an ambitious, record-breaking Olympic runner when he was drafted into the American army as an airman during World War II. On the mission that led him to embark on a journey of dire straits, Louie’s plain crashed into the Pacific Ocean, leaving only him and two other crewmen as survivors. Stranded on a raft in shark infested waters, without any resources or food, and drifting toward enemy Japanese territory, the men now have to face their ultimate capture by Japanese, if they survive that long. Louie responded to his desperation with dexterity, undergoing his plight with optimism and confidence, rather than losing hope. In this memorable novel, Hillenbrand uses a vivid narrative voice to divulge Louie’s tale of endurance, and proves that the resilience of the human mind can triumph through adversity.
During these years my life was an old television with only three channels: home, school and church; each one being similar to the other with little distinction. Even though my life seemed tedious at times, I learned how to focus, pray and never to give up. In hindsight, I believe my parents raise me in this manner out of fear. I did not grow up in the best of neighborhoods, and my older brother was incarcerated while I was growing up, so I can understand their apprehension. Nevertheless, I had a strong moral foundation to enter the unknown know as college.
While there are many things standing in my way, my experiences have prepared me. My mother’s kidney disease shows me the importance of being financially prepared for the unexpected. My dad’s hard work and sacrifice has shown me how to be a hard-working woman and to put others before myself. And most importantly, I have learned that no matter a person’s race, gender, or class, you never truly know a person’s
...eam of becoming a business professor. I am so passionate about the opportunity to build up tomorrow’s leaders and to contribute to the growth of business theory and practice. Teaching and training of the next generation business leaders is one of the most fascinating roles a business professor could hope to achieve. Furthermore, an accounting professor would engage in research that enhances business thinking and practice. The classroom setting offers the chance to introduce and test what was uncovered in research and learn from the discussions that ensue in class. The class discussions, I believe, would help the reevaluation of the assumptions and conclusions and to further sharpen the focus of the research.
My mother struggled again with all kinds of causal labor, but she could not fulfill the school needs for me, I could not pay the fees. I was forced to leave the seminary, although I liked it so much. I don’t know if God had his hands on me- I went to Nyegina Secondary school another diocesan school. There, everything was tough; I had nothing to support me. I used to borrow a bicycle from Nyegina village and travel home to seek my school needs. You can imagine the distance- When I went home, I appealed to people to give me hundred shillings equivalent to $10 cents by the time. I asked a hundred people intending to collect about 10,000 shillings so that I could pay my school fees, but I never got that