I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Lin on Sunday, October 30th at J&B Coffee in Lubbock, Texas for about fifty minutes. Throughout our conversation, he struck me as a genuine young man who is authentically interested in learning more about the world around him, meshing his current realities with his spiritual one. When I asked what drives him, Brian told me that he hopes to be an interesting person, driven by the people he admires the most, to find out what that actually means to him.
When I first sat down with Brian, it was very apparent that he is shaped by the example set by his father, a Yale alum from Taiwan, who Brian said is the wisest person he knows and hopes to follow his example not just in his worldliness and success but also in his concern for others and giving back. One story he shared with me illustrated this example. He and his father volunteer at his church’s soup kitchen. He admitted that he was less so working with the food effort, but more so talking to the people he met and immersing in their perspective. One man in particular loved math and yearned to get out of Lubbock. Brian, a lover of math as well, shared his own experiences as a part of his school’s UIL mathematics team to the man’s smile. They yearned for the same things, but circumstances kept their lives separate. Brian knows how privileged he and his older sister are to have grown up in a caring and intellectually curious environment.
It was also apparent talking to Brain that his approach to learning isn’t driven by external rewards. Of course it is important to him that he does well, but he spoke to learning as a moral duty and one that he takes seriously. He shared a story about an English assignment he had based on transcendentalism. H...
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...cs as well as the deeper spiritual understanding from the sciences that comes from a philosophical education. He also yearns to learn more about his roots through taking advantage of the many opportunities in East Asian Studies that the university has. Currently, he yearns to build upon his seeking of knowledge and his role as a connector within international business. But one thing that Yale would provide him is the ability to delve deeper into different disciplines. Once he finds and builds upon his interests, he will be an active participant in an environment that fosters collegiality and friendship like the residential college system does. I believe he’s a capable candidate, and he’ll be an active member of the dynamic Yale community with his curiosity in many dimensions of the human condition and his growth towards being an interesting person on his own terms.
Learning is important for countless reasons, the most important reason being that it molds a person into who he or she is. What people choose to learn, and also what they choose not to, create the core of their opinions as individuals. Though people do not admit it or openly declare it, it is fair to say almost everyone is self centered. Because of this, and the fact that learning dramatically affects a person, learning is not only thrilling, but also expressive. Furthermore, since learning is expressive, its meaning varies from person to person, therefore making each person’s experiences with learning unique and life changing.
McCullough, intertwines logos and pathos to emphasize the importance of doing things for self–enrichment, instead of the established ideal of competition. These students are not the first ones, last ones, or only ones to graduate high school in Massachusetts. He lists, “no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools. That’s 37,000 valedictorians, 37,000 class presidents...2,185,967 pairs of Uggs”. He drives
Also, in Carol Dweck’s research article “Brainology”, she states the subtitle “Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn”. She dishes mindsets and achievement, how do students learn these mindsets, and so on… … Dweck suggests, “Many students believe that intelligence is fixed, that each person has a certain amount, and that’s that. We call this a fixed mindset, and, as you will see, students with this mindset worry about how much of this fixed in intelligence they possess”. Many students believe that the challenge encountered in learning is a threat to their growth path. She put forward two different minds of the ideological study contrast, the finds showed that students studied with a growth mindset were more interested in learning and
degree from Yale. He has spent a great deal of his life abroad, first in
In our society human beings play many different roles in life. There are so many different people and each person has their own personality. When a baby born, the baby doesn’t know anything, and slowly he started to learn and family, parents, culture, society, institutions are huge resources behind his development of being himself. The article by Ryan and Deci (2000)… discussed about self-determination theory, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Self-determination theory represents a broad framework for human motivation and personality. Intrinsic motivation refers to engage in a behavior that gives internal rewards. Extrinsic behavior is driven by external rewards. In this paper I am going to discuss some of my personal experiences and real
Shiffman believes that the drop in interest in the humanities results in the inability of students to have clear bearings amid life’s uncertainties. He believes that only by studying the humanities will students be able to introspect and recognize that endless achievement may not add up to a meaningful life (Shiffman 5). However, Shiffman fails to realize that this form of reflection need not be done solely by those majoring in the humanities. It can be done by all who try, their fields of study are no limitation. In fact, it may be this same reflection that leads to an individual’s decision to prioritize practicality. Not all those who choose the practical path are doing it for themselves. Many may do it for their families, as a safe and stable means of supporting their loved ones. Others may take this opportunity to give back to their community through the ways they are most skilled. Instead of pursuing a single interest in a certain field, they choose to follow their various callings. Doing solely what an individual loves is a self-centered view of the world. While it is important to chase happiness, it is also important to reflect on what one is doing to spread happiness to the rest of the world. One must find something that they are good at, and put that into the world. They should contribute to others and help the world be better, in addition to following their passions. An individual’s acts of service may just become one of their many passions.
The general argument made by Salman Khan in his work, The Learning Myth: Why I’ll Never Tell My Son He’s Smart, is that the form of communication you use with developing children heavily affects their mindset of their personal capabilities. More specifically, Mr. Khan argues that intelligence is not fixed, and can grow as we embrace tasks we can possibly struggle or fail with. He writes, “They’ve found that neural connections form and deepen most when we make mistakes doing tasks rather than repeatedly having success with easy ones (Khan,2)”.
We will discuss any life events, his personally or others that have indirectly caused any negativity with the way he views himself. Further discussion will be about his sexuality and the role it plays with his wife. Additionally, John’s spirituality will be discussed covering topics such as how it relates to his personal life, his marriage, his family, and the role it plays regarding the meaning and purpose of life.
Many seem to think of mathematics as being nothing more than a series of numbers and formulas that they must learn, in order to pass a particular requirement for their college degree. They rarely, if ever, stop to think about the importance of mathematics and how it actually affects them and the people around them. It is ...
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.
Motivation is one of the factors that influence effectiveness of learning. According to the Reinforcement Theory (Daft, 2008) individuals’ motivation depends on the immediate rewards received, as a salary raise. The Hierarchy of Needs of Maslow (McGhire, 2011) considers that motivation comes trying to
It took me eighteen years to realize what an extraordinary influence my mother has been on my life. She' s the kind of person who has thoughtful discussions about which artist she would most want to have her portrait painted by (Sargent), the kind of mother who always has time for her four children, and the kind of community leader who has a seat on the board of every major project to assist Washington' s impoverished citizens. Growing up with such a strong role model, I developed many of her enthusiasms. I not only came to love the excitement of learning simply for the sake of knowing something new, but I also came to understand the idea of giving back to the community in exchange for a new sense of life, love, and spirit.
Attending Yale will require the ability to multi-task coupled with hard work, determination and drive. I am excellent at multi-tasking, an avid worker, very determined, motivated and driven toward my success as a professional and I am a quick study with an excellent work ethic. I have great writing and leadership skills and my communication and interpersonal skills are impeccable.
Throughout his early school career, his parents would often push him to better his education. He would often receive books and encylopedias from his parents so that he could further expand his knowledge. During his final high school year his parents arranged for him to take advanced mathematics courses at a community college that was local to them.
“People knew I was different. But not less.” Temple Grandin understood what she had, but she knew she was not less than anyone else. She did what anyone else could do. She knew she could push through everyday, no matter how hard and how long it took. Temple is not different, but she is unique! “We’re focusing so much on academics that we’ve taken out things like, art, sewing, cooking, woodworking, music, and other things that introduce kids to careers.” Temple Grandin is trying to explain and tell the world that it is not all about academics. She had the tremendously strong willpower to prove that what she was thinking was actually right. She wanted people to stop worrying about all academics and more about the arts, sports, and the creativity of all of it. Because if not, only the few students that excel at academics are