Standing Out

1029 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect of disaster on human life

Seeing light in the pearl of Indian Ocean - Sri Lanka, I grew up with various circumstances and developed various ethics that differentiates me from others. In addition to experiences in Sri Lanka, various circumstances in the United States after migrating in 2006 contributed to standing out from other applicants.

Furthermore, during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, living in a Sri Lankan coastal city and witnessing the tsunami waves caused me to grow and develop a perspective that not many high school seniors possess. Additionally, seeing thousands of scared men, women, and children running away from the giant waves that stole their households instituted a sense of horror and sympathy. Moreover, after the tsunami waves receded back to the ocean, witnessing the damaged buildings and houses left an indelible mark and developed sympathy for others. Learning about the deaths of known friends and acquaintances only helped develop a perspective of the cruelty of the world - which further matured me as a 9-year-old boy. In addition to developing a unique, mature mentality, the tsunami also developed a sense of community service. Being a witness to the devastating outcome of the tsunami, I understood the necessity to aid the community that I lived in - the one that the tsunami ravaged. Moreover, as a young boy facilitating refugees at the local Buddhist temple and fundraising to help rebuild the community, I performed my civic duty and realized that community service requires helping others in a time of need. Due to this profound sense of community service that I developed at a young age, I stand out among others by knowing the true definition of community service and experiencing the need for community service in a horrific situation. ...

... middle of paper ...

...a portion of the earned income to family, easing their crisis by a bit, I undertook more responsibilities. However, by continuing to maintain straight A's in school, I did not allow financial difficulties impede success. Even when 12th grade lurked around and a realistic me knew that a costly university education stood far away from my grasp due to financial difficulties, I continued to stand out in school. For succeeding despite facing a myriad of hurdles, I stand out among the majority of applicants.

Coming from a diverse background that shaped aspects of life, I stand out among others with unique circumstances. Adversity faced in Sri Lanka to adversity faced in the United States allows me to stand out among others. Despite achieving the best I can through various impediments, I continue to thrive and stand out from the applicants to Proton OnSite Scholarship.

Show More
Related

  • 'Chasing Chaos' By Jessica Alexander: A Critical Analysis

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    The proliferation of crises around the world has led to a prominent increase in the amount of humanitarian aid needed. Humanitarian aid work represents not only compassion, but commitment to support innocent populations that have experienced sudden or on-going tragedies. Some of these tragedies include: malnutrition, genocide, diseases, torture, poverty, war, natural disasters, government negligence, and unfortunately much more. There is no doubt that these tragedies are some of the world’s toughest problems to solve as they are often complex, multifaceted and require diligence and patience. For this reason, being a humanitarian aid worker is more than a profession, it is a lifestyle that requires a sharp distinction between one’s work and

    Read More

  • Surviving Personal Struggles Within Sarah’s Key

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tragedy strikes at every hour of the day, no matter where in the world a person lives. The true test of a person’s humanity is how they handle the tragedy. All over the country, people are hit with life-changing catastrophes and feel hopeless. Taking their feelings out on others around them who are just trying to help, their pain translates into the bad traits of humanity such as selfishness, conceitedness, and unreliability. Others, though, work through their struggles and show the world how strong they can really be.

    Read More

  • Dorothy Day: An Advocate for The Poor

    2559 Words  | 6 Pages

    When Dorothy was six years old, the Day family packed up for a long journey from New York City to the west coast. Her father’s job as a sports writer settled the family in Berkeley, California at first, and then in Oakland. Just as the children were starting to call California home, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck this new home, striking their hearts as well. This life-changing disaster was the first experience Dorothy had of people really getting involved with helping strangers. Unfortunately the help from neighbors was not enough to fix the permanent damage within the Days’ Californ...

    Read More

  • Overcoming Literacy Challenges: A Child's Perspective

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kevin Clarke, Gary Lee, and I illustrated great courage and an ability to face the challenge of reading and writing adversities, through different, creative, and proactive ways. The benefits of facing one’s adversity in reading and writing are better communication, understanding and providing directions, being informed, safeguarding against being taken advantage of by others, and for the mere progression of life. In addition, a person cannot be believed simply for their words, thus reading is beneficial to ensure those words conveyed represent fact and truth. A last and important benefit of reading and writing is advancing in college to ensure securing a job, which allows one to establish a stable future and live above the poverty level. Therefore, my advice in overcoming adversity, is use the key of courage to unlock the bars, which imprison, step out of the cell by facing adversity, and redeem freedom through learning ways to overcome

    Read More

  • San Francisco 1906 Earthquake: Impact and Reconstruction

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...aphy of Catastrophe: Family Bonds, Community Ties, and Disaster Relief After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire." University of Southern California. 88.1 (2006): 37-70. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Growing Up As An Asian American

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    The adversity that was displayed through racial inequalities became a platform for me to trust myself even more along with advocating an example for future young students to neglect any doubt previously conceived of them. It inspired the drive to exhibit triumph and became an ultimate fuel that leads me to the aspiration of love, hope, and success for the years to come. The configuration of a vision of fulfilling my own destiny shaped my undying dream. A dream to say, "I have a

    Read More

  • Finding a Connection to My Ancestors

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...lized." Alice had a daughter, my mother, Elaine, who completed her high school and even graduated from college. Elaine hoped, just as countless generations before her had, to achieve a better life. When Elaine's husband walked out on her and her six children, she feared that her hope would not be realized. But she was wrong. She raised her children well and sent every one off to college, each bearing the hopes of a better life. And now that it is my turn, I have more reason than ever to seek out the best education I can.

    Read More

  • Using Psychology Theories

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    It does not make me proud to admit that I had difficulties at school and difficulties with taking care of myself here in the US, but I am proud to affirm that I am an honest person with integrity who is not afraid of admitting my shortcomings and overcoming them. More importantly, the challenges I encountered because of that specific upbringing puts me back a few paces in certain areas and has made me more determined to fight to compensate for those areas and beyond. While my aciticity levels in US are not as strong as I had hoped if I didn’t have various disruptions in life, it is what it is, and none of that would hinder my determination to make a successful career at university and in society. I would like to continue to build my strength of character as I encounter more challenges in life, and become an upright citizen of the world.

    Read More

  • Why I Want To Pursue A Career As An Educational Assistant

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Public Interest Law

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    Community service is something that I have always engaged. In college, I worked with chemically dependent children as both a caretaker and a mentor. After I graduated, I taught at-risk children in a community youth outreach program. To remain involved and aware of the focus of my studies during my first year of law school, I volunteered at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center teaching youth their basic legal rights. Essentially, we strove to empower kids by providing practical information about the legal system and to help them develop more favora...

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The American Education System

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for

    Read More

  • Reflective Essay: My Personal Philosophy Of Community Service

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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

    Read More

  • Community Service Essay

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    People’s lives are changed every day by their actions and experiences. This past summer, I participated in a community service project, an experience that opened my eyes in many ways. I was a volunteer at the County Memorial Hospital. In my time as a volunteer at the hospital, I was able to meet patients and staff members from all over the world and learn about their life experiences. Listening to all of their stories has made me truly appreciate everything which I have.

    Read More

  • What Volunteering Can Teach You

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Volunteering enables an individual to make a positive impact on his or her community, while empowering the individual to better his or her life. This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer at many diverse locations. From the hospital to the local library, I truly value my experience and treasure everything it has thought me. Volunteering lets us experience and learn things that we otherwise would not have learned; volunteering opens doors for us that we may not have been able to open before. Volunteering provides us with guidance and tolerance which we may use in the future to aid us in our decisions. At first glance, volunteering may seem to only benefit those who are helped, but on a deeper level, one can realize that volunteering benefits the volunteer as much as, if not more than, those who are helped. Not only does volunteering make a difference in one’s community, but it also helps the volunteer become a smarter, happier, friendlier and more caring individual.

    Read More

  • The Indian Ocean Tsunami

    2303 Words  | 5 Pages

    Imagine more than half of the population of Kenosha being over-taken by a deluge of water without warning or the ability to escape. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, occurred in the Indian Ocean off of the Samaritan coast, triggering the deadliest tsunami in recorded history. Before the tsunami, this region of the world was one of the most sought after vacation spots. After the record-breaking destruction, the pristine beach front and inviting residents were forever changed. The regional damage was so massive that it demanded a response on a global scale for rescue, recovery, stability, and to rebuild this treasured place.

    Read More

More about Standing Out

Open Document