Personal Statement Everyone asks us early on in life what we want to do when we grow up. Honestly my choice in career has changed at least a dozen times since I can remember. Now I realize whichever path I do take in life I will concern myself with guiding and counseling individuals in any setting. I have gained valuable knowledge in my undergraduate career as a sociology major, but most of my knowledge comes from life experience. In my quest to find my duty in life I found that experience matters most in preparing for the future. My ambition to guide people through crises has arisen from my foreign adventures and my community outreach. In June of 2008 I traveled to Iowa to assist the Nechama organization in rebuilding the infrastructure of Cedar Rapids, which was destroyed by the floods. In December of 2007 I traveled abroad to Venezuela in order to gain a better perspective of Hispanic culture after two years of Spanish studies. During my experience at Cedar Rapids, my eyes opened to the plight of the common man. There, I witnessed the destroyed homes and families and I felt an inherent need to make a difference in those peoples’ lives. With all my mental and physical strength, I pulled myself together to tear down the moldy walls with my sledgehammer and rebuild them with my own two arms. By taking down the walls, I broke the division between the people and myself; I brought myself closer to them by volunteering and by making a decision to change their lives for the better. In Venezuela, I visited two cities. Caracas is a dangerous and poor city; I didn’t feel safe even in broad daylight. It didn’t stop me from continuing my journey to Mérida. I saw the poorest of the poor, and I upon seeing them I felt as if their identity was stripped from them by their political and socioeconomic status. Seeing this grew a desire in my soul to help and to encourage other people to stand up for themselves and to better their social status. That trip stands as the most significant change in my life for those reasons. |
