UC application

PROMPT 1

I have come to a point in life that many people have not . I have made a firm decision to recommit myself to pursuing my dreams . While there are those who believe that with an ounce of luck and a ton of persistence anything can be accomplished , I believe that there is no reason to expend so much energy and rely on luck . I believe in taking hold of my destiny and carving out a future for myself based on the decisions that I make in life . Life is simply too

short and too precious to be left to luck alone . This is why I have chosen to apply for the International Development Studies Program of UCLA

I was first introduced to the International Development Studies of UCLA from my mentor , Pastor Kim . At the moment , I could feel the definite connections between the major and my goal . My aspiration is to learn how to do the detailed researches on those minority groups and immediately learn more about their cultures from the erudite professors during my school years . In the University , I will be able to serve the school board as an interpreter to help many foreign students who face the language barrier and cultural difficulties while studying in the US Also , during the vacation , I am planning to visit minority groups in Central American countries to build their shelters and plant the hope and vision in the hearts of the desperate lives

This is the reason for pursuing this opportunity to pursue a degree in International Development Studies . As the world continues to change and the workplace becomes more and more challenging and competitive , it becomes imperative for anyone looking for a successful career to not only have the drive to succeed but also the training and expertise to do so . I am not saying that I do not have the training and expertise at the moment but I do believe that there is still room for more

A key experience of mine came in 1997 , when my family moved to Costa Rica and worked on the mission field until 2005 . This period of time was the most meaningful moment of my life . During this time , I realized the eagerness of learning and growing adaptability of the new cultures sprouting from the bottom of my heart . Our mission field was called Talamanca , an Indian Reservation , and it was located in southern district of Costa Rica

It was here that I served in a Presbyterian Church as a pianist and Sunday school teacher . I gave piano lessons to many middle school students and taught them English . This was first time that I actually learned how to share my knowledge with the others . I realized that the vital matter of grave concern in the global society is to provide at least the minimum humane treatment to the minority groups throughout the world . From the experiences I was challenged to study more about the minority groups to help them to...