I came to the U.S 6 years ago with hopes and dreams of a better education. As a first-generation student, with parents who don’t understand the language very well, I’ve been on my own to succeed academically. My biggest obstacles that I encountered were the language and cultural barriers. When I first came, I was able to speak English at a basic level. My reading ability was poor and I could hardly understand academic vocabularies. I also experienced a tremendous culture-shock. I had problem socializing and in general being able to assimilate. My first year of being in the U.S. consisted of two objectives: to learn English and the American culture.
Thankfully in high school, I was lucky enough to be able to find the most supportive environment. …show more content…
There have been a lot of changes comparing to high school and I’m still in the process to figure everything out. During my first year, I’ve participated in the API scholars’ mentoring program to seek for academic help from upperclassmen. Yet, due to the fact that no one in my family has been to a U.S. college until now, I lack necessary advice when it comes to taking classes and major planning. In additional to these struggles, 2016 has brought a series of adversities for me and my family. My family is currently facing financial struggles as my father is now unemployed. To care for me and my brother’s monthly college expenses along with the housing mortgage and medical bills, my mother’s salary is neither an adequate nor a reliable source. On my part, I believe that I need to help my family’s burden. Yet, although I’ve been participating in the work-study for the past 2 years at the UCSB Intramural Sports program as IM soccer coordinator and referee, my contribution to my family is still limited. As the result, we are moving out of our home, where I’ve lived ever since I came to the States. Additionally, over the summer, I was diagnosed with Grade 1 Spondylolisthesis, which is a chronic spinal disorder that I picked up through my time as a high school athlete. Due to this injury, I’ve been facing problems like sleep loss, constant headaches and back pain which limits my ability to …show more content…
The first action I will take this upcoming winter quarter is to join UCSB Engineering Without Borders so that I can build a sufficient professional network and expand my understandings on these two focuses to help me determine my own in the future. By the time I finish college, I’m eager to work in an environment where I can find new challenges and opportunities for me to grow. At that point, I won’t be too worried with my titles, but I know that I want to manage projects to gain more experience in leadership and in the field of study. Ultimately, my goals are to gain experience, to build myself a solid professional foundation, and to collaborate with my peers in order to strengthen my skillsets as well as leadership ability. Although I know that through time, different circumstances and even opportunities will arise and will alter my plan, but this is what I want to see myself doing in the next 5 years and I will work as hard as I can to achieve my
Thankfully in high school, I was lucky enough to be able to find the most supportive environment. …show more content…
There have been a lot of changes comparing to high school and I’m still in the process to figure everything out. During my first year, I’ve participated in the API scholars’ mentoring program to seek for academic help from upperclassmen. Yet, due to the fact that no one in my family has been to a U.S. college until now, I lack necessary advice when it comes to taking classes and major planning. In additional to these struggles, 2016 has brought a series of adversities for me and my family. My family is currently facing financial struggles as my father is now unemployed. To care for me and my brother’s monthly college expenses along with the housing mortgage and medical bills, my mother’s salary is neither an adequate nor a reliable source. On my part, I believe that I need to help my family’s burden. Yet, although I’ve been participating in the work-study for the past 2 years at the UCSB Intramural Sports program as IM soccer coordinator and referee, my contribution to my family is still limited. As the result, we are moving out of our home, where I’ve lived ever since I came to the States. Additionally, over the summer, I was diagnosed with Grade 1 Spondylolisthesis, which is a chronic spinal disorder that I picked up through my time as a high school athlete. Due to this injury, I’ve been facing problems like sleep loss, constant headaches and back pain which limits my ability to …show more content…
The first action I will take this upcoming winter quarter is to join UCSB Engineering Without Borders so that I can build a sufficient professional network and expand my understandings on these two focuses to help me determine my own in the future. By the time I finish college, I’m eager to work in an environment where I can find new challenges and opportunities for me to grow. At that point, I won’t be too worried with my titles, but I know that I want to manage projects to gain more experience in leadership and in the field of study. Ultimately, my goals are to gain experience, to build myself a solid professional foundation, and to collaborate with my peers in order to strengthen my skillsets as well as leadership ability. Although I know that through time, different circumstances and even opportunities will arise and will alter my plan, but this is what I want to see myself doing in the next 5 years and I will work as hard as I can to achieve my