Personal Statement 1 for UC's
My curiosity has been the biggest influence in my life, it sparked my love for marine life and brought about the best experience of my life, traveling to Egypt.
As a child I had an immense fascination with animals. They were very different from people. For example, fish do not really sleep because they have to keep swimming. I was always very eager to find out more about animals and the different species that exist. When visiting the school library, I would immediately head for the animal section and pick out a book. Every week I would choose a book on a different animal. We were tested on the books we read and although I was nervous, tests excited me because it was my way of telling the teacher all about the animals I had read about. My excitement translated, and I often received a perfect score.
As I grew, my curiosity grew as well. I became curious about the environments different animals lived in. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a study abroad program. Although the main purpose of traveling there was to learn the language, I felt fortunate to be able to go to a city close to the sea, such as Alexandria, Egypt. The idea of seeing the different kinds of fish in this new environment got me so excited. During my trip to Alexandria, I was able to visit an aquarium, seeing the diverse set of sea life made me think about studying the aquatic organisms in Egypt for a period of time in the future. Seeing the Mediterranean Sea everyday made me ponder about the various and mysterious marine life that I did not see behind the glass tanks of the aquarium. Egypt’s aquatic life amazed me.
Growing up I watched documentaries about the sea with my dad. They were what influenced my interest in marine life. The documentaries were intriguing because they showed how weird and creepy the fish looked. They taught me that so much life has not been identified still. Each time I learned scientists had found a new animal, I couldn’t help but think of my dad. We had another animal to learn about and talk about. I was mesmerized and inspired by scientists and the knowledge their work brings to the world. Quickly I began to think that I, too, could find a new species of fish.
As I got older, I was exposed to different subjects such as environmental, physical, and life science. These subjects taught me there are still unsolved mysteries in nature. microbiology, chemistry, and parasitology were particularly interesting. After engaging in extra research, I realized that marine biology was the field for me. Although I found many areas interesting, nothing could beat my fascination with the deep sea. These animals deserve happiness and I want to give them that. My greatest desire in life is to study marine life, discover new species of underwater creatures, and to nurture them.
Curiosity sparked an interest in me to learn more about the deep sea but it also sparked a general interest in the world around me. After taking family trips to Mexico, I began to wonder about the rest of the world. This interest propelled me to travel and explore areas that I would never imagine seeing myself in, such as Alexandria, Egypt.
I will admit the thought of traveling and living in a foreign country by myself, with strangers, was nerve-wracking but I was so eager to learn the language, the history, the culture. I wanted to learn the songs that the people of Egypt had always known, see the great pyramids, taste the foods; and I did. Curiosity triumphed over my fear and I am extremely thankful because it was the best experience of my life so far. I made life-long friends and I learned that fear only limits your knowledge and experiences.
My curiosity has been the biggest influence in my life, it sparked my love for marine life and brought about the best experience of my life, traveling to Egypt.
As a child I had an immense fascination with animals. They were very different from people. For example, fish do not really sleep because they have to keep swimming. I was always very eager to find out more about animals and the different species that exist. When visiting the school library, I would immediately head for the animal section and pick out a book. Every week I would choose a book on a different animal. We were tested on the books we read and although I was nervous, tests excited me because it was my way of telling the teacher all about the animals I had read about. My excitement translated, and I often received a perfect score.
As I grew, my curiosity grew as well. I became curious about the environments different animals lived in. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a study abroad program. Although the main purpose of traveling there was to learn the language, I felt fortunate to be able to go to a city close to the sea, such as Alexandria, Egypt. The idea of seeing the different kinds of fish in this new environment got me so excited. During my trip to Alexandria, I was able to visit an aquarium, seeing the diverse set of sea life made me think about studying the aquatic organisms in Egypt for a period of time in the future. Seeing the Mediterranean Sea everyday made me ponder about the various and mysterious marine life that I did not see behind the glass tanks of the aquarium. Egypt’s aquatic life amazed me.
Growing up I watched documentaries about the sea with my dad. They were what influenced my interest in marine life. The documentaries were intriguing because they showed how weird and creepy the fish looked. They taught me that so much life has not been identified still. Each time I learned scientists had found a new animal, I couldn’t help but think of my dad. We had another animal to learn about and talk about. I was mesmerized and inspired by scientists and the knowledge their work brings to the world. Quickly I began to think that I, too, could find a new species of fish.
As I got older, I was exposed to different subjects such as environmental, physical, and life science. These subjects taught me there are still unsolved mysteries in nature. microbiology, chemistry, and parasitology were particularly interesting. After engaging in extra research, I realized that marine biology was the field for me. Although I found many areas interesting, nothing could beat my fascination with the deep sea. These animals deserve happiness and I want to give them that. My greatest desire in life is to study marine life, discover new species of underwater creatures, and to nurture them.
Curiosity sparked an interest in me to learn more about the deep sea but it also sparked a general interest in the world around me. After taking family trips to Mexico, I began to wonder about the rest of the world. This interest propelled me to travel and explore areas that I would never imagine seeing myself in, such as Alexandria, Egypt.
I will admit the thought of traveling and living in a foreign country by myself, with strangers, was nerve-wracking but I was so eager to learn the language, the history, the culture. I wanted to learn the songs that the people of Egypt had always known, see the great pyramids, taste the foods; and I did. Curiosity triumphed over my fear and I am extremely thankful because it was the best experience of my life so far. I made life-long friends and I learned that fear only limits your knowledge and experiences.
Personal Statement 2 for UC's
I live in a neighborhood where opportunities are not always present and petty crime is the common trade. Where police brutality and racial profiling become daily routine. I know people with potential who gave in to the pitfalls of hardships and, statistically speaking, as a Latino male I should have too. Against all odds, I am on the other side of the statistics thanks to the support of my parents and teachers. Many people have the wrong concept of Latino communities, that is why I felt the necessity to let our local representatives know that just because someone comes from a low income family or is a minority, that does not make him or her a delinquent. When I learned that school personnel wanted to start a Social Justice club, I could not have been any happier. Finally, I had found a way to make my voice be heard. I decided to join and since I was the first member of the club I automatically became the Co-Founder. I started to recruit more students to join. I thought that this was a positive alternative to keep students doing something productive instead of joining gangs. I knew that together we could make a difference, starting by changing the students’ mentality of apathy towards social issues. One of the objectives of the club was to open the eyes of my colleagues to the injustices going on in our community such as police brutality, racial profiling, and discrimination to name a few. We decided to let our voices be heard. When Occupy LA happened we participated, too. It was a great opportunity to let it be known that we did not agree with the way police were abusing their power against people, especially the youth. We stood in front of city hall in downtown LA, with our posters held high and marched while chanting. We all learned as a group that peace can be reached without violence. Some may feel that we did not make any difference but we did. Now, city leaders know that we are watching their actions and we care.
I live in a neighborhood where opportunities are not always present and petty crime is the common trade. Where police brutality and racial profiling become daily routine. I know people with potential who gave in to the pitfalls of hardships and, statistically speaking, as a Latino male I should have too. Against all odds, I am on the other side of the statistics thanks to the support of my parents and teachers. Many people have the wrong concept of Latino communities, that is why I felt the necessity to let our local representatives know that just because someone comes from a low income family or is a minority, that does not make him or her a delinquent. When I learned that school personnel wanted to start a Social Justice club, I could not have been any happier. Finally, I had found a way to make my voice be heard. I decided to join and since I was the first member of the club I automatically became the Co-Founder. I started to recruit more students to join. I thought that this was a positive alternative to keep students doing something productive instead of joining gangs. I knew that together we could make a difference, starting by changing the students’ mentality of apathy towards social issues. One of the objectives of the club was to open the eyes of my colleagues to the injustices going on in our community such as police brutality, racial profiling, and discrimination to name a few. We decided to let our voices be heard. When Occupy LA happened we participated, too. It was a great opportunity to let it be known that we did not agree with the way police were abusing their power against people, especially the youth. We stood in front of city hall in downtown LA, with our posters held high and marched while chanting. We all learned as a group that peace can be reached without violence. Some may feel that we did not make any difference but we did. Now, city leaders know that we are watching their actions and we care.