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My hands are my mother’s
hands. They are an exquisite legacy that I have inherited.
They have born invaluable scars for years. They are
prominent, too large for my wrists, too leathery to be
elegant, and too much a reminder of harsh manual work for
little monetary reward to pay my father’s hospital bills and
to nurture and sustain her family. My hands remind me of the
higher education that someone who had to work since the age
of eight must have craved and of her struggle to hold onto a
dream for me and allow me to achieve freedom. They represent
a legacy of family love and my duty to my family to better
myself through education so that I might help better their
lives also. Thus, I must choose carefully how I use my hands
and prove to my mother that I’m worthy to inherit and
overcome her struggles.
Looking back two years ago,
nobody in my rustic town in South Korea could have believed,
just as I didn’t believe, that one woman with a mentally
ailing husband could send her child to study abroad by
selling ice cream on the street for 30 cents, and by working
for decades at a sewing factory afterwards. Economists call
this kind of saga the Korean “rags-to-rich” miracle, which
took place from the 1970s to 1990s. Collaboration,
sacrifice, and dedication were evident nationwide in Korea
during that time period.
At LaGuardia Community College the study of economics has
awakened my curiosity to analyze and understand such a
societal transformation. In ferreting out a driving force
for the Korean economic miracle, I have realized that the
study of economics can provide astute explanations for
underlying human behavior as well as offer insights into the
validity of political decisions. Indeed, the powerful impact
of economics on human life has made me want to explore or
analyze social issues such as the credit crunch in the U.S.
and the effects of economic policy decisions.
The journey that I have tirelessly undertaken to fulfill the
expectations I have taken upon myself has been exacting; at
times. I have had to work at a custom jewelry factory
part-time during academic sessions and work full-time during
school vacations to continue my education in New York . This
has certainly depleted my energy. However, I am capable of
facing such challenges because I have impregnable fallbacks:
the ever-present reminder when I look at my hands and the
bulldozer spirit I developed when I served as a Korean
Marine. Limiting my sleep to five hours daily has permitted
me to perform well in my classes at LaGuardia Community
College, where I became a member of the International Honors
Society (PTK), became an accounting tutor for the API
Program (Academic Peer Instructor), was on the Outstanding
Academic Dean Lists in 07 and 08, earned various leadership
awards and a scholarship from PTK and from the college.
Through volunteer work as a math tutor at the Student
Government Hall during my sophomore year, I also enjoyed
helping fellow students. To help my peers even more, I
founded, with strong Math Department support, the LaGuardia
Math Club during the 2008 spring session and became the
club’s first president. Using the leadership skills I had
learned as a leader of my Marine parachute squad, I was able
to create the club and attract members’ active
participation. By successfully helping many fellow students,
I gained confidence and the belief that I could become a
leader in a bigger dynamic field. In the future, I know that
opportunities to discuss ideas with people from diverse
backgrounds will continue to help me become an independent
thinker. Therefore, I also look forward to getting involved
in social aspects of university life by joining or founding
a multi-cultural student club that aims to tackle social
issues.
The recognition that I have already received for my
persistent efforts and the various opportunities thus far
made available to me, are combining to make me believe that
I am ready for new academic challenges. I now seek to
broaden my studies by attending a four-year institution of
higher learning, especially one that may encourage
“thinking-out-of-the-box.” I strongly believe that a
four-year university will be the place to begin the next
chapter in the story of my life.
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