essay stanford

8/8/2019 Essay Stanford

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Stanford: Essay 1

QUESTION: What matters most to you, and why?

nh gi : 7

- Mu vs hnh nh bnh m ng kh l lm tin cho cu chuyn ca mnh , dn dtngi c n vs iu quan trng nht vs mnh l nhng mi quan h gn gi . Nhngmi quan h vs nhng ngi khc tnh cch mnh truyn cm hng, cho mnh nhngci nhn mi v nhng iu cn hc hi : v tnh cm gia nh, v tinh thn ko li bctrong cng vic, s lc quan i din vs nhng kh khn trong cuc sng.

- Dn truyn : hon cnh gia nh, tnh cch ban u : khp kn, thiu t tin ..- S thay i : ngh v bnh m ng v mc tiu sng : tip tc con dg c hay expose , chia

s gi tr vs mi ngi- Nu 3 mi quan h gi tr nht nh hng n mnh : thy gio t vn, gio s i hc,

hc sinh hng dn . cc mi quan h ny gip mnh vt qua kh khn ntn : thi k

b bnh ..- KL : mi trng Stanford vi s a dng s ph hp pht trin nhng mi quan h,

chia s gi tr , kinh nghim v hc hi nhiu iu

Thiu : S thay i qua bnh m ng c v cha thuyt phc lm !!!

Mi trng Stanford l mi trng a dng nh INSEAD ? I dont think so.

Khi ni v tc ng cc mi quan h ln mnh : cha thc s c th, cha nu nhiu kinhnghim chnh mnh c c do cc mi quan h em li

A famous saying at Disney goes, "it all started with a mouse." For me, the equivalentshould read, "It all started with a tortilla." A tortilla? Without over-dramatizing it, I believe asimple corn tortilla was the catalyst for a significant life change that would lead me to discoverwhat matters most to me: challenging myself to open up, learn, and grow by building diverserelationships.Most of the students from the high school I attended in [deleted] were from middle- and low-income Latino and Asian households. As a Latina-American, I was comfortable within my highschool environment. However, reflecting back, I recognize that I was raised in a well-intendedconservative household that offered little exposure to people outside of my immediatecommunity. I was accustomed to the way things were at home and as a result, I was admittedly alittle close-minded and uneasy with change.

[deleted] College was a culture shock. Gone were my Asian and Latino friends with whom Ifound it so easy to relate. I was in a new environment surrounded by strangers from differentplaces and backgrounds. I initially dealt with this by gravitating toward people who were similarto me or appeared to share the same values I had grown up with. Instead of trying to developrelationships with students from diverse backgrounds, I put up my guard, with doubts about howI could relate to them. However, everything changed one fateful night in the college dining hallat the much-anticipated fajita bar.


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For the first time in weeks I had a corn tortilla. What was once commonplace had become astrong reminder of home. I thought to myself, "That's oddI haven't had a tortilla in ages. Whydon't we have tortillas every night?" That's when it hit me. Things weren't the same. I was nolonger at [deleted] High School with a fairly homogeneous crowd, living under my conservative

parent's roof. Instead, I was in a different place, with new people and experiences. Gone were thedays of having a tortilla with dinner every night life, as I knew it, had changed. That was whenI realized I had to make a choice: continue on the same parochial path and remain content withwhat I learned back at home, or explore what these new people and experiences had to offer. Itook a chance and decided to make a change.

My decision to breakout of old mindsets and embrace diversity enabled me to open up to newpeople and ideas. This openness has helped me build a number of meaningful relationships thathave not only brought me great joy but also changed my outlook on life and my future. As such,what matters most to me is challenging the way I think and constantly learning and growing bybuilding relationships with people who inspire me, challenge me, or are otherwise different from

me. By contrasting my experiences and values against those of others, I am better able tounderstand the values I grew up with and have opened my perspective to new ideas.Relationships with three people in particular have changed my perspective, shaped my values,and made me who I am today: an Admissions Officer who taught me about openness, a Professorwho taught me leadership and self-confidence, and a student I mentor who taught me whatcourage and optimism really mean.

I became friends with a Latino Admissions Officer at [deleted] College; [deleted] and I had astrong affinity with one another because we both grew up in [deleted]. Because of his ethnicityand place of birth, I assumed we were very similar and shared common views and lifestyles. Afew weeks into our friendship, I attended a panel hosted by the Gay and Lesbian StudentsAssociation to learn more about issues impacting the gay community. I was surprised to see[deleted] describing the challenges he faced as a gay Latino. Until that point, it never occurred tome that he could have had a different background, which included being gay. I assumed thatbecause of a few common factors, we were similar and I knew him well. I was wrong. As aresult, I had inadvertently failed to recognize that [deleted] comprised a set of unique values andexperiences that I could learn from.

That meeting, and my subsequent interactions with [deleted], left an indelible mark in my mind.As I became more open and recognized his unique qualities and experiences, he could sense myinterest in his life and shared more with me. [deleted] described the challenges he went throughwhen he finally "came out" to his conservative Mexican family. Coming from a conservativehousehold myself, I understood how that type of news might be received. I sensed his pain whenhe told me that his family rejected him and was "sickened" by his gay lifestyle. I admired hisstrength and commitment to himself when he introduced me to his partner.

Our friendship taught me many important values. First, it strengthened my resolve to be tolerantand to love my family and friends unconditionally. After learning how [deleted]'s family reacted,I vowed to never let anyone close to me feel that type of rejection or pain. In addition, ourrelationship taught me to enter all new situations with an open mind, with no preset notions or


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assumptions simply based on perceived background or outward appearance. This was somethingvery different from what I had experienced in my home community, where most people hadsimilar backgrounds and values, and were not always open to new ones. I learned that it wasimportant to acknowledge the unique challenges and events that others have experienced and tounderstand how those events could impact their outlook. By setting those expectations for

myself, I was able to learn more about him and others around me. Openness is a value I willalways subscribe to. My ability to be open to new people and ideas has helped me forge manyother relationships ever since.

Another relationship that changed my life is one with a Professor of Economics I regard as amentor and good friend. I first observed Professor [deleted] when she gave a speech about theapplication of statistical analysis to everyday scenarios. I immediately wanted to meet her. Shestruck me as someone I could look up to as a role model I was interested in her field of studyand intrigued by her confidence and role as the only female economics professor in thedepartment. In retrospect, part of the intrigue was also the contrast between the professor and mymother, who was raised on a ranch in [deleted] and educated to become a secretary. Although it

goes without saying that I am proud of my mother and view her as an ideal role model in manyrespects, I never had the opportunity to develop a relationship with a woman who was a leader inher professional field Professor [deleted] was my first exposure to a successful female leader inacademia.

Ultimately, I learned about much more than how to graph supply and demand curves. I learnedabout confidence and leadership. Professor [deleted]'s creativity and initiative inspired me tothink critically and to explore the application of economic analysis to other areas. This promptedme to complete two summers of research and regression analysis projects on low-incomehousing and volunteer labor. These research projects were some of my first real attempts atthinking "outside the box" while testing and stretching my academic stamina. The work Icompleted helped me develop self-confidence in my analytical abilities.

Professor [deleted] also demonstrated effective leadership. Her charismatic style made herapproachable and motivated me even when I was unsure of myself. She helped me set goals thatwere challenging yet realistic and structured our research projects so that I could meaningfullyaddress my educational and developmental needs. Most importantly, I learned that a key tosuccessfully leading people with diverse interests, as she often did, was uniting them behind acommon vision and ensuring that everyone's concerns were acknowledged. I have applied thisleadership style at [deleted] Consulting to motivate and unite teams of clients and consultantswith very different goals and perspectives. For example, at an aerospace client, I led a team thatincluded a golf-loving aerospace engineer who was fast-approaching retirement and aninexperienced analyst. I noticed that because of their specific concerns, they were easilydistracted or discouraged. I brought the team together by rallying everyone around a commonvision, addressing their issues, and ensuring that they felt important and were meaningfullyengaged. This enabled me to bring together competing perspectives to form a cohesive team thatsuccessfully reached our goals. Overall, the leadership and confidence I learned from myrelationship with Professor Brown has been invaluable in both my personal and professional life.

The values I learned through my [deleted] College relationships have enriched my ability to


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understand the differences between my home community and the world at large, and to developand sustain relationships. These learnings have been excellent preparation for what I regard asone of my most significant relationships to date: mentoring [deleted], an Education First Scholar.My role as [deleted]'s mentor was intended to help her adjust to college life. Despite thatarrangement, I think she has made an even greater impression on me!

When I first met [deleted], I was deeply moved by the challenges she overcame and could relateto some of the cultural issues she encountered. She too was a Latina from [deleted] with aconservative upbringing. However, her life took a much different course. As a young girl,[deleted] witnessed her parent's marital problems before her father left the family. Feeling theabsence of a father in her life, [deleted] grew dependent on her boyfriend and became pregnant.Despite those issues, [deleted] is a teenage mother who beat the odds by completing her highschool education and gaining admission into a number of universities. As her Education Firstmentor, I have counseled [deleted] on issues ranging from potential majors to childcarealternatives. What has impacted me the most about our relationship is her ability to face anychallenge head-on and maintain high spirits even during highly stressful times.

Because of [deleted], I see the world from a new perspective. Her strength, courage, andoptimism have inspired me to face my own challenges more courageously and have also taughtme a deeper level of introspection. Even though we share similar cultural backgrounds, I see howdifferently our lives have played out as a result of circumstance. Our relationship has given me astronger sense of empathy and a better understanding of issues that can impact the well-being ofcolleagues and friends. Rather than fear setbacks and challenges, I have learned to face them asbravely and optimistically as possible and view them as opportunities to broaden myself. Despitethe obstacles [deleted] faced growing up and the challenges of raising a baby while in highschool and college, she has an incredibly strong and optimistic spirit an attitude and outlook Ihave adopted in my own life.

The values I learned through our relationship were especially important last year when Iencountered a significant obstacle of my own. For much of last year I was ill. It started withrashes and hives. Severe fatigue and aching joints slowly set in. Throughout this difficult time, Istill managed to complete my client and non-profit work with little disruption. However, aftercountless doctor visits and blood tests, I received devastating news: my symptoms and lab workpointed to lupus, an illness that is manageable but often leads to significant health complications.I was scared, but drew strength from the courage and optimism I saw in [deleted]. Rather thansuccumb to fear, I chose to remain optimistic and do everything in my power to get well.

After several difficult months, my health and my life turned around. My doctors revised thediagnosis after many of my symptoms disappeared and my lab work alone was no longerconclusive evidence of lupus. As grateful as I am to have my health back, I also appreciate thenew perspective I gained from this experience and am thankful for relationships with individualswho have inspired me to reach a new level of courage and determination.

Relationships have shaped my values, enriched my ability to relate to and support others, andhave helped me understand how my family has shaped my perspective. It is important for me tocontinue developing relationships because they are a source of continuous education and


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personal growth. My relationships have allowed me to establish my own identity as anindependent, tolerant, and free-spirited woman. The greatest outcome from my relationships isthe realization that the better I understand myself, the better I am able to understand others,making me a stronger colleague, mentor, and friend. Relationships have also enriched the way Iinteract with my family and those closest to me and have provided insight and perspective into

my own goals.One of my primary goals in life is to continue developing strong relationships and the diverseStanford community is the perfect environment in which to do so. While at Stanford, I hope tonot only share my experiences and perspectives, but also learn through the experiences andperspectives of others. I hope to challenge my classmates to look within themselves tounderstand how building diverse relationships can help them grow as well. My life is richer andmy goals are greater because I have opened myself to so many new people and ideas. It's hard tobelieve there was a time when all I wanted to eat were tortillas!

essay stanford

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