How I Saw Myself (aka Personal Statement) (circa 1993)

It is October 1, 2046 the year of my seventieth birthday and I am sitting here beachside feeling a bit nostalgic. During the past three years since I retired I have been doing a lot of thinking. These thoughts are mostly about my past life because I try to figure out if my presence on earth really made a difference in anybody’s life. I am now falling into a deep thought…

            I recall my days at UCLA very vividly and with much pleasure. I graduated in the class of 1998 with a double major in Political Science and minored in Japanese. I obtained a job right after graduation because past experiences had taught and accustomed me not to procrastinate, especially with such competitive matters as a job. I was hired by a small business firm in Tokyo, Japan. Aside from being small, the firm was not too well known but I accepted the offer because I felt that I could succeed with a small firm. I figured that by starting at the bottom of a small business I would have the opportunity to “learn the ropes” about all there is to know in order to become an excellent public relations manager. After three years of hard work with the firm I had the opportunity to prove to others and myself that I could excel in public relations. Soon enough I began to send my resume to American businesses and after receiving quite a few positive responses I decided to leave Japan.

            After three years of being back in America I had returned to school. I attended graduate school at Stanford University’s School of Business and maintained a part-time job. Later on in my life I attended my ten year high school reunion. There I was reacquainted with my old teachers and counselors, and remembered how much time, motivation, and effort these people have dedicated to me. I realized I had been ungrateful in the past and must do something to change all that. This experience taught me that I had never done anything to pay back others for their great contribution to my life and education. After this realization, I decided to change the situation by creating L.I.B.R.A (Latinos in International Business Relations and/or Administration). With the help of fellow co-workers I became head of one of the biggest scholarship organizations for Latinos in American. What made L.I.B.R.A different was the fact that not only did it offer financial aid but emotional support through counseling. I figured what better way to help the community than by investing in the community’s future; their youths. L.I.B.R.A’s main goal was to help highly motivated and determined students get a college education.  I got a real sense of joy and pleasure every time I went to the award ceremonies and saw the smiles on the recipients’ faces as they walked across the stage to receive their award.

            I became very involved in this project, I was always trying to get people to contribute more money to our organization. I arranged special speaking arrangements and wrote speeches to get my message across. I made people realize that these youths who were raised and made to believe that they were less than they really are had a bright future ahead of them. Since the start I always envisioned L.I.B.R.A as much more than a scholarship. I wanted L.I.B.R.A to be a stepping-stone for youths to get ahead and motivate them to help others alike in their communities. I sit here on my beachside property in the year 2046 and can truly smile proudly because I have accomplished my goal.