Study Abroad Personal Statement

I was born in Saigon, Vietnam in a humid December day of 1995 with two loving parents. I do not recall too much of my childhood, except being really scared of my aunt and having a lot of fun playing jump rope and showering naked in the rain with my friends. At the age of 6, I moved to the United States and attended schools here while accustoming to the American life. To my surprise, I later learn that the city of Garden Grove is not really a representative of the United States, but that is another story for another day. Ever since, the United States has become my home. Throughout the years, I have grown tremendously: intellectually, emotionally and may be a bit physically. Nonetheless, my parents, teachers/professors, and friends have shown me who I am capable of becoming for my communities and myself; however, the direction is still uncertain at the moment. Throughout the past years, I have found little clues of things I care for and wish to achieve. In retrospect, the past year was the year I had seen the most growth in me, especially with the help of the study abroad experience, Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP) and Buddhist Youth Group. I have discovered my adventurous self through study abroad where I have met supportive …show more content…
These experiences truly pave the path I am currently pursuing. As a student studying in Psychology and Informatics majors, I want to examine the interplay of people and technology and what it means for our collective future, especially in education. My current options are to go to graduate school to pursue a Master in Information Science, to enter industry to directly give back to my community of low-income, ethnic minority students right away, or to teach abroad to further develop my skill as an educator. A Doctorate degree is definitely not out of the equation, but I would like to pursue it at a later