Personal Statement : The Ultimate Gift

Hmmm………What shall I tell you about me? You, the person who will decide my fate, my fate as to whether I would go to CU-Boulder, go live in Colorado, go snowboarding in the mountains, meet lots of interesting people, and have the most wonderful experience…I better make myself sound worthy. First off, I want you to know that I'm an unparalleled individual, whose outlook on life is of total optimism. Through out my 18 years, I've become freinds with people from all walks of life. I've learned to empathize with just about every one of them, gaining the greatest understanding in a variety of remarkable characters. One of my favorite, a homeless lady who's called Polly, tells the most incredible stories of love and the many

My vision as an undergraduate student of the Haskayne School of Business (HSB) is to become a well-rounded influential leader and equip myself with a set of skills and values that will enhance me as an individual in my career. Thus, my goal is to succeed academically and socially, graduating with a distinction and having built strong relationships.

With given a choice of what to write this paper, I could not get past the subtle nature of who we are as God’s creations. This fundamental truth of our identity is simplified with the truth of our identity in Jesus. We are created in God’s image with a purpose here on earth to display all of God’s greatness, His beauty, and to reveal all of His character aspects. Best of all, we are completely dependent on God. This new enlightenment of my identity in Christ as God’s creation will allow me to help people around the world become one with Christ by revealing the truth of their identity.

Pursing a career as a medical doctor is an opportunity for me to mentor youth in underserved populations. As a child, I was raised in the low income, urban community of Roxbury, MA. Although not as notorious today, the neighborhood had garnered negative attention for its high crime rates. My mother emigrated from Haiti and raised me as a single parent. Due to our financial circumstance, Roxbury became our permanent residence. I have always felt there was something lacking in Roxbury in comparison to other towns I visited. My teenage years were largely spent in the suburban town of Stoneham where I attended high school. There was a literal difference in air quality and a psychology contrast in future prospects. While native students of

There are few certainties of what one will encounter during life. A common joke names two: death and

I will be visiting Raleigh in late August; a few potential matches may still be interested in correspondence.

I was born the fourth of December 1991 in Cranbrook British Columbia. I lived there for 18 years. Before joining the military I worked as a fry cook at a Burger King for three years and held part time jobs working for the College of the Rockies summer camp programs during the summer. My parents are currently living together in Cranbrook BC. My father works outside the province testing railway tracks for two months at a time, then returns home for two to three weeks. My mother acts as the main contact point of the family, she works as a financial clerk. I have a 22 year old sister who will be attending university in Calgary this September. I attended Mount Baker Secondary School in Cranbrook and graduated in 2009

I, Moin Ahmed and my spouse Ismat Ara, continuing our married life since August 22, 2014. I have been working in a prestigious university, as a Lecture since April 8, 2012, and getting a lump sum salary. My organization already provided me No Objection Certificate which is attached with this application and there it is mentioned that, my institution will have no objection if I go abroad to reunite with my spouse, and I will get leave of absence and will be able to join in the same organization after coming back in my country. This NOC is giving me the opportunity to apply for this visa and accompany my wife in her hard times when she is struggling to cope up with a new culture and new environment.

I have no other option, but to write this humble request. I am going through challenging times, and respectfully ask for help. The reason behind this charitable request is the growing cost of healthcare expenses which includes a needed hernia surgery and owed dental bills.

It was a cold autumn night in North Carolina when I realized that my youth was being taken away from me. I wanted to run away and go back to the life that I had known; where I had the opportunity to go to school was happy and understood the language. Instead I was in a foreign land with my family and we could not return for there was no future in my homeland. According to my father, we had to keep migrating because it was the best thing for our family. It was then when I realized that this is not what I wanted for my family and I asked my father that we needed to go somewhere where I can go to school because it was affecting everybody including my little brother. My father raised me to believe I could accomplish anything I set my mind to

Throughout high school, I have taken numerous advanced courses tailored to my passion for science. Courses like AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, Honors Physics, and Principles of Engineering have helped me to not only build a strong, extensive foundation of scientific knowledge, but also to develop an essential skill set for effective studying, time-management, and organizing that will ensure my ability to excel at Penn State. In addition to advanced science courses, I also enjoyed immersing myself into intellectually-stimulating subjects, such as AP Statistics, AP Psychology, and IB Anthropology, each of which has broadened my scope of analytical thinking.

When examining myself, I am often labeled as being helpful, sympathetic, generous, friendly, responsible, cooperative, understanding, and kind when it comes to the social category. I am also self-confident, optimistic, agreeable, energetic, and ambitious when it comes to enterprising. Many people also see me as obedient, practical, efficient, persistent, careful, and orderly in the conventional category. Then lastly I am curious, rational, independent, modest, reserved, and introverted when looking at the investigative region. Other things that I have are creative ability, willingness to serve others, ability to work well with others, leadership, gratitude, hope, humor, and expression of spirituality.

In our lives, we have to make important choices, and sometimes our choices determine our happiness or sadness. As a Filipino, our families tell us to do well in school and to not make bad choices because they want us to be successful and to have ethical morals. Growing up as a Catholic, I was taught to be obedient and respectful to my family which has shaped who I am today. Yet, I too made some mistakes, and I learned from the consequences. From my failures, I learned to not belittle myself, but to grow.

The movie, The Ultimate Gift, is a moving example of how one man, who while in search for the “ultimate gift,” actually learned and gained many more precious gifts along the way. Jason Stevens was a man on a mission to get to the big pay-off at the end of his quest but thanks to his wise grandfather Jason gained much more than just money. Throughout his journey in the movie Jason was taught and given the gift of hard work, the gift of love, the gift of friendship, etc. After learning and receiving these gifts, it was only then that Jason would receive and truly be able to appreciate the ultimate gift that his grandfather had waiting for him. Jason struggled to complete the tasks, but with the completion of each task, he then was motivated to move on to the next task. This motivation to achieve certain “gifts” and then move on to the next one is explained in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow believed that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and then when the need is actualized then they will move on to the next one. The stages in Maslow’s Hierarchy are psychological, safety, social, esteem, and self- actualization. In The Ultimate Gift, Jason, in order to receive his grand prize, goes through stages within his missions that are very much like the steps in Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs.

I have a wide range of skills and knowledge that I have acquired throughout my personal and professional life. I can communicate with different types of people regardless of age, race or class. I have accessed a huge range of courses that have enabled me to develop interpersonal skills including negotiation and dealing with different types of people and personalities. I also have the knowledge, drive and enthusiasm to work alone when required as I am self-motivated and can meet targets and deadlines. I believe that challenges are best met positively by developing and improving knowledge and skills and through professional reflective dialogue that leads to change. I am very hard-working and reliable. I work well under pressure achieving a high standard of work. I have practical and organisational skills and I can find solutions to problems and face challenges confidently.