Written Answers

I sometimes close my eyes to recall my joyful vacation in South East Asia. Those shimmering beaches of Thailand, that romantic boat ride down the Mekong, the futuristic skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur! But, when I open my eyes and see the reality of this

            Ernest Hemingway has been celebrated as one of the greatest American writers, winning the Nobel prize, and gaining critical acclaim for his works, but the greatest story he ever wrote was his own life. I aspire to be a writer, but not to

            Growing up I have always had big shoes to fill. My brother graduated from San Louis Obispo and immediately found a very successful job in the bay area. My sister graduated from Stanford, then Georgetown, and is finishing her residency to

      My parents said that I was always an athlete. I have had an extreme passion for sports ever since the day my dad, a fervent sports fan, introduced me to the breathtaking atmosphere of the L.A. Dodgers baseball stadium. Over the course of my tee

Many people want to take the road less travelled. But not me. I prefer taking the road that is old and worn from use. It means that the road works…if you can manage to stay on it. Although many people have travelled on this road, it does not mean tha

             Her body was getting cold and hard. It’s eight o’clock on a Friday night and I am at a hospital cleaning over a dead body. I’ve arrived here for my volunteering shift about an hour ago and a nurse told me that they’ve been waiting for he

What makes me, me?  A stick of eyeliner, an infinite love for all things chocolate, and an unwavering addiction to Korean dramas.  Perhaps a deep appreciation for a bowl of laksa, secret admiration of pop songs, and adoration of red flowers.  

I reme

Throughout the nineteen years of my life, I've moved three times and lived in four different locations. There are two ways for me to look at this. On one hand, I've been blessed to be able to travel and experience the different lifestyles of the plac

Mickey Mouse and I share the same birthday, November 18.  While the “birth” of Mickey is in 1928, 61 years before my own, it does explain a lot about myself.  Disney is the source of my inspiration and my compass in life.  Truthfully, it has never oc

Why Do I You Do What You Do?

I was 13 years old when I was first drawn into the magic of what the ocean had to offer. It was then, that I knew, that what ever I did in life would be for one thing, and that would be to stay close and in touch with the

“All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.”  This line from The Beatles’ “Blackbird” means a lot to me: I’m still waiting for my moment to arise, my time to really find my purpose and happiness.  Many decisions in my life have be

               I’m your typical introvert—shy, quiet, and avoidant. Growing up, I had always had problems with my self-esteem, especially because I was never noticed (or remembered for that matter) by any of my peers or teachers. My two older brother

    I feel that my actions are compelled by a desire to be right. In modern society, people seek the truth. Yet throughout history, multiple false ideas have been considered the same “truth” we seek in the world today. In the end, truth is merely an

You can't always depend on other people. Being dependent on someone else can backfire on you. When I was young, I saw no problem with my mom being reliant on my dad. Besides cooking and cleaning, my dad did everything else for my mom. She was depende

Seven decades ago, my grandma applied to college. She lied about her age for fear that she was too old. Having jumped through hoops trying to get a college education as a female during the early 20^th century in Asia, I don’t want to take college for

Sand, dust, and a whole lot of nothing, that’s all there is out here. We were sweeping the area for weapon caches, but had found nothing so far – not even people. A sandstorm hit the night before, and I could only see perhaps twenty meters ahead. Sud

I was born and raised in Korea until I moved to America in 5^th grade. My parents left all their family members, friends, jobs, and everything they had worked for to provide a new opportunity for me. Because they risked and sacrificed so much for me,

Why do I do what I do? Why am I a student at UCLA, studying Computer Science? Like most who enter the field of Computer Science, I played a lot of video games in my youth, and I still do. When applying for colleges, I put down Computer Science as my