Traveling Artist Scholarship

Being half Chinese and Filipino, I stand between two worlds. It’s what defines me. Being part of two very different cultures has taught me an innumerable number of things: language, culture, etc. I hold in high regard the ability to see things from different perspectives, which helps me to vividly discern and thus broaden my horizons. This is why during my last year in high school, I decided to study abroad in the United States. Going to another country, allowed me to experience a different set of principles that the people here follow. It made me truly independent, being away from my family, and actually having to be able to decide matters by myself. Something I said to my mom made her realize how much I have changed, and I did not realize it until she repeated it to me. She was asking me how was life here, I simply replied, “It is hard, but it is the life I chose.” It is not easy being in a different country, but it is an effective way to grow as a person. I learned that life back in Singapore, together with my family, was actually so easy. I did not realize this until I lived alone in the United States. But in the future, when I look back on the hardships I am facing now, I will know that it played a part in my success. I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in Architecture, a major that requires me to be an all-rounder learner. To be successful as an architect, you must be able to withstand the hardships and persevere. The way we learn here is drastically different, we have constant debates and discussions with the professors, they do not simply treat us as students, who are there to learn from them, but they would also learn from our ideas. It is a mutually beneficial relationship. That is different from Singapore, it helps me be more confident each time I successfully validate my design idea. But because I was able to adapt, I managed to produce outstanding results in school, and I will be able to do the same in the industry.