Growing up with immigrant parents, they have always established a set of goals for me to accomplish when I mature into adulthood. Study at an esteemed university, acquire excellent grades, graduate and find a stable working job. On paper, this appears deceptively simple as each step leading up to this point required countless hours of effort and study to only reach another chapter of my life. I say this phrase now not because I think I am unqualified or lazy, but simply because of the immense magnitude of the challenges that stand before me ahead: "I need help." Meeting my parents' expectations is one of the main factors that I am studying at a university. They have spent an arduous 18 years taking care of me, sacrificing so much, such as leaving their home country for a foreign land just for me to have a brighter future is something that I can only begin to repay. I personally feel that if I refuse to pursue higher education as they wanted, it could only be described as something worse than betrayal. For me, further studies will help satiate my curiosity for knowledge in life. As my mind wanders sometimes, I find myself thinking about the fundamentals, like how life forms have evolved into the ecosystem that we see now, and how every organism functions on a cellular level. Every time, however, I find myself stuck like someone burst my bubble because I couldn't find the answer I was looking for, simply due to my lack of knowledge. This feeling of dissatisfaction is something I would like to tend to, but not completely eliminate, as that would be the same as throwing away my curiosity. Additionally, I get the sense that qualifications are becoming more and more important in the workforce nowadays, as workplaces become stricter with their qualifications. I notice plenty of job listings that, at minimum, require some form of Bachelor's Degree in the relevant area of study, which basically tells you to pay for an education to get this job. This scholarship will help support me throughout this journey, relieving some of the financial stress imposed by tuition fees, commutes, and school supplies. In addition, this will also give me peace of mind as I know that there are people out there that are willing to support me. To conclude, pursuing post-secondary education for me is very important, as it will make my parents proud and increase the likeliness of my success in the future so I can give back to my parents.

I didn't always appreciate the generosity of people when I was younger. I always took everything for granted; gifts, food, clothing and the smiles people gave me on a daily basis were simply seen at face value to me. However, as I grew older and learned a bit about how society works, I realised that these people were doing this out of kindness, expecting nothing in return as I didn't have the resources in order to reciprocate a gift, for example. In fact, it's different that showing kindness and expecting something in return, as that is what I've come to notice some individuals doing, which is quite unfortunate and disappointed. Presently, I want to emulate the kindness that I received when I was younger from other people. I desire to make a positive and lasting impression on people so I can motivate them to reach their full potential and help me improve the condition of our living space and our world.