One thing I remember from my younger days is overcooked rice. I was only home with my grandpa, and if you could call that cooking, that's what he made me. So hungry, I had no choice but to put a piping hot spoonful into my mouth. I wasn’t expecting much, but could I really even expect anything? It drowned my tongue in the starch that wasn’t thoroughly washed off, and I asked myself if I could really even finish a whole bowl. That's when he offered me sugar. I was shocked as I couldn’t bring myself to mix the two together. I felt as if it were a culinary crime. The sweetness of sugar with plain rice, when I had only ever had savory meat with rice. Yet, I tried anyway, as could it really get any worse? To my ignorant mind at that moment, I felt a warm hug in my heart. Although he did not know how to cook, the meal offered me something more than flavor. It took me a while to realize that the dish came from poverty. My grandpa was living through the war and struggled to find enough for a meal. Yet, rice was cheap and abundant. I would describe it now as a struggle meal. When he didn’t have time to learn to cook or the money to afford ingredients, overcooked rice was the sole outcome. But with a pinch of sugar, it became a warm, filling, and comforting meal. I felt the love and history he had in that dish that gave me more than a full belly; it was the biggest hug. Something that seemed like a mistake taught me that the smallest things can carry the largest meaning that I may just not be able to see. Since then, I’ve had a great appreciation and find contentment in the smallest of things. Whether that be a late bite with my parents, a study session with my friends, or even sunny and clear skies, I find enjoyment and gratitude that I get to experience this. I believe that's how you become truly happy and find meaning in your life. So whether rich or poor, I am grateful for where I am. What I truly desire is already here; I have family and people in my life who love, care, and share meals with me. At the University of Oregon, I plan to study finance, not for wealth or status but because I want to use these skills to learn how to work with and handle money so that one day I can open my own coffee shop. The warmth I felt with him is what I want to be able to pour into a cup to help someone start a difficult day. It was a kind of hug that you didn't even know you needed. And to have the opportunity to give someone that moment of relief or a shoulder to lean on is worth more to me than anything you could buy.

One thing I remember from my younger days is overcooked rice. I was only home with my grandpa, and if you could call that cooking, that's what he made me. So hungry, I had no choice but to put a piping hot spoonful into my mouth. I wasn’t expecting much, but could I really even expect anything? It drowned my tongue in the starch that wasn’t thoroughly washed off, and I asked myself if I could really even finish a whole bowl. That's when he offered me sugar. I was shocked as I couldn’t bring myself to mix the two together. I felt as if it were a culinary crime. The sweetness of sugar with plain rice, when I had only ever had savory meat with rice. Yet, I tried anyway, as could it really get any worse? To my ignorant mind at that moment, I felt a warm hug in my heart. Although he did not know how to cook, the meal offered me something more than flavor. It took me a while to realize that the dish came from poverty. My grandpa was living through the war and struggled to find enough for a meal. Yet, rice was cheap and abundant. I would describe it now as a struggle meal. When he didn’t have time to learn to cook or the money to afford ingredients, overcooked rice was the sole outcome. But with a pinch of sugar, it became a warm, filling, and comforting meal. I felt the love and history he had in that dish that gave me more than a full belly; it was the biggest hug. Something that seemed like a mistake taught me that the smallest things can carry the largest meaning that I may just not be able to see. Since then, I’ve had a great appreciation and find contentment in the smallest of things. Whether that be a late bite with my parents, a study session with my friends, or even sunny and clear skies, I find enjoyment and gratitude that I get to experience this. I believe that's how you become truly happy and find meaning in your life. So whether rich or poor, I am grateful for where I am. What I truly desire is already here; I have family and people in my life who love, care, and share meals with me. At the University of Oregon, I plan to study finance, not for wealth or status but because I want to use these skills to learn how to work with and handle money so that one day I can open my own coffee shop. The warmth I felt with him is what I want to be able to pour into a cup to help someone start a difficult day. It was a kind of hug that you didn't even know you needed. And to have the opportunity to give someone that moment of relief or a shoulder to lean on is worth more to me than anything you could buy.