Currently, I am a psychology major at UCLA, one of the best schools for psychology in the world. Currently, I am motivated and driven, working towards a degree and future for myself. However, this is only currently. Just a few years ago, I would have never seen myself in these shoes today, and honestly, without the help of others, I would’ve never even been close to the heights I find myself at now. According to Webster's dictionary, psychology is formally defined as "the scientific study of the mind and behavior." However, I never intended to study psychology to study the general human mind. I intended to study psychology to find out if there was a scientific explanation for what was mentally wrong with me. I grew up in an emotionally suppressive Asian household. Everyday, I was obligated to come home right after school, while my friends enjoyed their free time on the playground. While they basked in the warm rays, I was chained to my desk, surrounded by heaps of books and homemade assignments that would supposedly "strengthen my mind." I worked on these assignments with great diligence and compliance, and I felt that I was truly strengthening my mind. What I didn't realize was that the brain has more than one area to develop. While I was far past my classmates in all academic subjects, I trailed behind in terms of social and emotional maturity, as I never had the chance to experience these things naturally. I took AP Psychology in my junior year of high school, hoping that, at last, I could learn everything about myself. Ironically, I read in my psychology textbook that much of the brain can only be developed through experience, that some things cannot be learned through reading a book. Now, at UCLA, I am studying psychology not to just learn, but to discover. I wish to not just learn about the findings of the past, but conduct my own research to discover the potential of the future. I wish to find and develop more ways to help individuals like me, who were deeply stuck in mental turmoil, so much so that I desperately needed help from others. With my research, I want to specifically focus on the brain development and neurological connections of children who have experienced certain trauma in their early childhood. Furthermore, I wish to learn more about how these differences in brain development might affect their cognitive and emotional development later in life. These ambitions, I hope, will be of great help to children who have experienced similar emotions as I have. Although I have not found my closure, I have realized that this is just the beginning. The journey to improve, to fix my flaws, has fueled my hunger to fully study the inner workings of my mind. I hope, now more than ever, to pursue research in psychology in the future, as I still believe that my denouement lies down this path. Through this pursuit, I aspire to become a better version of myself, and in turn, finally be able to help others like me. Perhaps most importantly, however, I hope that one day, I will finally be able to look back at my problems and see them not as something that I live with, but something that I have overcome.

Currently, I am a psychology major at UCLA, one of the best schools for psychology in the world. Currently, I am motivated and driven, working towards a degree and future for myself. However, this is only currently. Just a few years ago, I would have never seen myself in these shoes today, and honestly, without the help of others, I would’ve never even been close to the heights I find myself at now. According to Webster's dictionary, psychology is formally defined as "the scientific study of the mind and behavior." However, I never intended to study psychology to study the general human mind. I intended to study psychology to find out if there was a scientific explanation for what was mentally wrong with me. I grew up in an emotionally suppressive Asian household. Everyday, I was obligated to come home right after school, while my friends enjoyed their free time on the playground. While they basked in the warm rays, I was chained to my desk, surrounded by heaps of books and homemade assignments that would supposedly "strengthen my mind." I worked on these assignments with great diligence and compliance, and I felt that I was truly strengthening my mind. What I didn't realize was that the brain has more than one area to develop. While I was far past my classmates in all academic subjects, I trailed behind in terms of social and emotional maturity, as I never had the chance to experience these things naturally. I took AP Psychology in my junior year of high school, hoping that, at last, I could learn everything about myself. Ironically, I read in my psychology textbook that much of the brain can only be developed through experience, that some things cannot be learned through reading a book. Now, at UCLA, I am studying psychology not to just learn, but to discover. I wish to not just learn about the findings of the past, but conduct my own research to discover the potential of the future. I wish to find and develop more ways to help individuals like me, who were deeply stuck in mental turmoil, so much so that I desperately needed help from others. With my research, I want to specifically focus on the brain development and neurological connections of children who have experienced certain trauma in their early childhood. Furthermore, I wish to learn more about how these differences in brain development might affect their cognitive and emotional development later in life. These ambitions, I hope, will be of great help to children who have experienced similar emotions as I have. Although I have not found my closure, I have realized that this is just the beginning. The journey to improve, to fix my flaws, has fueled my hunger to fully study the inner workings of my mind. I hope, now more than ever, to pursue research in psychology in the future, as I still believe that my denouement lies down this path. Through this pursuit, I aspire to become a better version of myself, and in turn, finally be able to help others like me. Perhaps most importantly, however, I hope that one day, I will finally be able to look back at my problems and see them not as something that I live with, but something that I have overcome.

June 29th, 2017. It was a Thursday, one of the many Thursdays of my life, yet perhaps the only Thursday I'll ever remember. On this Thursday, my mother passed away, leaving me with a whole world of hardships. The problems at the surface were evident, held high for everyone to see. Where was I going to live? Who was going to take care of me? Then deeper problems began to arise. I was taken in by another family, who was meant to take care of me until I graduated from high school. However, within a year, they moved away, and I was back with all the problems I thought I had left behind. I was sent to another family, again. And another. And? Yet another one. I just couldn't seem to stick to a family. The repetitive rejection made me believe that there was something wrong with me. The truly significant challenges that one faces are not visible to the eye. The outward struggles that are faced are indeed challenging, but they don't hold a candle to the internal struggles that run deep into the heart. The observable problems I have endured have only covered the pain that I have accumulated within me. Being rejected over and over again, believing that I was never good enough, has changed me more than I would like to admit. I have grown accustomed to hiding my emotions, hiding what I truly feel in order to protect myself from more pain. What people see is only a part of me. The best part of me. The only part of me that I'll ever let people see. Life has thrown me an insurmountable amount of challenges, but life has also given me a purpose. This purpose, one that I have firmly stood upon for years, is to pursue psychology and understand the inner workings of my mind. Perhaps it will help me resolve my past adversities. Most importantly, however, I want to be able to help others who are like me, to provide them with the tools needed to face these inevitable challenges in life. Now, at UCLA, I am studying psychology not to just learn, but to discover. I wish to not just learn about the findings of the past, but conduct my own research to discover the potential of the future. I wish to find and develop more ways to help individuals like me, who were deeply stuck in mental turmoil, so much so that I desperately needed help from others. With my research, I want to specifically focus on the brain development and neurological connections of children who have experienced certain trauma in their early childhood. Furthermore, I wish to learn more about how these differences in brain development might affect their cognitive and emotional development later in life. These ambitions, I hope, will be of great help to children who have experienced similar emotions as I have. Although I have not found my closure, I have realized that this is just the beginning. The journey to improve, to fix my flaws, has fueled my hunger to fully study the inner workings of my mind. I hope, now more than ever, to pursue research in psychology in the future, as I still believe that my denouement lies down this path. Through this pursuit, I aspire to become a better version of myself, and in turn, finally be able to help others like me. Perhaps most importantly, however, I hope that one day, I will finally be able to look back at my problems and see them not as something that I live with, but something that I have overcome.

Currently, I am a psychology major at UCLA, one of the best schools for psychology in the world. Currently, I am motivated and driven, working towards a degree and future for myself. However, this is only currently. Just a few years ago, I would have never seen myself in these shoes today, and honestly, without the help of others, I would’ve never even been close to the heights I find myself at now. According to Webster's dictionary, psychology is formally defined as "the scientific study of the mind and behavior." However, I never intended to study psychology to study the general human mind. I intended to study psychology to find out if there was a scientific explanation for what was mentally wrong with me. I grew up in an emotionally suppressive Asian household. Everyday, I was obligated to come home right after school, while my friends enjoyed their free time on the playground. While they basked in the warm rays, I was chained to my desk, surrounded by heaps of books and homemade assignments that would supposedly "strengthen my mind." I worked on these assignments with great diligence and compliance, and I felt that I was truly strengthening my mind. What I didn't realize was that the brain has more than one area to develop. While I was far past my classmates in all academic subjects, I trailed behind in terms of social and emotional maturity, as I never had the chance to experience these things naturally. I took AP Psychology in my junior year of high school, hoping that, at last, I could learn everything about myself. Ironically, I read in my psychology textbook that much of the brain can only be developed through experience, that some things cannot be learned through reading a book. Now, at UCLA, I am studying psychology not to just learn, but to discover. I wish to not just learn about the findings of the past, but conduct my own research to discover the potential of the future. I wish to find and develop more ways to help individuals like me, who were deeply stuck in mental turmoil, so much so that I desperately needed help from others. With my research, I want to specifically focus on the brain development and neurological connections of children who have experienced certain trauma in their early childhood. Furthermore, I wish to learn more about how these differences in brain development might affect their cognitive and emotional development later in life. These ambitions, I hope, will be of great help to children who have experienced similar emotions as I have. Although I have not found my closure, I have realized that this is just the beginning. The journey to improve, to fix my flaws, has fueled my hunger to fully study the inner workings of my mind. I hope, now more than ever, to pursue research in psychology in the future, as I still believe that my denouement lies down this path. Through this pursuit, I aspire to become a better version of myself, and in turn, finally be able to help others like me. Perhaps most importantly, however, I hope that one day, I will finally be able to look back at my problems and see them not as something that I live with, but something that I have overcome.

Currently, I am a psychology major at UCLA, one of the best schools for psychology in the world. Currently, I am motivated and driven, working towards a degree and future for myself. However, this is only currently. Just a few years ago, I would have never seen myself in these shoes today, and honestly, without the help of others, I would’ve never even been close to the heights I find myself at now. According to Webster's dictionary, psychology is formally defined as "the scientific study of the mind and behavior." However, I never intended to study psychology to study the general human mind. I intended to study psychology to find out if there was a scientific explanation for what was mentally wrong with me. I grew up in an emotionally suppressive Asian household. Everyday, I was obligated to come home right after school, while my friends enjoyed their free time on the playground. While they basked in the warm rays, I was chained to my desk, surrounded by heaps of books and homemade assignments that would supposedly "strengthen my mind." I worked on these assignments with great diligence and compliance, and I felt that I was truly strengthening my mind. What I didn't realize was that the brain has more than one area to develop. While I was far past my classmates in all academic subjects, I trailed behind in terms of social and emotional maturity, as I never had the chance to experience these things naturally. I took AP Psychology in my junior year of high school, hoping that, at last, I could learn everything about myself. Ironically, I read in my psychology textbook that much of the brain can only be developed through experience, that some things cannot be learned through reading a book. Now, at UCLA, I am studying psychology not to just learn, but to discover. I wish to not just learn about the findings of the past, but conduct my own research to discover the potential of the future. I wish to find and develop more ways to help individuals like me, who were deeply stuck in mental turmoil, so much so that I desperately needed help from others. With my research, I want to specifically focus on the brain development and neurological connections of children who have experienced certain trauma in their early childhood. Furthermore, I wish to learn more about how these differences in brain development might affect their cognitive and emotional development later in life. These ambitions, I hope, will be of great help to children who have experienced similar emotions as I have. Although I have not found my closure, I have realized that this is just the beginning. The journey to improve, to fix my flaws, has fueled my hunger to fully study the inner workings of my mind. I hope, now more than ever, to pursue research in psychology in the future, as I still believe that my denouement lies down this path. Through this pursuit, I aspire to become a better version of myself, and in turn, finally be able to help others like me. Perhaps most importantly, however, I hope that one day, I will finally be able to look back at my problems and see them not as something that I live with, but something that I have overcome.

Currently, I am a psychology major at UCLA, one of the best schools for psychology in the world. Currently, I am motivated and driven, working towards a degree and future for myself. However, this is only currently. Just a few years ago, I would have never seen myself in these shoes today, and honestly, without the help of others, I would’ve never even been close to the heights I find myself at now. According to Webster's dictionary, psychology is formally defined as "the scientific study of the mind and behavior." However, I never intended to study psychology to study the general human mind. I intended to study psychology to find out if there was a scientific explanation for what was mentally wrong with me. I grew up in an emotionally suppressive Asian household. Everyday, I was obligated to come home right after school, while my friends enjoyed their free time on the playground. While they basked in the warm rays, I was chained to my desk, surrounded by heaps of books and homemade assignments that would supposedly "strengthen my mind." I worked on these assignments with great diligence and compliance, and I felt that I was truly strengthening my mind. What I didn't realize was that the brain has more than one area to develop. While I was far past my classmates in all academic subjects, I trailed behind in terms of social and emotional maturity, as I never had the chance to experience these things naturally. I took AP Psychology in my junior year of high school, hoping that, at last, I could learn everything about myself. Ironically, I read in my psychology textbook that much of the brain can only be developed through experience, that some things cannot be learned through reading a book. Now, at UCLA, I am studying psychology not to just learn, but to discover. I wish to not just learn about the findings of the past, but conduct my own research to discover the potential of the future. I wish to find and develop more ways to help individuals like me, who were deeply stuck in mental turmoil, so much so that I desperately needed help from others. With my research, I want to specifically focus on the brain development and neurological connections of children who have experienced certain trauma in their early childhood. Furthermore, I wish to learn more about how these differences in brain development might affect their cognitive and emotional development later in life. These ambitions, I hope, will be of great help to children who have experienced similar emotions as I have. Although I have not found my closure, I have realized that this is just the beginning. The journey to improve, to fix my flaws, has fueled my hunger to fully study the inner workings of my mind. I hope, now more than ever, to pursue research in psychology in the future, as I still believe that my denouement lies down this path. Through this pursuit, I aspire to become a better version of myself, and in turn, finally be able to help others like me. Perhaps most importantly, however, I hope that one day, I will finally be able to look back at my problems and see them not as something that I live with, but something that I have overcome.