The following are the essays accompanied my application.
Motivation Statement
The Peace Corps has always intrigued me immensely. Over the past year, I have spent many hours researching the organization and gaining an understanding via many Peace Corps Volunteers’ blogs. With each heart-warming story, my passion for the program and its mission grew stronger. As I head toward the next chapter of life, I choose to join the Peace Corps because it successfully encompasses elements I consider important for a well-rounded life: service, international mobility, cultural immersion and career development.
Pursuing an undergraduate degree at a Jesuit university was never an intention as I am not a member of the Catholic faith. However, service-oriented Saint Louis University has taught me the virtue of volunteerism by introducing a plethora of community service activities. For the past three years, I have been a tutor at a local church for inner-city school children. Despite coming from an undesirable background, the kids are eager to better themselves; a mere few hours of my time can exchange for a higher grade and a better future for these children. This volunteer activity, among many others, is a motivation for me to continue serving others.
Life experiences, thus far, have taught me the significance of cultural integration around the world and the rewarding challenges of become immersed in yet another culture. With each adventure, I feel less a citizen of one nation, but rather a citizen of the world. However, living abroad and cultural immersion should not simply be a privilege for the young. An internship at the U.S. Embassy in London allowed me to see first hand the lives of Foreign Service professionals and how they integrate international mobility, cultural immersion and a rewarding career. As a finance and economics student, I strive to incorporate all those elements with the analytical nature of my studies to form a global career.
My enthusiasm for the Peace Corps intensified when I discovered the business branch of the service. Throughout college, work and service have always been two separate activities for me. Devoting time to business-related internships in the corporate world meant volunteer work had to remain an “on-the-side” activity. For a long time, I pondered over ways to utilize my business skills to make a direct contribution for others, incorporating service into a “day job”. The video clips of Peace Corps Volunteers advising businesses in developing countries around the world were the answers to my internal dilemma.
The Peace Corps will not only provide international mobility and an incredible culture immersion experience, but will also present one- of- a- kind career development that I cannot obtain from within the glass buildings of fancy corporate offices. The decision to join the Peace Corps has already been an inspirational experience, and I hope to continue this experience through serving the international community; learning life lessons via a different culture, discovering personal qualities I yet know existed and fine-tuning a life plan that will make an impact, one small element at a time.
Showing posts with label application. Show all posts
Showing posts with label application. Show all posts
Friday, March 28, 2008
Cross-Cultural Experience
Cross-Cultural Experience
In July 1998, at age 11, I waved goodbye to my family and all familiarities of life. I grew up in Taiwan where children fantasized over an idealized America: Disney cartoons, life without uniforms and a low-pressured school system. Due to family reasons, I was the “guinea pig” in the immigration process and was sent to live with my aunt and American uncle for two years. As I boarded the aircraft, several drops of tears fell as I saw my parents waving at the gate. However, excitements for the bright, yet unknown future drowned out the sadness in an instant. At that very moment, my life changed forever – I was on my way to becoming an American.
Moving to a stereotypical suburb of St. Louis was quite a shock since I came from a bustling pedestrian city of Taiwan. While driving through the suburb, I asked in confusion “Where is everyone?” The concept of driving everywhere was difficult to grasp. The first day of school in America marked an interesting event. I was both nervous and excited in hopes of getting along with my peers. However, a few shock elements took place. At an orientation assembly for all 6th graders, I was the only one who didn’t raise my hand to the question, “Is this school much larger from the ones you came from?” Coming from an elementary school in Taiwan that had a campus the size of some small colleges in the U.S., a middle school that contained in one building paled in comparison. Another shock element was that I couldn’t understand people. While I attended an after school English program in Taiwan for some time, facing real life Americans and carrying on conversations still proved to be challenging. In addition, as the only Asian face at the school, kids asked an overwhelming number of questions out of pure curiosity. Not knowing how to manage the excess attention, I desperately wanted to be “normal.”
Many years later, I have assimilated very well and couldn’t be more of a “normal” American. In July 2005, at the end of my first year in college, I had the opportunity to participate in a study abroad program in Angers, France. There I had the chance to interact with people of many nationalities and understand the concept of an international community. I found myself using that much-rusted Mandarin to order Chinese food in France when the waitress couldn’t understand my broken French. For the first time since immigrating to the US, I began evaluating my role as an American and my heritage as a Taiwanese.
Since France, I have spent approximately seven months in total, living and working in the U.K. Throughout my experiences abroad, I have truly enjoyed living, learning and integrating myself into a new culture. The process unavoidably involves some frustration and discouragement, but I always manage to walk away a stronger person and eager to seek similarly challenging, yet new and exciting experiences.
In July 1998, at age 11, I waved goodbye to my family and all familiarities of life. I grew up in Taiwan where children fantasized over an idealized America: Disney cartoons, life without uniforms and a low-pressured school system. Due to family reasons, I was the “guinea pig” in the immigration process and was sent to live with my aunt and American uncle for two years. As I boarded the aircraft, several drops of tears fell as I saw my parents waving at the gate. However, excitements for the bright, yet unknown future drowned out the sadness in an instant. At that very moment, my life changed forever – I was on my way to becoming an American.
Moving to a stereotypical suburb of St. Louis was quite a shock since I came from a bustling pedestrian city of Taiwan. While driving through the suburb, I asked in confusion “Where is everyone?” The concept of driving everywhere was difficult to grasp. The first day of school in America marked an interesting event. I was both nervous and excited in hopes of getting along with my peers. However, a few shock elements took place. At an orientation assembly for all 6th graders, I was the only one who didn’t raise my hand to the question, “Is this school much larger from the ones you came from?” Coming from an elementary school in Taiwan that had a campus the size of some small colleges in the U.S., a middle school that contained in one building paled in comparison. Another shock element was that I couldn’t understand people. While I attended an after school English program in Taiwan for some time, facing real life Americans and carrying on conversations still proved to be challenging. In addition, as the only Asian face at the school, kids asked an overwhelming number of questions out of pure curiosity. Not knowing how to manage the excess attention, I desperately wanted to be “normal.”
Many years later, I have assimilated very well and couldn’t be more of a “normal” American. In July 2005, at the end of my first year in college, I had the opportunity to participate in a study abroad program in Angers, France. There I had the chance to interact with people of many nationalities and understand the concept of an international community. I found myself using that much-rusted Mandarin to order Chinese food in France when the waitress couldn’t understand my broken French. For the first time since immigrating to the US, I began evaluating my role as an American and my heritage as a Taiwanese.
Since France, I have spent approximately seven months in total, living and working in the U.K. Throughout my experiences abroad, I have truly enjoyed living, learning and integrating myself into a new culture. The process unavoidably involves some frustration and discouragement, but I always manage to walk away a stronger person and eager to seek similarly challenging, yet new and exciting experiences.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Timeline
If anyone is curious, this is the timeline of my application process. I was pretty lucky and didn't face too many difficulties both on the interview/qualification and the medical front!
September 8, 2007: Submitted Application
September 24, 2007: Interview
October 4, 2007: Nomination
Sub-Sahara Africa, Business Advising, June 2008
October 6: Began Medical Clearance Process
January 5: Received Medical Clearance
February 9, 2008: Invitation Notice
February 19, 2008: Invitation Received
Country: Cameroon
Program: Small Business Development
Job Title: Small Business Advisor
Dates of Service: Aug. 21, 2008 - Aug. 20, 2010
Orientation Dates: June 04-06, 2008
Pre-service Training (in Bangante): June 07 - August 20, 2008.
*dates subject to change
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