Personal statement #2

When I first started working on this personal statement, I did quite some research, by Googling “How to write a good personal statement.” I found tons of websites that said to make it personal, special, organized, and show how my personal statement related to my dream career. After reading the webpages telling me what I should do, I panicked, thinking that I will never be able to write a statement that’s both impressive and truly reflect who I am as a daughter, a sister, a teenager, a student and a college applicant. At last, I decided to shut all of those websites down and write my own piece. In this statement, I want to bring out a story that show how I came to be who I am.

Eleven years ago, I watched Steve Jobs’ speech at Stanford University, “How to live before you die.” As one of the most famous speeches Steve Jobs has ever given, it touched me in many ways. First, his three messages. Being one of the most successful people in the world, Jobs told us about his journey and that it took hard work and a willingness to come back from failure. He also told us to be brave, to be daring, and to enjoy every second of our life. Beside those messages, his speech moved me by how he presented it. He seemed so confident and relaxed but he was also clear and cut right to the point. Growing up, I was shy and timid, when it came to public speaking, as much as I wished I could walk up to the stage with confidence and give a clear speech, I just couldn’t. It’s like self-confidence was a skill I could never pick up. Even after becoming a senior student, I still have trouble speaking in front of the class, let alone a room of strangers. Although deep down I know I have to overcome my problem and fear, there was a time I believed I will never be able to do so.To me, public speaking was a fear I could never overcome, till that day finally came. A teacher selected me to be one of the four hosts for a school competition. Being a host means public speaking and it scared the hell out of me. I tried to reject it, hoping the teacher would realize I was not the person for the job but it didn’t work. Ever since I received the script for the competition, I simply couldn’t get my mind off it. The fear of public speaking is just so great, I just can’t neglect it. I could do something wrong, pronounce a wrong word, embarrass myself in front of everyone in the room. Out of fear, I practiced hard with my partner and when the first round of the competition came, I am glad to say it went well. After that short 30 minutes, I am proud to say I conquered my fear. It doesn’t mean I am not afraid of public speaking anymore but now I know I will not run away from it again.

Personally, I wanted to be in the medical field though I know my story seems to have nothing to do with it. To others, an accident or illness occurred to their family which prompted them to enter this field but to be honest I don’t have that touching or inspiring story behind me. The reason why I want to be in this field is because I believe I am capable of doing this, and I want to help people overcome their problems and fears. I want to be the reason that they can be a better person and be a part of someone’s story, just like my stories where I overcome my difficulties and was given the chance to see the world from a whole new angle.