Education will assist me to help remove poverty by JooHyun

Education will assist me to help remove poverty by JooHyun - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

If I had to describe myself with one word, I would definitely say ‘passion.’ I like challenging myself. I like creating new experiences for myself, such as attending Actuarial Science conferences or a “model” U.N program. I like challenging myself as a way to prepare for a future career.
My life goal is to help eliminate poverty. Because home country of Korea is such a special case—divided into two parts—I did many activities in school about the reunion of North and South Korea. While doing these activities, such as writing why we need to reunify, I learned that people in North Korea are starving to death. I felt compelled to find a way to help them out. Also, on TV, I saw many countries having poverty problems. Some people didn’t have access to fresh drinking water, and others weren’t even able to go to the hospital. The world is developing so fast, yet there are still people who aren’t able to get basic human needs. I wondered why. Now, I feel that poverty is the most urgent problem the world needs to solve. So, I decided my life goal would be to help remove poverty.
My professional plan is to own an insurance company in an under-developed country to help provide medical insurance and assistance to poor people. In this way, I can help remove poverty by helping people lead healthier, more productive lives. Although I love many subjects, such as science and poetry, I chose Actuarial Science as my major. I have a very strong affinity for math, and actuary training will be the best way for me to start a career in the insurance industry.
To achieve my big goals, I will need to get a job to earn money for my business and to get experience in selling insurance. In order to help get a good job, I went to our college’s accounting career fair, and observed the upper classmen. I saw how they dressed, and I watched how they interacted with employers. After the first fair, I bought a new suit and then went to the actuarial science fair. Attending these events as a freshman was a nervous experience. However, I was able to practice going up to employers and talking to them and giving them my resume. I met over ten employers, and I got a lot of great advice on how to prepare myself for the future.
The main three goals I set when I entered college were getting a high GPA, having as many diverse experiences as possible, and making many friends. So far, I’ve reached all of those goals. For my classes, I tried to use as many resources as I could. I got help from the writing center and went to workshops in libraries to get some tips about searching sources for topics, studying for exams, and learning to read effectively. As a result, I have maintained a great GPA. In my Calculus 2 class (a very difficult math class), I tried to get a perfect grade because the professor said that no one had done that before. I came close! I was able to get a 99.8% for the class. For my EDPS class presentation about my research paper, I took 10 hours to memorize my speech perfectly. The next day, my presentation was very successful. I felt so proud of myself. These two academic achievements best reveal the kind of student I am. I set my goals very high, and I work very hard to reach them.
I challenge myself in other ways too. For example, I joined many student organizations. The club I liked the most was a Frisbee club. I had not even heard of Frisbees before I came to Lincoln, Nebraska. At first, it was really hard. I couldn’t play well. However, over time, I made huge improvements in my play. I really enjoyed my teammates, and I am proud of the fact that I challenged myself to learn a new sport.
Making friends happened everywhere. I made new friends in my classes, in the campus events I attended, and in the student clubs I joined. I met students from all around the world. Talking to them and getting to know them broadened my perspective of different cultures. I learned about the diversity of world populations by having an open mind with everyone I met.
My goal for the next semester is the same as this semester. I’m currently working as an intercultural aide, helping international students adjust to UN-L. I work with twenty students who I take care of for the entire semester. I think this experience will help me grow even more. Also, my robotics club will start in earnest later next semester, so I look forward to that. Financial aid would definitely help me reach my academic goals while allowing me to pursue a variety of activities that would also help me grow as a person. I promise to “pay it forward” by someday helping people escape poverty.