Walking up the Stairs by Tae Kyung

Walking up the Stairs by Tae Kyung - November 2016 Scholarship Essay

Among the many things I will be thankful for during college, I would be most thankful for the abundance of opportunities to network with different people. While attending college, I learned that networking was very important and it will be beneficial to me wherever I go, or whatever I plan to do. I am currently majoring in business, therefore I learned networking is crucial to my major.
Before I attended college, I just thought college was about making new friends and obtaining a college degree. However, after attending one semester, I began to realize there was so much more to the college experience. The opportunities these colleges provide is extraordinary. I began to open my eyes and think outside the box. College wasn’t merely about getting a degree and graduating, hoping to find a job with that degree. It was about making friendships and connections in order to fulfill my dreams and achieve what I really want in my life.
I do truly believe that if I ever do have an amazing opportunity of getting an internship at a company, and excel my performance there to getting a full time offer, it would be because of all the networking college has built me to do. Even through my one semester of college, there were so many opportunities such as Career Fairs and events that my organizations held with the alumnis that benefited me greatly to building the person I am today.
My organization, ABSA (Asian Business Student Association) hands out so many events such as the “Personal Branding” event that was on November 7th, in order to help business students appeal to the companies more when we speak to them. I remember vividly how at first, I was a nervous wreck, not knowing what to say to the people that came out during the Career Fair. My head spun with millions of questions: what to ask, how to talk, how to appeal myself from all the other students that also attended the fair. But the week before I attended the Career Fair, I went to an event the ABSA held, Ask Alumni. Here, past alumnis came to help us how to talk to the people from different companies, how to appeal ourselves, and many great tips on things such as fixing our resumes. Thanks to the event, I was able to be less nervous at the Career Fair and be more confident in what I was about to present. I became more fearless and determined in appealing myself to the people, and the more confident I was, the more that person could see that.
The Career Fair itself was also a great opportunity for me to meet new people and network with them. Although it was my first time experiencing an event with such professional workers, I was able to still talk to them and get to know them, even if I wasn’t offered an internship at that time. I was satisfied with getting to talk to them, and hopefully they will be able to remember me next semester as someone that was very devoted and passionately driven in getting an internship at their company. The first Career Fair let me adjust and get a knowledge of how they were like, and gain experience, so that next time, I would be more comfortable in the setting.
I already love all these opportunities my university is offering for me along with the other students just like me. All these events and opportunities are like stairs for me. The more steps (opportunities and resources) I take advantage of, the closer I get to the top. Even the Volunteer Fair helped me tremendously because even though volunteering isn’t the same as getting an internship, it’s another great chance to meet new people, network with them, and volunteer with them as well. I began to see that it will only help me get into a higher place, making my resume filled with more information that will appeal to the companies. And being able to talk to these people, not only can I ask questions and advices, but we can really connect as we talk. And the better impression I have on people, the more opportunities I would receive in reaching my goal. That’s getting one step closer to my goal, that will soon not feel that far anymore. In the end, when I look back, to my experience in college, some would be good, like having fun times with friends, and some will be bad, cramming last minute for an exam that was supposedly super hard. However, I would smile back to all the events I went to, how much I participated in everything I can, how much I gave all my time and effort in growing myself as a better person, and how all this networking helped me stand where I am now. I would be proud of myself for becoming such a committed person, being prepared for the next challenge in my life.