Who You Are Matters

I come from suburbia about 25 minutes East of Seattle, WA. I have bounced around from neighborhood to neighborhood throughout my life but have always stayed in the same general area. Growing up in a small neighborhood near a big city allowed me to develop a tight knit group of friends in my community. On top of that, since I went to private school, I was also allowed to broaden my horizons by befriending my classmates that lived farther away. Coming to SC was the first major change in my life. Living in a brand new place with none of my friends was very daunting at the time. However, USC has given me the tools through networking and my recent study abroad program to go down whichever path I want in the future. Studying abroad in Budapest this past semester has inspired me to one-day work abroad, ideally in some place that has a lot of industry and speaks English such as London. I became accustomed to the European standard of living abroad and wish to go back to experience that again. Fortunately, USC encourages experiences like this and provide excellent services that I can take advantage of to one-day work abroad. It could be right after graduation or it could be a few years down the line for a big company, but either way USC will help set me up for that path. 

            Throughout my life, my parents have consistently been my role models. They have worked so hard to be able to send my sister and I to USC and provide for us. Therefore, I take a lot of personality traits from my parents. Particularly I have a more laid back attitude which I get from my dad while my critical thinking comes from my mom. However, I believe that I am a lot more adventurous than my parents, which is because I am a product of my environment. Growing up in the 21^st century has allowed me to experience much more and has allowed me to travel to some amazing places at such a young age.  Because my parents have been so influential in my life I feel that often the expectations I make for myself are those that they wish I achieve.

            Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I was constantly surrounded by nature. Often I would wake up and see a mama black bear and her cubs in my yard, which always meant I had to play inside that day. I became very connected with these animals because they are truly beautiful creatures and I feel that often they are misrepresented as savage man eating beasts, despite being generally easily frightened. Going further with nature, I remember one summer in 5^th grade when my buddies and I built a tree house in the swamplands behind my house. That whole summer I became very connected with that tree as it provided us with an immeasurable amount of hours of enjoyment.