In my family, I am considered a pioneer. I was the very first one to receive an academic scholarship to a university. My relatives are all hard-working in their various pursuits, but I am the first to have my grades and academic performance earn my way to college. My parents deserve a great deal of the credit, because they have always emphasized the importance of working hard to get an excellent education because of the doors that it would open for me.
During my first two years of study, I have pursued the beginnings of an engineering major, but I have also learned a tremendous amount culturally and socially. I have met people whom I would never have encountered had I not come to college. My family has always been proud of our heritage, and life on a university campus has exposed me to a completely new level of diversity.
As part of my growth as a person and a student, I am applying to study at INSERT UNIVERSITY HERE in Australia during my junior year. My only exposure to the amazing culture Down Under has come from television shows and movies, as well as what I have read. There are many opportunities to meet new people and learn new traditions all over the world, but Australia would be truly unique in comparison to the places where I have already been.
Growing up as a Hispanic in the United States, I have experienced what it is like to be “underrepresented.” When I turn on the television, I don’t see a lot of Hispanics at all, unless I stick to the Spanish-language stations. When I go to stores, I feel like I’m the only member of a minority there, unless I go shopping in my old neighborhood. When I attend academic competitions, I don't see a lot of people who look like me either. On the one hand, this has motivated me, so that I represent my heritage and my family well, and so that I serve as motivation to other Hispanics to excel as well. The opportunity to spend a year studying in Australia would truly be a dream come true. The engineering program at INSERT UNIVERSITY HERE has a superior reputation, and having the chance to learn in such a culturally different environment would be truly rewarding.
In addition to my excellent academic record thus far at college, there are other benefits I would bring to your campus. In school, I have always been diligent and hard-working, but I also have a terrific sense of humor, and I am an extremely loyal friend. I will bring the very best of my entire family with me when I come to spend a year studying at INSERT UNIVERSITY HERE.
