Personal Statement
When thinking about my life and the experiences that have led up to who I am today, I can safely say I consider myself extremely fortunate. There are several reasons why I have decided to pursue a career in business; both my personal and professional experience, in addition to my own wishes, have brought me to this point. From my birth, to my own accomplishments, and especially my volunteer and paid work, I have been ardently striving toward an accomplished career in business. As I consider my path towards an MBA, I believe that Newcastle University would be the ideal institution for me to continue my education. I pride myself on my hard work and dedication to my responsibilities, meaning that it is my sincerest hope to take advantage of Newcastle’s superb MBA program and experienced faculty to help achieve my goal of expanding my family’s business and helping it grow into something of which I can be proud.
As a third-generation child of immigrants coming to America, I feel as though I have a great deal of experience dealing with diversity and the challenges that come with it. Growing up with first-generation grandparents, I heard so many stories about the sacrifices they made in order to get to this country; this made me deeply appreciate what they did for myself and my parents. My parents also had their own troubles and conflicts, which they leveraged into hard work and dedication, starting a business that has since grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise which we are all very proud of. Of course, with assimilation comes many different challenges and culture clashes, all of which I learned to handle appropriately after some missteps. America itself has a number of varying cultures, with distinct languages, who need to learn to get along and communicate; this is where I derived most of my own skills in working with others. Growing up with this sense of diversity left me with a clear set of skills in interpersonal and international communication, which I think is a substantial addition to my own business skill set. No matter where I am, I work hard to be easy to get along with and highly personable; this often helps me in my business and personal lives, and I believe will contribute to a great experience at Newcastle.
When juggling American culture and that of my home country, I discovered a delicate balance that could be maintained between East-West relations, and I want to expand my family’s company into foreign regions with the help of this experience. Our company is absolutely ready to grow into the international market, and a thorough understanding of world economics and trade is needed in order to succeed at these efforts. I believe this sense of foreign relations can be perfected with the training and expertise I could receive in a reputable MBA program such as is found in Newcastle University.
Business has always been a large point of interest for me; I try my hardest to keep up with current business and finance news every single day, whether on cable news or in written publications. I quite enjoy learning about how the economies of this world function, both locally and internationally, and I wish to make my own contributions to the market that controls and supervises these myriad forces. I am especially interested in the phenomenon of corporate buyouts and takeovers; the back and forth between organizations for market dominance has a competitiveness to it I greatly admire. I like to think that the competition between businesses is Darwinian, and making it in the marketplace is a matter of survival of the fittest; it is my sincere position that knowing the factors that often bring about these takeovers may lead to more efficient maintenance of a company and an economy, which is how I intend to use the knowledge gained from the MBA program at Newcastle University.
Even at my young age, I have had almost a lifetime’s worth of experience in business, being involved with my family’s successful company, which has itself diversified into a great many fields, including textiles, construction and financial services. They built this company from the ground up almost immediately after moving to America, and these past decades have seen it grow immensely, to the pride of the entire family. It quickly became a family business, one which we worked hard to protect. While I got my primary school education, my parents asked me to merely focus on my schoolwork, as I had to make certain I got a quality education; however, I wished to help out with the business. While they were a bit apprehensive and thought that I would not be as dedicated with my studies, they eventually gave in and let me jump into the world of business. I started working there as early as my teen years, working my way up the company’s ranks on merit; my parents were kind and generous enough to give me the chance to work for their company, but I quickly learned that I had to earn it. Luckily, with this chance, I was able to watch the business build from the ground up, something I am extremely grateful for to this day. I am not the kind of person who takes opportunities for granted, nor do I believe that I should not work for everything I have. To that end, I have put years of sweat and work into the operation of this company, and I want to give both it and myself the greatest chance of succeeding.
In addition to my business experience, I have a great number of extracurricular activities I very much enjoy. I started playing golf at the age of five, having been taught by my father, who is an avid golfer himself. Because of his experience and my love of the game, I quickly grew into a rather skilled golfer, and have won numerous championships since then. I still play golf to this day, and the sport affords me the ability to stay physically fit, network with other business partners and colleagues, as well as cultivate a sense of focus and discipline that I believe serves me well in my work. I am really physically active, and I go to the gym several days a week trying to keep my body in tiptop shape. I adore swimming, and sometimes find it a good way to relax and deal with work-related stress; much of my extra time is spent at the pool and the gym. Apart from physical activity, I also like reading, primarily nonfiction and history. I also take independent lessons for languages and business, and learning how to cook healthy and complex dishes; I find cooking in particular very therapeutic. It is absolutely vital for me to do everything I set my mind to with full commitment, which is why I try so many things and dedicate so much time and energy to them. Nothing valuable comes out of a job that is half done, or an activity that is only given so much of your attention.
At the tender age of 29, I have already achieved more than some have achieved in a lifetime; I currently handle a company worth over $150 million USD, and I have been granted tremendous responsibilities and privileges as a result of this position. I say this not out of arrogance, but a genuine sense of pride and gratitude for the privileges and chances I have been given. However, I strongly believe that I would not be where I was today if I did not capitalize on those chances as much as I could, which is why I always strive to do better. No matter how secure or comfortable I get in my current position, there are always ways to improve; I am committed to expand my knowledge and skills to best serve my family’s company, which is why I am seeking an MBA from Newcastle University. If I were to be granted the chance to complete this MBA program, myself and the company I work for would benefit from having the highest quality business education available, thus securing and improving the livelihoods of more than just myself.
