For Scholarship - Personal Statement Example

He used to vanish to the back of the shop in the afternoon for a meal and would come back in sharp fifteen minutes. He was extremely punctual with his schedule and was rarely absent from the shop. By the time I was a teenager, his business had flourished and expanded to different parts of the city. His qualities of determination, sincerity, integrity, and humble way of dealing with people had contributed in the success of his social, professional, and personal life. I was in awe of this person. He was a ‘Jackie Chan’ for me. All his qualities shaped my passion for business as I realized that success in business not only needs intelligence but also need leadership qualities, and drive to bring together people and motivate them to work towards a single goal. This is where my journey towards achieving specialization in business began.

            My observation had taught me that success in business is possible only when a person has people skills. This lesson made me learn different skills and work in a team environment. I took every opportunity that provided me with experience of working in new fields and handling new responsibilities. My experience as a teaching assistant with ‘God Gifted Art Group’ taught me a lot about people from a disadvantageous psychological condition. Helping autistic children, planning activities for them, and researching and planning marketing for the Group needed not only creativity, fresh perspective, and maturity, but also a lot of patience. This experience taught me that the world is full of people who are different than you in many respects. It also taught me how to deal with people from different social, cultural, and educational backgrounds. My next job at Xing Hua Accounting Firm in Beijing gave me a totally different experience as it was all about handling the responsibilities of the financial department, where I learned how to maintain the financial responsibilities of a company. However, what really changed my life was my journey to the United States, which opened a whole new door for fulfilling my ultimate dream of becoming a leader in the field of business.

            I am in the Advanced Honor Program at the University of Buffalo. This program is a doorway to achieve my goal of being a business leader. To make myself completely capable of handling the responsibilities of a business leader, I involved myself with the ‘Alpha Kappa Psi’ as an executive administrator. This responsibility enhanced my innate organizational, management, and people skills. This is a platform where I interact with people from different cultures and professional statuses and hence, get to learn how to be a ‘global’ person. My education in the US has helped me to adapt to a new environment, culture, language, and lifestyle. It is only when a person leaves the comfort of his home that he truly becomes a multi-dimensional human being. With the help of my peers and teachers, I adapted well to the new environment and in fact, I am enjoying the new ‘home.’ Also, my experience at ‘Alpha Kappa Psi’ has helped me to explore all the leadership qualities that I have, and has made me a confident person. Hence, I want to pursue my dream of getting a degree in business.

The opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming a business leader is available through the degree of ‘Bachelor of Science in Business Administration,’ from the University of Buffalo. However, being an international student from China, I need financial assistance to study in the US. I am hoping to get that assistance through the John G. and Elizabeth Gibbons Scholarship. I am confident that if given an opportunity, I will make the best of it and through my achievements, will become an inspiration for young people around me, the way the shopkeeper from my hometown in China had become an inspiration for me.