A Journey to the Mountain Peak - Personal Statement Example

?Full A Journey to the Mountain Peak It is said that life is a journey and so I guess I have lived a life for I have a journey to talk about. A wise man once said that, “Mountains cannot be surmounted except by winding paths”. I have once looked up to great mountains and I sure have walked through winding paths. This story is not about having reached the zenith, it is more about how some mountains have been overcome and it is also regarding the continuing journey toward higher mountains. This is a story of a nameless and ordinary face one can find anywhere. It is a story of perseverance in the midst of trials and struggles. It is a story that is made wonderful by the challenges brought about in life that has molded this person into a strong and able individual. It is a common story. It could be your story, too. However, I like to narrate this story through how I have seen life through my eyes and my experiences. As a two year old, I did not understand the implication of the death of my father. Having lived a poverty-stricken life, my father suffered some physical ailments which he was not even aware of. He did not have the ability to bring himself to the hospital so that no one even knew what he was suffering from. For lack of resources, my mother had to attend to my father’s needs only to ease his pains before his death. As a child, I saw my mother’s sufferings, crying as she spoke to my father, pleading to him to get well very soon. For me, those were nothing. I cried with my mother simply because she was crying but I never understood that behind the sufferings and impending death of my father, my mother was thinking about how she was to raise three young children. When my father finally died, my mother howled. I can still vaguely remember my mother weeping beside my father’s cadaver. She was inconsolable. My uncles and aunts tried to comfort her but their efforts were all in vain. I guess my mother only stopped when she finally got tired and had no more energy to weep for her beloved husband. I guess I could say that one of the biggest mountains that I have been through is the death of my father. As I mentioned earlier, I did not understand very well the things that were happening then however, I have suffered the consequences with my family. We have always been in want. My mother tried some menial jobs and the food was not always enough. Also, my education together with my siblings’, were always at risk because mother was almost always ready to give up on us when times get really tough. As I grew older and as I begun to understand the death of my father and our sufferings, I came to appreciate my mother and decide to do everything in my power to help my mother out of the poverty we have been bound to. Thankfully, I have an uncle who made it his personal goal to help my mother raise her children. He was a kind person, working more hours and managing his resources well in order for him to be able to help us not only financially but also with his kind words, encouragement and quality time with us. My uncle believed in our capabilities. He always mentioned about our poverty not to make us feel bad but to challenge us. He always found time to support me and my siblings to study well despite our situation because he claimed it is the only key available to us to open doors for better opportunities. I still remember him saying that we have so many things which can make us succeed which are not even present among rich and famous people. I learned from my uncle that at such trying times, the inner characteristics of a man are put to a test and the fiery trials are what bring out the best in him. I looked up to my uncle as a wise counselor and a model. Looking back, I think I did well in trusting him because in times of great challenges, his words often rang in my head and my heart. Therefore, I guess it is but right and fair for me to say that it was my uncle who made life easier and let me see that the death of my father was not a fated curse on us but an opportunity for me and my siblings to become stronger and better persons. Indeed, we have suffered a lot which might not have been so if my father did not get sick and die early. I think our lives would have been better if our father was there to support us financially, emotionally and psychologically. Nevertheless, that was not the case and we did suffer a lot. However, despite everything, I could say that after we have been through the hot furnace, my siblings and I have come out to be real gems out of the ore. Due to the perseverance our uncle showed in helping us, I was strongly influenced by his graciousness. I made it a point to do well in my studies to give justice to the hard labors of my mother and my uncle who have always been there for us. Consequently, due to my good performances in school, I received a scholarship for King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. Having heard a lot of times the encouragements and challenges of my uncle and his friends for me to move out from the small island we lived in so I can have a better life, I grabbed the opportunity. During that time, I was hesitant because I never went outside my hometown. I was never separated from my mother and so it was quite scary to think about life without my mother and uncle supporting me, who were always available anytime I needed them. Nevertheless, my uncle’s persistent guidance finally made me give in and tell myself to be strong in the new chapter of my life that I was about to face. College life never seemed interesting to me. On hindsight, I am thankful that I have overcome my fears and doubts which led to my journey to King Fahd University. I enjoyed my studies there and I learned a lot of things. True enough, opportunities started opening doors for me. I have come to the United States to study which is a rare opportunity for most international students. Presently, I want to pursue Mechanical Engineering in America because firstly, an American education can make me more employable. Secondly, mechanical engineers are much needed in my country and they are highly paid. Thirdly, engineers are highly respected. The three aforementioned benefits of my education have always been unreachable and impossible for me as an individual who came from a poor family from a small island in Saudi Arabia. Nothing could have been expected of me but thanks to people who believed in me and my abilities, I have come a long way, far beyond my expectations. It is my hope that in the near future, I would be able to be employed in my own country so that I can also have the chance to pay back the people who have always been there, ready to help without expecting anything in return. I want to repay my uncle for his goodness and my mother for her strength and courage to carry on life despite the difficulties we have been through. Also I would like to show my gratitude to my country for giving me the chance to study at one of her respected universities. As I look to greater mountains and feel daunted at times, I remember the winding paths I have walked through and become strengthened again. The road may still be long and hard but I believe that as I have overcome so many obstacles in life, I still can overcome more. Read More