What Makes Me “Me”, Essay Example

A man’s personality is shaped by his genetic potential, the environment in which he grows up, parental guidance and the way he is imparted his education. I was born in Iran, which despite its rich culture and historical past, has stayed a bit off-track from rest of the world in the last few decades of the twentieth century. I was the last child of my parents and therefore had my elder brothers and sisters to watch and emulate. My parents are enlightened individuals who raised their kids in the most appropriate manner, with traditional religious values interspersed with modernity in thought as well as action.

Despite the heavy influence of my elder siblings, I always had an independent streak in me which allowed me to be fiercely adventurous in thought as well as action. A car was my favorite toy as a child and as a teenager I was greatly fascinated by motor sports, which I saw on the television. My father bought me a go kart which I enjoyed riding thoroughly. Though not popular in my native country, I always wished to partake in motor sports somewhere else in the world. With this single minded devotion, which enraptured me during early teens, I started participating in small events in my locality where I and a few friends raced on their personal cars. After this I started participating in professional racing and although I did not win any title, my kart was admired for completing a lap in the fastest time which was due to the modifications in the engine which I carried out myself. This continued for a year or two until I was involved in a serious accident in which I escaped with only minor injuries. This was a wakeup call for my parents who forbid all such activities and asked me to concentrate on academics and finish school before I could consider any ambitious aspirations of becoming a racer. I complied with their directions and concentrated on my studies. But I always felt restricted from within and when I saw life in the United States on television, I always aspired to move there and get myself the best education this world had to offer. I decided to move to the USA when I attained the age of sixteen and although my parents were reluctant to allow me to do so, they complied with my wish and I was allowed to move to the United States to complete higher education. I left Iran with a heavy heart as I started missing my family and the safe haven of my home right at the juncture when I was about to board a flight to America, the land of my dreams. I was feeling very anxious on the flight and was almost panic struck at the idea of living alone in a new land with a culture entirely different from my own. But as I nurtured the ambition to achieve something in life I was excited and fully confident of my ability to carry on with my life as a student, and later as a professional engineer. I moved to Plano in Texas where I pursued my studies and am now a senior at Plano West Senior High School. I have a good academic record throughout my student life and my present OGPA is 3.60/4.00. In addition I possess a good physique and am quite active in sports. I play soccer and represent my school team in local tournaments.

Personally, I feel that I have a creative mind as my thought process is always directed towards discovering and inventing new things, especially anything connected with an engine which fascinates me thoroughly. Designing new engines and cars is my passion and I read a lot about the latest inventions in magazines and the internet. Physics is my pet subject at school and I never miss a class and thoroughly enjoy the lectures from my able and respected teachers. I follow all the major motor sports activities around the world which include formula racing as well car rallies and dirt track racing. I watch motorcycle as well as car races on the television and always enjoy the thrill at the finish line, although I know that somebody else is driving the car, and not me. I dream of building my own racing car someday and race along with the professionals, although it seems very farfetched and ambitious at this stage of my life.

Despite my unique cultural background and different outlook on life, I have blended well into the American society and feel quite at home with my American friends. American society is a great blend of people from different ethnicities and religious backgrounds who live together in a modern mutual relationship. This great country has a rich cultural heritage and offers unique opportunities to everybody and one can make or mar one’s career depending upon the qualities one possesses from within. I work passionately for whatever is my immediate target, in my educational pursuits as well as social interactions. The experiences in my native country have inculcated in me the qualities of hard work, perseverance, passion and responsibility. I aim at working hard throughout in life and do something productive for myself as well as the society in which I live. I feel that a person must leave an indelible impression on the face of earth so that he is remembered for his contributions by the following generations.

If granted the scholarship, I intend to thoroughly reciprocate the honor bestowed on me and work with renewed passion to fulfill the targets set forth before me. I aim to excel academically and increase my knowledge under the guidance of professional teachers and subject experts. Given the opportunity I will fully try to keep up with the academic and practical tasks I am assigned. I am fully confident of my abilities and as I come from another country it is all the more important to prove myself and be a worthy son of my parents whom I intend to make proud of me in the future.