<p>Can you guys please critique my first UC personal statement? Pleases and Thanks!</p>
<p>Herm. For some reason, it refuses to indent. Well, at least it doesn’t show up on my preview of this page ._. sorry for the inconvenience! </p>
<p>Prompt #1: Describe the world you come from for example, your family,
community or school and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams
and aspirations.</p>
<pre><code> Standing at the top of Echo Mountain and gazing down upon the bright lights that dotted the San Gabriel Valley, I filled my lungs with the cool, night mountain air as she swept into my arms and spun me around in circles. Whistling playfully, she tugged at my shirt, gently pulling me this way and that, earning a bemused smile from a very affectionate young boy. The trees and bushes, caught up in her dance, swayed and rustled as she glided through them. I played the role of the spectator, sitting by and enjoying the feel of her fleeting embrace as she carried away my worries. Whatever she took from me, however, she replaced with hope, with peace, and with imagination.
This has always been my relationship with the wind; as long as I can remember, she has played a prominent role in my life. Though I have never been able to completely understand her, she has always been there lifting my kite beyond the clouds or merely giving me a cool pat on the back after a refreshing swim. When I was young, I aspired to be a pilot and to ride on the wings of what seemed to be an angel. As I matured, the naivety left me but the sentimentality remained; if nothing else, scientific understanding has presented me with a newfound respect for wind and its role in nature. This, of course, has prompted the question, In what ways can I present wind as something more than just the gentle kiss on our cheeks or the quiet whistling through a canyon? Strangely, the answer called to me from a single picture I saw while in middle school.
Taken in Germany, the shot depicted a row of tall, majestic towers rising out of the sea and over a blanket of thick fog. These towers, equipped with massive rotating blades, generate almost a third of the wind energy in the world; they were, of course, wind turbines. In a world of rapidly depleting resources, the towers rose above the problems and presented a solution to the worlds energy crisis. My life, like most others in developed counties, relies heavily upon electricity and the steady flow of energy. Without it, most of our technological advances would be rendered useless and our lifestyles would be thrown to the wind. To my generation of technology junkies, the lack of electricity would be inconceivable. But it isnt just my love for the wind, however, that drives me to my goal of being an engineer; a part must be attributed to my love for nature itself.
Born to a traditional Chinese family, I was raised with the teachings of old Chinese philosophers: Zhuangzi, Kongzi (Confucius), Laozi (Lao Tzu). Chinese culture draws heavily upon nature, both in philosophy and religion. With the belief that Man and Nature are inseparable, I matured with a deep reverence for the wilderness. I was taught to respect it, to learn from it, to find myself within it.
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<p>To augment my love for nature, I had the good fortune of living within six miles of the base of the San Gabriel Mountains; I spend a great deal of my weekends immersed in the forests overlooking my home of Los Angeles. Everything west of the mountains, however, is a testament to humanitys capacity for destruction. From above Mt. Wilson, one can easily observe a thick, massive halo of smog hanging above the City of Angels, Los Angeles. The irony isnt lost on me.<br>
As such, I have decided to contribute to preserving the pristine beauty of the land; with that goal in mind, I have worked towards taking part in the development of wind power as a Mechanical Engineer. Focusing heavily on Mathematics and Science, Ive taken as many Honors and AP science and math classes as my school offered. Though the road toward my goal is a long, steep climb, I have decided to sling my rucksack over my back and continue my trek. Of course, at the end of my road ascends a tall ivory tower - one that will allow us to work side by side with the wind.</p>