Essay Example on My Background: A Tale of Domestic Violence and Renewal

My background nurtured my perception and development in my career. Originating from South Korea, I lived with my parents as well as the extended family members, great-grandmothers, and grandparents to uncles and aunts, but later moved to Seoul with my parents. We lived happily as a family until when things turned ugly, tension and aggression became the order of the day and I became a victim of domestic violence. My father, whose alcoholism caused mayhem every time he arrived home, made my mother the casualty of that chaos. A few moments before my father came home, drank, my mother could lure me to play hide and seek. She used to hide me in the closet to keep me away from witnessing the violence that could emotionally affect my nurturing. Indeed, my mother did her best to protect me from my father's violence. I was fibbed that the longer I stayed in the closet the higher the chances for me to win the game, but the time came when I was tired of staying inside the closet. My mother's screams and cries could be heard from the closet, and I had to come out and seek for her. Out of the closet, I met sorrow. At my first sight, I saw scattered clothes, broken dishes, and bowls all over the room. My mother's tears mixed with blood on her face and wetting her shirt and pants. The torment I witnessed that day was unbearable for a five-year-old boy, who was supposed to have fun with his fellow friends, playing in the playground. It was a distressing experience, but eventually, my parents divorced, a few months before I turned six.

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Life took a fresh turn. My grandparents to the custody of me, though they were suffering from speech problems since It was agonizing to endure such loneliness and loss that came with parents' divorce. I had to stay together with my great-grandmother, grandparents, mom, and uncles and aunts. I at least appreciated the loved they gave me despite my parent's divorce. However, my psychological torment was not over as I gave up on talking to people, and escalated to the extent of affecting my interaction with others in the kindergarten; I ended up being bullied. But my family support was adamant in supporting me; they offered me the unconditional attention, and love. I was encouraged to play soccer, an activity that helped me out of the abyss of despair both at home and kindergarten.

Despite all fallbacks, I endured with my passion, thanks to my family support. Regardless of my speech disorder, my family emotional, moral and basic support was perpetual and valuable. The sadness and despair in my heart were filled by the family's happiness, comfort, affection, and love which replaced. Also, my passion for soccer kept on budding since I was in the first grade of elementary school, as it played a significant role in relieving my mind from stressful feeling. I began to treasure soccer more than any activity as it gave me happiness while I continued to score more goals. I poured everything out of myself when playing on the field. Later I joined a professional team where I had an opportunity to learn more about soccer and participating in major tournaments. My team depended on me as it was as easy for me to build my career through the tournaments. Later on, I had a knee injury month before I joined a middle school, ahead of the tournament that would be watched by many Scouters. It was a loss for me and the team. As much as I had invested a lot of energy, time, and effort in nurturing my prowess in soccer, such an admirable opportunity that could change soccer career as a player had to slip in between my fingers, it was upsetting.

Confusion and disbelieve characterized my emotions, and I could barely concentrate on my studies. Then I came across a captivating article by the soccer journalist that induced a lot of energy in my spirit. The story on the article similarly resembles mine, the narrator dreamt of becoming a professional soccer player, and he had to dessert his ambitious, due to a serious injury that cut his Achilles tendon just before he went to high school, despite his outstanding soccer skills. Similar to the confusion that I experienced, he realized that his love was not only on soccer but on the soccer itself. The article was motivating and I got rejuvenated by live the driving force behind him to become a soccer journalist today. His experience was striking to me. I considered that since I am incapable of building my career as a soccer player due to the long-term injury, I should not give up and hate soccer completely, and I also ultimately decided to pave my career path as a sports agent.

The journey to my career began with a new twist by seeking greener pastures. To become a sports agent, I first began to learn English. Due to the little potential of sports marketing and management in Korea, and very slow for development, I decided to settle in the U.S as the breed my career. The first qualification to get to the US was to acquire skills to speak their language. I had to study in the Philippines where my grandfather was doing business. It was a challenge becoming an immigrant at a tender age of 16-year-old since it was not easy to adjust to life away from the mother country. Without a caring parent, who can communicate in English, I had to endure the challenge to solve everything by myself.

Three and a half years I have been in the Philippines, served as nourishment for me to live alone in the United States, but I was not that easy from the start. It took a long time to fully understand the classes as well as the class homework since I had never taken the class in English. To get the average score on the test, I had to spend twice or three times the time spent by other students. Even with that much effort, I often failed the exam. But I never gave up, not even once. Especially when I understood how much I wished to be a sports agent, something that I will make me happy when I practice, I kept moving forward without hesitation in the face of any difficulties. I graduated, from the 12th-grade while I was still the captain in the school soccer team, besides having experienced being a member of the school's student council for two consecutive years, serving my best for the school and community. Three and a half years in the Philippines was not just a time for me to learn the language of English, but a time to test and develop myself. Through my relationship with students and teachers from thirteen different countries, I was able to reflect on who I am and what I could share with other people, and once again gave me confidence that my career confirming that I was on the right track. Experiences in the international school gave me a broad mind to recognize that I am not necessarily different from people and to understand more people through exchanges and convergence of other cultures.

My present situation, now that I have decided on becoming the sports agent, I thought to have advanced experience in what I would do in the field of practice. Last year, my high school offered me an internship opportunity as the newspaper reported that distributed newspaper in Gangnam, South Korea. The work that I am doing up to today, it has provided me with the background perspective of what I expect ahead and how I can improve and prepare myself for the future as an aspiring sports agent. While working as a reporter for the sports department, I mainly focused on the 2018 World Cup, alongside the 2018 Asian Games, and the 2019 U-20 World Cup. I tried to adapt to a habit of beginning successful sports agent analyzing and organizing my players and coaches, country-specific tactics, and other related critical information. The experience also provides me with an opening to meet people who were working as sports agents in Korea and interviewing them about their work and job satisfaction. The sincere advice and encouragement that I get when meeting different sports personality face to face gave me a lot of motivation. I am optimistic about the experience I get while working as an intern reporter; it develops my opportunity and passion to work as a sports journalist in the future.

I have realized that Columbia University and I possess a common vision. As one of the best university in the U.S, Columbia University goes beyond the limits of nurturing by exceeding expectations. As an ambitious sports journalist, I believe that the university has an ideal environment and community that understands what it takes for one to become renown, a prosperous and professional sports journalist. I believe that School of General Studies (GS) of Columbia University is the best choice for me because I will be able to study for the future while working part-time at the same time, earning cash to meet minimum living expenses, and also allow me to go to the Korean military to fulfill my mandatory military service in the middle of the year. The GS values offer scholars with the opportunity to develop and grow personally, intellectually, socially and culturally.

Columbia University meets my criteria as a nontraditional student due to its cultural diversity. The university has earned a reputation of having the celebrated and respected professors in different fields, and it has attracted students from different parts of the world who have equally desired of excelling in their careers. As a non-traditional student, I am attracted by the experience of motivation and inspiration that I will get from studying, communicating, and interacting with the certified professors and students from similar fields as well as others as we mutually work in the society. I expect a win-win relationship not only from school but also in my life. The systematic and delicate activation of the Colombian community will give me a distinct sense of belonging and I do not doubt that I get much help to adapt to school and meet new people.

As a diversity seeker, I believe my experience in international high school taught me how to approach other colleagues culturally and humanely and to maintain a healthy relationship with them, therefore making me a suitable student to get along with diversity that is encouraged at Columbia University. I like challenges since through that I learn my strength as well as weaknesses which I always strengthen. I believe that competing with other students who are more mentally and academically superior than me; will encourage me to move from my comfort zones, limitation, and failures. Instead, I am certain that I will get encouraged and focused to face my fears and accomplish my desires. I will gain strength and standup to archive my outstanding career milestones.