"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." Oscar Wilde

I know that today’s society usually associates lawyers more with the latter half of the above quote than the former, but never the less I hope to become a lawyer myself, and in so doing, help change public perception of the profession one client at a time. My road to the law has not been a smooth one, but every rut and pothole along the way has been essential in helping me mature as a student, and as a person...

I was born into a traditional Middle Eastern family where the man is the head of the household and all major decisions first go through him. As a young woman learning to adapt to American cultural norms, it was difficult for me to balance the input I was getting at home with the messages I received daily from the world around me. Even my college major, architecture, was chosen by my father so that I could follow in his footsteps...

Growing up in America the son of Indian parents, I never felt truly American or Indian. I spoke Hindi at home, but was educated in English so I had difficulty with both languages; being fluent in spoken Hindi, but unable to write it, and being able to write in English, but hesitant to speak it. I felt like an outsider, not fully embraced by either culture and so left to drift in this netherworld between the two...

"A diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the person perfected without trials." -- Chinese Proverb

The truth of this proverb has only become clear to me in the past few years as I have had to grow and mature at an accelerated rate due to the misfortunes of my family and my own increasing drive to ensure that I arm myself with the tools to build a stable career that will stimulate my mind, while also benefiting society at large. As a youth growing up in California, I had very few concerns and much was taken care of for me...

Sometimes fiercely competitive friendships can push you towards successes you never would have dreamed possible on your own. I have one such friend who pushes me to do better. Her name is Mary and we grew up together in Thailand. The academic system in Thailand is very different from that in the U.S.: there are so few openings in the universities for new college students that ever year thousands sit for the entrance exams, all desperate to pass after months or even years of fevered preparation, only to see their hopes of furthering their education dashed forever by less than adequate scores...

Being raised in a family of high achievers is wonderful in many ways, but there are occasions when it can actually be a draw back. My father is from China and he is a genius. A real genius: not just a smart guy, but an off the charts genius. He got into graduate school in the United States at 18 and has devoted his life to being a dedicated mathematician ever since. My mother, an American, is no slouch herself with a MD and a successful career as an Pediatrician...

“What I believe I should have and can have is what I will have” -- (anonymous)

The meaning of the quote pasted above is only now beginning to become clear to me. There have been times in my life that I didn’t have the confidence to believe that I could succeed in anything I set my mind to. Through much effort I have now come to a place where I know that no goal is too lofty, and this is why I am now applying to ____ School of Law...

I often wonder what kind of career I would be driven to pursue of events in my life had not transpired as they did. Perhaps I would take my love of cooking to the next step and be pursuing culinary school right now rather than applying to law school with the ultimate goal of becoming a prosecutor on the horizon. You can’t, however, change the past, and at least I can be grateful that I have been spurred on in a positive direction from the tragic events that changed my family forever...

We didn’t have great seats, we weren’t the best looking family in the crowd, and there certainly wasn’t anything glamorous about our hand-me-down clothes, but when I think about the minor league baseball games my parents used to take my 6 siblings and me to every week, I recall that these outings were the most magical and exciting events in my life, and I wouldn’t have traded places with the richest kid in America if it meant I would miss them...

The prospect of law school that so many students ponder has always been a certainty to me rather than a possibility. I devoted my undergraduate course work towards the task of acquiring admissions into Law School, and my professional career towards attending Business School. As a finance major, I quickly realized how nicely the knowledge of law and finance complemented each other...