A Way to Success
Many
people have impacted me and changed who I am; because of these influential
people, I better understand my own process of socialization and its effect on
my future career. Helping me to become a mature individual, they teach me necessary
life lessons and grant me the courage to express my own ideas and follow my own
path. Ritu Ghatourey once said, “Some people come into your life for a
SEASON. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach
you something you have never done. But only for a season.” Surrounding friends, family, teachers, and community elders
shape me into who I am today. Even though they are not with me on a daily basis,
the days we share have left a lasting impact on my development. Without their
presence in my life, I would have become an ignorant and immature person who did
not possess the ability to make the right decisions for himself and his future.
One family member who has shaped part of me and taught me how I should pursue
my future career is my cousin Arthur Kuan, whose experiences shaped who he is and
continue to influence me as I become a mature and confident person.
With
his early life, Arthur Kuan demonstrated the initiation of his development into
a person who shows confidence in his character. Born in 1989, he became a
successful person early on in life. When he was about 9 years old, he
questioned himself, “Why do people have to grow up?” and “What’s the meaning of
life?" With those deep questions, he started to search for the answers as
he grew up. In 6th grade, his parents filed for divorce. The divorce did not
impact Arthur too much, “because [he] was little back then, [he] did not know
what was happening” (interview). His father won custody and Arthur went
to live with him. During that time, Arthur was passionate about science, and he
began to take science classes outside of school. When he was about 14 years
old, he started to conduct science experiments, such as observing small insects
and dissecting the parts of the insects under microscope. As he learned more
about science, he became more interested in biology. To explore his interest in
biology, he followed a mentor and began to work on additional science projects.
In his
high school years, Arthur moved to the United States without his family. Enrolling
at a boarding school, Stevenson School, he learned to become independent, which
helped him to become a more mature person. Throughout high school, he made
friends and socialized differently from when he was in Taiwan. He enjoyed attending
a boarding school and learning new things. Arthur did not forget about his
interests while he was in high school. He continued to pursue biology and performed
more experiments when he returned to Taiwan during his summer and winter breaks.
To able to prove himself as a knowledgeable person, he competed in an
international science fair and won second place in his category. With this
achievement, he gave many presentations to many passionate students who are
interested not only in biology, but also in other sciences. As he continued to
mature into an adult, he became more confident and successful.
Family members are the central impacting
force on how Arthur came to be who he is. After Arthur’s parents divorced when
he was 9 years old, his dad remarried when Arthur was in the 6th grade. Arthur's
father is the current CEO of Apple's Taiwan operations, and Arthur has an
younger sister and brother. Since Arthur was born into a wealthy family, he had
access to many resources and his “parents socialized [him] differently” (Conley
125). Since his father has accomplished many great things and set himself as a
good role model, Arthur tries to be gain achievement in his own ways. His
brother and sister try to follow their brother’s footsteps and to become as
successful as he is, creating a sphere of intra-influence within his family.
His grandparents are also key players in his success. Instilling ethics and
morals, and scolding him when his behavior required it, his grandparents taught
him to become successful today. Other than his grandparents, his aunts, uncles,
and parents have shared with him their personal experiences to ensure that he
learns from those and becomes a better person. His family helps him to
accomplish his goals, by strengthening his self confidence and offering him
moral support.
Understanding
his great achievements within the context of his educational background, we can
see how Arthur came to be the person he is today. Arthur was a good student throughout
his life. Attending elementary school and middle school in Taiwan, he listened
intently in his classes, and, full of curiosity, interacted with teachers to
gain as much knowledge as he could. In high school, he attended Stevenson School
in Carmel, California. Continuing his achievement, he gained admittance to the University
of Pennsylvania and graduated in three years. During his studies, he pursued double
majors in Biochemistry and Business. During the interview, I asked him “Why did
you choose to double major in business?” He answered, “Because business is
everywhere, and with biology and business combined, [he] can explore more and
work in a biotech company.” After graduating from UPenn, he took a gap year and
worked in a company. As he worked hard at his first job, he wanted to continue
his education, and he attended graduate school at Johns Hopkins University
online. With his educational attainment, Arthur has become a role model to many.
Arthur
is a confident and extroverted person; his confidence and extroversion may be
attributed the healthy self esteem he developed from accomplishing much from a
young age. He started his first business during his college year, an entrepreneurial
effort he launched after discerning a marketplace opportunity. At University of
Pennsylvania, he met his business partner, and they started to begin a small
business together, a pearl milk tea cafe in Pennsylvania. He started the
business in his senior year and gained a year's experience in running a
business. After he graduated from
UPenn, he started to work at different companies. Working at a biotechnology
company, he stayed in Shanghai for one year. Currently, he works at another
biotech company in Hong Kong while taking online courses at Johns Hopkins
University. Because Arthur started his own business in his senior year of
college, he inspires me to try as hard as he does when I pursue my career.
As a
young adult, Arthur encountered an obstacle, which helped him to realize the
importance of life and develop into a mature adult. In 2013, Arthur’s life
changed when his father was diagnosed with liver cancer. Fortunately, the
doctors could surgically address the cancer. However, because of the risky and
invasive nature of the surgery, Arthur and his grandparents were terrified. Hospitalized
for almost 6 months, his father could barely eat or hold Arthur's hand when
Arthur visited, and wished to return to work. Because the surgery impacted
Arthur greatly, he wanted “to show [his father] what a great son he has raised”
(interview). While his father was recovering in the hospital, Arthur decided to
work hard to demonstrate his ingrained work ethic to his father. Because his “father is [his] role model
and [he] wants to respect [his father] by working hard in Hong Kong”
(interview). The day my uncle, his father, recovered, Arthur returned to Hong
Kong to continue working hard at his current company . Even though his father
cannot see his own son, Arthur feels that working hard is the only way to show
his father respect.
My
uncle’s surgery impacted not only on his own children, but also other family
members. I was also affected by the surgery, which motivated me to work hard as
well. Since the day my uncle entered the hospital, family morale has been low. Lying
in his hospital bed, my uncle and his grave situation have saddened us, but
also motivated all of to be more mindful, grateful, and hardworking. Because of
my uncle’s surgery, I do not want to disappoint him as a family member. Even
though his surgery has worried us all, we have strived to become mature and
loving as a family.
Since
Arthur entered middle school, he had participated in science fairs to show his
interest in science. His enthusiasm for science and many science fair prizes
motivated me to garner my own achievements at science fair competitions. From a
young age, he has shown an interest in science and searched for mentors who
could help him learn more about his subjects of interest. Arthur is different from
other people; he conducts science experiments and creates projects to compete
in fairs not only for the awards but also to explore his own interests. Throughout
high school, he continued his science research overseas and continued to
communicate with his mentor. I asked him what motivated him to continue his science
projects, and he answered that it was “fun to explore and do research on a
certain topics that interest[him]” (interview). In his senior year of high
school, he competed in Intel Science Fair Competition and won second place in
his category of topics. With his many competitive science fair achievements, Arthur
had finally proved himself a great scientist. As he kept continuing his
education, he also participated in several college level science competitions.
With his
spirited inquiries and interesting hypotheses, Arthur is now a my role model; i
wish to also become a person who pursues his scientific interests with
confidence. After hearing of Arthur's recognition at the Intel Science Fair
Competition, I started to follow his footsteps by conducting my own science
research. He gave me the hope to keep exploring science and gave me the
motivation to compete in science fairs. With an interest in science that
mirrors my cousin's, I want to continue where he left off. Even though I do not
possess the same amount of experience as my cousin did, I continue to try my
best to pose questions and conduct research and experiments. I have competed in
science fairs and built on my experience. I realized the many ways in which I
could improve my communication skills and confidence. Arthur was one of the
people who influenced me to hone my scientific knowledge and skills.
All in all, with all his achievements and
experience, Arthur is a individual who deserves the respect and admiration of
others. His socialization has taught me how his environment and personal
influences worked together to shape him. Now, he is working as a great
scientist and businessman in Hong Kong, while I keep pursuing my interests and
following his footsteps to become as successful a person as my cousin. Because
Arthur is one of the people who has impacted parts of my life, I do not want to
disappoint him; therefore, I will keep working hard to become a successful,
confident adult who can one serve as a role model to others.
Interview
How old are you?
I'm 23 years old.
How did you feel when your parents were divorced?
I was too little. I didn't know what was going on.
When did you start to get interested in science?
I started to get interested when I was 9 years, when I first took a science class at my school.
When did you start doing science fair projects?
I started science fair when I was in middle school.
Family
How many siblings do you have?
I have 2 siblings, a younger brother and a younger sister.
What does your dad do?
He is the CEO of Apple in Taiwan.
How did your dad's surgery change you?
It changed me to become a more mature person
Who else in the family impact you or change you?
My grandparents and my mom.
Education
Where did you go to high school?
I went to Stevenson School.
Where did you graduate?
I graduated college from UPenn, and I'm currently at Johns Hopkins University for graduate school.
Work Experience
when did you start your first business?
I started my business at UPenn, selling PMT.
Where do you currently work now?
I used to work at Shanghai, but I am working at Hong Kong
Why do you want to work after college?
I want to get involved with business and learn more new things.
Science fair
How long have you been participating in science fair?
I've been participating for 5 years.
How does science fair change you as a person?
It changed me to become a more confident and extrovert person.
Dad's Surgery
How does your dad's surgery change you?
It helped me to become a more mature person
How did you feel when your dad was in the hospital?
I felt depressed, and I came back from Hong Kong to stay with my dad.
When did he go to the hospital?
He was in the hospital since the summer 2013.
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