Personal Statement

Dated: 10th January 2018
To
The Dean of Studies
University of Southern California, CA
Ref: Personal Statement on “The Impact of An Event or Activity that has changed my life or way of thinking.”
Presently, I am pursuing the Undergraduate Program at the Penn State University with a major in Accounting. I have long desired to pursue higher education in Accounting from one of the renowned Universities of the world. In this regard, I wish to apply to the two-year Postgraduate Program on Accounting at your esteemed institution. As I understand, the specialty of Accounting demands in-depth knowledge of different socio-economic issues. I also understand that in a Postgraduate Curriculum I should integrate my personal experience with my academic education. Such knowledge would help me in my professional endeavor to pursue a career in Accountancy. This communication portrays my statement on “the Impact of An Event or Activity that has changed my life or way of thinking.”
Since I was born and brought up in a modern city like Shanghai, I was unaware regarding the hardships that are confronted by children belonging to the underserved and rural communities in China. During the summer of 2015, one of my friends invited me to accompany her to pay a visit to the rural areas in China. The aim of such visit was to provide supporting education to the underserved children inhabiting such areas. After we landed, we took a ten-hour ride to reach our destination Xiangxi, Hunan. This was my first experience to visit such impoverished place.

There was no light, no air conditioner, and no internet, which made me feel that I was far away from this world. However, I also realized how individuals belonging to underserved regions make a livelihood amidst different challenges. On the first night, I still remember that I was unable to sleep because of the hot and sultry weather. On that very night, I was regretting over my decision to visit Xiangxi, Hunan. On the second day, we met the children in what they called a “classroom.” There was no provision of a traditional or modern classroom which is, and an old bungalow was arranged for the teaching assignment. When I walked into the classroom, every child was looking at me. I could see their thirst and quest for knowledge from their eyes. They reciprocated and recalled every word or phrase that I taught them. I was sad to witness that they used pencils which were almost too short to hold. During the lunchtime, situations made me more anxious. There was no provision of meat and fruits in their diet, rather; they consumed only rice and vegetables. The signs of poverty and undernourishment were evident from their physical health status. I took out my snacks to share with them, and they told me that it was their first time to taste such delicious food. I felt mixed emotions when I looked at their satisfied expression. The Xiangxi experience touched me, and I promised the children that I would come back again. After this experience, my worldview has changed significantly. I feel lucky to born in a big city and to enjoy the developments in public welfare. I kept my promise and went back to Xiangxi one year later, and brought school supplies for those children. I was glad to see that their life had become much better than before. Xiangxi is not the only place that needs our help, but there are many impoverished areas in the world which are need of resources and resource planning. I strongly feel that the Xiangxi experience would help me in my professional endeavor for planning fiscal resources in the future (Pierre & Nikitin 149-166).
Works Cited
Pierre, L & Nikitin, M. “Accounting and the Words to Tell It: An Historical Perspective.”  Accounting, Business & Financial History 200919: pp. 149–166.