William

I was born in a single parent family in Hong Kong, where I was raised until I became eleven years old. My mother decided to move to New York City with me because she believed that New York had better education and opportunities for my future. Throughout our life, my mother has had to work seven days a week to maintain the finances of our household. In spite of this, she still found time to get involved in volunteering work. Watching her dedication to her work has made me feel very proud to have such a strong woman in my life as a parent and role model. It has also motivated me to become a better and stronger person.

Growing up in New York, I often felt lonely and helpless. Since my mother did not know any English, I had to take on many household tasks that required interaction with others, such as handling payments, dealing with various customer service employees, and looking for a new apartment for us to move due to the high rent. I felt no one could understand what I had to go through; watching all my friends having a lovely, relaxed Sunday with their parents had made me envious; my life had always been only me and my mother. I could not ask anyone to help me with the tasks, and I understood that because my mother had to work all the time, she would not have the time and energy to do all of it. Therefore, I often felt lonely and helpless. During high school, I devoted my time heavily to volunteering, whether in school or non-profit groups such as the YMCA and the New York Public Library. Each time I did volunteer work, I felt great joy knowing that I had helped someone. I enjoyed talking and listening to friends or strangers about the problems in their lives and tried hard to give them useful advice on how to cope with their issues. Helping others has always been one of my strong passions.

I am currently majoring in psychology because I believe this will give me the skills I need to help others in a meaningful way. Psychology allows me to embrace my strength in individualization and my capability to deeply relate to others. I feel that by studying psychology, I can develop my psychoanalytical skills and help people in a more professional and efficient matter. Last year I initiated an anti-bullying project called “I Care” which aims to help and support those who have been bullied. It is my hope that through this project various people can relate to each other, see how similar all people are and embrace the goodness within everyone. My professional goals are to become a clinical psychologist, to be able to understand human behavior and cognition, and to eventually make an impact in my community and the world. To this end, I intend to attend graduate school to pursue a PsyD.I fully understand the obstacles I will have to face in my academic future because it takes much research and study to succeed in psychology. Nevertheless, I believe that with my passion and devotion, along with my past personal experiences, I can overcome any hardship I am about to face.