University Essay: The Role of Education in My Future Development

This essay explores the profound impact of education on the author's personal and professional development, particularly focusing on the experiences of a second-generation immigrant. Rooted in the sacrifices and aspirations of the author's parents, the essay highlights the importance of education in overcoming challenges and achieving a better future. The author's journey includes early influences from the First United Methodist Church, volunteering experiences, and a growing fascination with computer science. The essay emphasizes the author's ambition to pursue computer science, driven by the desire for lucrative opportunities and the ability to make a positive difference in the world. It also underscores the cultural values of hard work and perseverance, ultimately portraying education as the key to unlocking future potential and contributing to the community. The author's determination is fueled by a desire to prove themselves and create something new based on their own merit, reflecting a strong belief in the transformative power of education.

Running Head: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN MY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
Title: The Role of Education in my Future Development
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN MY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
As a second generation immigrant, I have been instilled with many hopes for the
future. I am ambitious and am the culmination of my parents’ sacrifices and their struggles.
Migrating from Tonga to America and not being so educationally sound, it became important
for my parents to educate us. My siblings and I grew up with all the opportunities that they
did not receive. My parents had high hopes and aspirations for a better future. They expected
that we would be raised properly if we were determined and had good work ethics. They
believed that through Him, everything was possible.
I was born into the First United Methodist Church and grew up attending the weekly
services, and the Sunday youth programs. This Church had been a place of solace for my
family since the past 20+ years. My childhood was spent in activities from hiding in the
playground in Vacation Bible School to practicing our action songs. I started aspiring to serve
people from the age of 11 years when I began helping my mother with some computer stuff
at the church’s radio station. Unaware of the technical procedures, I learned everything from
Ongo Koli. Soon I realized that I was capable of reconnecting families overseas and provide
important information to the Tongan community. This further encouraged me to serve the
greater humanity. I started volunteering in different church programs, feeding the homeless
and cleaning the parks. I was appreciated and I still remember how people used to shower
their priceless blessings on me. However my parents always encouraged me for academic
betterment and not for athletics as it is common to most Polynesians. Nowadays, focussing
mainly on academics instead of athletic performance is a very common thing amongst the
Pacific Islanders.
Computer Science for me was always a tool of fascination. It has its usage in all
fields, including applications for medical as well as food industries. I realized that if I would
study computer science I could have been offered with lucrative future opportunities without
boundaries which my parents had always dreamt of. I has always aimed at achieving a well-

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN MY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
rounded academic preparation which I thought I would receive from computer science. Also,
something that had always attracted me was challenges, finding solution to problems, and
building things. With computer science, I was able to explore my knowledge and put it to
proper use. One of the prime reasons to choose computer science as my subject was that it
enables ones to make a positive difference in the world and also to the people. Working at the
radio station indeed had provided me with the opportunity of accepting the challenges and
helping people out with their problems. However, the computer science application in radio
stations is not only limited to the voice but also it includes visual connectivity, which helped
the people overseas to connect themselves through the radio stations. Since this involved
doing good to the people, it had eventually helped me to develop an appreciation for
computers.
Education is the key to a better future that my parents had promoted in me. No
matter what I do, my actions always speak of the culture that I had imbibed in, from my
childhood, and that has become an essential part of my identity. Education has provided me
with lot of opportunities. As a Tongan, I realized, if I discontinue learning, it will be a
hindrance to my growth as an individual. Laborious people retire due to lack of education. In
spite of coming from a financial unstable family, I have a strong desire to achieve prosperity
and doing more for the people in future. I have developed a drive to work hard and prove
them wrong by creating something new entirely on my own merit.