We tend to seek all the easy answers to the world’s pain and suffering. We always complain in the
papers, raise our points in the board room, trade points of view over the dinner table. What we don’t do enough, in my opinion, is act. Although we may have the best interests in mind when we talk about problems and find or propose theoretical solutions to them, people who take the necessary initiative in coming up with concrete solutions to even the smallest societal problems are very few.
People tend to place so much weight on individual success that those who truly need attention—the poor and underprivileged—are left out of the picture. I grew up amidst much racism and poverty, and in my 24 years, I have learned the only sustainable way to help them is to get rid of old misconceptions. Social problems are not a given. They can be reversed, and if a single person starts to act, I believe that a few more well-intentioned persons will follow. It is with this belief that I intend to study at the _____ School of Law.
My parents moved from China to Atlanta when I was less than a year old, hoping to find the proverbial greener pastures. As luck would have it, we ended up in a shady town with a high crime rate and few employment opportunities for immigrants like my parents. My parents, armed with hard-earned college degrees back in their homeland, settled for blue-collar jobs after being turned down by local employers. Still, they worked long hours to send me to kindergarten and eventually to a small private school.
A turning point in my life was the death of my father when I was still in college because of a vehicular accident. I remember all the legal processes that we have to go through with the company that owned the vehicle that was responsible for my father’s early demise. In the two years it took to settle the dispute, I realized how discrimination, coupled with a fear of the legal system, can keep people from getting the justice they deserve. More than ever, I was determined to finish my education and use it to make a difference.
I now have a Criminal Justice degree and a handful of respectable job experiences under my belt, but
it is my work as a legal consultant for a small legal aid firm that gives me the biggest sense of accomplishment. I work with a group of lawyers that provide free legal service to immigrants in the city where I live. Most of the time, these immigrants have no where to go to when they need legal assistance and most of them are not even aware of their rights or are too afraid to assert them. Working with these lawyers has allowed me to see the satisfaction they get from working with these people. To my mind, these are the people who “act.” These are the people who are doing something concrete, and I want to be part of their team. I know that I am already doing my share in helping these people while working for this firm, but I know that I can do more for them and perhaps for other under-represented groups too.
I believe that an education in law will help me become even more instrumental in improving
these people’s lives. I intend to specialize in immigration policies and family law, and
eventually provide legal assistance to the underprivileged. I specifically chose the _____
School of Law because of its diverse community and its focus on community issues, which I
believe will help me achieve my goals.
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