Achievements Of The Future
I come from a family of optimists. My parents are first generation immigrants to the USA and one value they highly regard is “optimism”. They strongly believe that one can overcome any obstacle as long as they are hopeful about the future and show resiliency to stick with their dream. My father came to the USA with $500 in his pocket and a dream to go to a top business school and succeed in corporate America. Today he is president of a Cummins business unit, but the path to get there involved washing dishes, mopping floors and a lot of education along the way.
His story gives me a lot of inspiration and gives me optimism to pursue my own dream.
When I grow up, I would like to invent something that will change the world. The human race has achieved a lot over the past few centuries, yet there is still so much more to discover. I don’t want to invent something that will just make our lives easier.
I realized how gifted these kids were in certain aspects and at the same time learned that they struggled with the tasks that we take for granted. This experience has inspired me and gave me the idea of doing something to help autistic children, so they can
live a better life. I aspire to create a cure, or treatment that can prevent autism, maybe some test that will detect it earlier and help reduce severity. I know that it will be tough, as many of my experiments will fail. I will surely face obstacles while pursuing my goals, but I’m ready for it. A man named Colin Powell once said “
A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”
Over the last few months, I have learned that achieving this dream of mine will be extremely tough. If life’s challenges are a lock, then optimism is the key. If I want to help autistic people, I need to keep on unlocking those locks. If I want to research and create a cure, I will need to be either a medical doctor or a researcher with a PhD. To achieve either of these two, I have to get very good grades through high school, get into a good college, excel in my courses and score well in MCAT to get into medical school which is 4 years of studies, followed by 4 more years of residency. I am inspired though with this challenge ahead of me as I believe in my cause and will not let it go regardless of the challenges I will face. I am tenacious and resilient. My mom told me that a while back I wanted to learn how to ride a skateboard like object called a Ripstik, which works by wiggling your feet which speeds it up.
Everyday I would head to a local park nearby and hold onto the railings of a tennis court. I would then slowly push myself across to try to help me keep my balance. I spent hours there every day and fell many times, but nothing was comparable to the satisfaction I felt when I was riding without any railing for support. Another example of my optimism was when I learning a Piano song. I would spend hours in the basement trying to learn this certain song that was far above my level. I would mess up many times, but I kept on going. After about 3 months, I finally learned the desired tune without any teacher and am proud of my efforts. I am sure that these optimistic qualities will help me succeed in my endeavors. A wise man named Thomas Fowell Buxton once said “With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.”
One in 64 American kids are autistic. These kids and their parents lead a tough life. I intend to use my optimism and push myself to get to my goal of helping them. It’s true that autism allows diversity in the world, allowing everyone to be unique. However, autism is something people struggle with and I want to put an end to autism. When I grow up, I am going to become a researcher or doctor. I will create something that will cure, or at least help autistic kids. I will face challenges, but I will still go on and try to make my dream come true.
