Samuel

My name is Samuel, I’m currently a 10th grader attending The Preuss School. I’m 15 years old, I live with my parents, younger brother, and younger sister. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity at A Bridge For Kids, and through this personal statement, I hope to share some key parts of my identity that define who I am.

In 2013, my parents made a decision that would change the trajectory of our lives forever: Immigrating to America. Leaving China meant leaving behind everything they had known, family, careers, and stability. At this point, The People’s Republic of China still held the one-child policy, and my mom was pregnant with my little brother at the time. I was three, and only vaguely remember details like the rumble of a plane engine, or the chemical smell of a government office. But even then, I could sense the uncertainty that my parents faced, entering the unknown. While the Chinese part of my identity would remain, this place, once so foreign even in the way it smelled, would come to shape a large part of who I am.

My parents and I had vastly different experiences immersing ourselves into our new world. They quickly assimilated into American-American communities that were aligned with their culture, associated with their experiences, and provided some semblance of familiarity. Not to discount any of their difficult experiences and incredible sacrifices, but despite adding a hyphen and “American” to their race, very little of their character changed. They found their rhythms and began to work hard, as they had always done. Faced with economic difficulty, I witnessed them balance making a living while taking care of us. I, on the other hand, was presented with the opportunity to grow up here. As I attended school, language barriers dissolved. I talked to many kids from many places. Aspects of America were starting to come together like puzzle pieces. The two cultures I was a part of mixed, defining the way I thought, behaved, and saw the world. My curiosity with understanding how the world worked developed in an attempt to understand the forces that shaped upbringing and identity.

As I grew up, I pursued hobbies, excelled in school, and made friends. The most defining hobby, one that I continue to this day, is competitive swimming. Swimming checked all the boxes for what my parents wanted in a sport. It wasn’t particularly dangerous or extreme, it was a useful skill, and wasn’t a team sport (which they saw as dependent on others, rather than personal merit). Immediately after learning to swim, my parents sent me to join a swim team. This huge part of my life almost ended prematurely when I was disqualified in a race, and 7 year old me swore off swimming forever. Obviously, I returned to the sport the next day. This type of on again, off again, relationship took place for a long time. I wasn’t always motivated early on, and it caused tensions with my parents for a long time, due to the money and time commitment. Despite this, I learned to love swimming. Over time, waking up early mornings became less of a chore, and more of an opportunity to start my day working hard. Sprinting became less of a pain, and more of a chance to reach my goals. In the process, I created lifelong memories, joined a community, and became an athlete. I hope to be able to make sectionals soon. My experiences with swimming taught me a lot of values that I hold to this day. I learned the importance of being self motivated, setting goals, and being responsible. These lessons have been applicable to many other aspects of my life.

While I developed as an athlete, my academic interests also grew. Early on, I found the key lever to academic success was organization. Beyond simply getting good grades however, I began to develop specific interests in certain areas. As I mentioned previously, I was interested in how the world worked. I wanted to see the cogs moving the machine, and was captivated by links between the past, present, and future. I seeked to understand what shaped soft issues like culture and identity, as well as concrete matters like international relations and the economy. I began to analyze history, pay attention to current events, and join programs like Model United Nations, which provided me with a layer of context that became spectacles to see my own life. I recognized patterns in seemingly isolated issues, like the story of my family’s immigration. While crucial to me personally, it also reflected the domestic policy of China at the time, and the foreign policy of the United States, which undoubtedly affected millions of families besides ours. As the international order is being reshaped by new technologies such as AI, changed by disruptive political figures setting new precedents, and ridden with issues like war and crises, I want to one day be able to play a role in setting the global parameters that create stability, recognizing both the personal and global effects. While I often detest reading (regrettably), I enjoy writing. It’s a powerful tool and a way to synthesize my thoughts, to thoroughly analyze issues and to communicate ideas I find difficult to verbally articulate. I hope to be more engaged in my community and society, while developing my interests.

Looking forward, I would like to continue pursuing athletic excellence and academic interests, while developing as a person. I recognize not everyone has equal access to opportunities, and A Bridge For Kids can offer a path for me to grow towards my goals, and one day give back. One day, I hope to provide similar opportunities to others who, like me, dream of making a difference.