Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.


I was able to take  advantage of the opportunity to learn chinese, a language important for global communication. Both my parents speak and write chinese fluently so I was able to use their knowledge to learn. We discovered the [name] Chinese School when I was in kindergarten and I took language lessons every week. When I first started the class I had a basic idea of how to speak chinese but I had to apply myself to read and write. Chinese is a difficult language to master but I knew that once I learned it I could benefit from using it. 


I was very fortunate to have my parents available each night to help me as well. I learned to be patient and appreciate what my parents were able to teach me.


After ten years of learning I was able to pass the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) test which demonstrated my proficiency in the language. The year I took the HSK was the most difficult year in the school. Due to a time conflict, I had to enroll in a different branch of the school. I did not have the same peers who helped me with classwork. I struggled for the first two months; the administration even suggested that I not take the HSK. After my slow start, I put in more effort in order to have the chance to  succeed. With a great desire to succeed, I forced myself to follow a disciplined work ethic. Because Chinese school took up more of my time and the material was challenging, I had to budget my time well to ensure that I was studying long enough and effectively. The hard work paid off when I passed the HSK and graduated from [name] Chinese School.


I was glad to see how proud my teacher was of my achievement. She told the class that I was the student that showed the most improvement and who put in the most effort.

 

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to master the Chinese language. I continue to be grateful of what I learned because I currently use my skills in Chinese to communicate with family and friends.