Briefly describe how you learned about Santa Clara University. (150 words maximum)
From preschool through 8th grade, I attended Sacred Heart Schools Atherton, where I was first introduced to SCU by my teachers. As alumni of SCU, they spoke highly of the school’s unique environment, which combines a tradition of revolutionary thinking alongside Jesuit Catholic values.
I was drawn again to SCU when I began looking for colleges with strong education, science, and dance programs. My mother always encouraged a Catholic education, especially for college, because she attended a Jesuit university in San Francisco after immigrating to the United States and thrived in the campus ministry community. I sought a religious environment where I could interact with students of many faiths while staying true to my Catholic roots. Advertised as a college with a mission of social consciousness, community engagement and wide religious acceptance, SCU fits my character, interests and upbringing, representing the perfect environment for me to grow.
If you visited campus, describe what aspect of your visit experience most influenced your impression of SCU. (Maximum 150 words)
-149 words
The level of student engagement on SCU’s campus amazes me. As part of the vibrant community, I picture myself bonding over shared interests in art and science, seeing performances at Mayer Theatre and attending mass before relaxing with friends at Mission Gardens. My commitment to both dance and youth education will be shared with those in the Santa Clara Dance Coalition and Future Child Advocates clubs.
I also see this passion in the SCU classroom, in classes such as ‘Theology of Marriage’ and ‘Theology of the Arts’, where I hope to grow as a student and as an artist in discussions filled with the exchange of ideas about personal ethics. Additionally, I hope to emulate the accomplishments of the faculty and students: the artists, scientists, writers, and community members who are leaders and advocates for change. SCU’s holistic approach offers the perfect environment for the interdisciplinary studies I will pursue.
Santa Clara University's strategic vision promises to educate citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion and cultivate knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world. What aspect of SCU’s strategic vision appeals to you? Why? (between 150 - 300 words) -293 words
Part of SCU’s strategic vision focuses on being “caring and just toward others.” Having attended both a small Catholic elementary school and a large, public high school, I believe communities must find strength in diversity to cultivate an inclusive and sustainable world, as reflected in the SCU strategic vision. My school experience has taught me the importance of not only of acknowledging people as unique individuals, but also appreciating them for the individuality they bring to the community.
I define myself as a person of compassion and believe that love for one’s neighbor must also come from respecting oneself as a learner and advocate for change. When I transferred to Menlo-Atherton High School I was thrown into a grade of 600 students. Quickly, I noticed that the students self-segregated by race, which was ironic for a school whose motto was “strength in diversity”.
I was uncomfortable in the middle of the racial divide at my school. In an effort to meet people, I struck up conversations with peers in all of my classes. Most importantly, I listened to the stories of the discrimination students faced and empathized with the isolation and segregation they endured. I hope to take the lessons of compassion and acceptance that I learnt during high school, combined with my desire for a tight-knit community that I developed at my childhood school, to SCU with the goal of contributing to and progressing SCU’s strategic vision of compassion and conscience. A SCU education serves as a responsibility and a gift. As a student at SCU, I will respect the opportunity to learn alongside creative individuals who are educated in a diverse congregation of all the faiths and backgrounds and will take the time to care about individuals and their unique perspectives.